| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Oceano Andrade da Cruz | ||
| Date of birth | July 29, 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | São Vicente, Cape Verde | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sporting CP (assistant) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1975–1980 | Almada | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1980–1982 | Almada | ||
| 1982–1984 | Nacional | ||
| 1984–1991 | Sporting CP | 202 | (17) |
| 1991–1994 | Real Sociedad | 96 | (17) |
| 1994–1998 | Sporting CP | 106 | (22) |
| 1998–1999 | Toulouse | 30 | (6) |
| National team | |||
| 1985–1998 | Portugal | 54 | (8) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2009–2010 | Portugal U21 | ||
| 2011– | Sporting CP (assistant) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Oceano Andrade da Cruz (born 29 July 1962 in São Vicente, Cape Verde), simply Oceano, is a retired Cape Verdean–born Portuguese footballer during the 80's/90's, and a current manager.
A defensive midfielder with tremendous physical strength and leadership skills as his main assets, he is widely regarded as the best footballer ever hailing from his birth nation, and represented most notably Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Having gained more than 50 caps for Portugal, he represented his adopted nation at Euro 1996.
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Oceano's family emigrated from Cape Verde to Portugal when he was a child. He started his career at Almada Atlético Clube and, after a spell with then relatively unknown C.D. Nacional, moved to country giants Sporting Clube de Portugal, for 1984–85.
At Sporting, Oceano was an undisputed starter during his stay, which consisted at first of seven seasons. In 1991, he moved, alongside compatriot and teammate Carlos Xavier, to Spain's Real Sociedad, where the pair was equally influential, having been reunited with former Sporting boss John Toshack.
In 1994, both Oceano and Xavier returned to Sporting, and the former continued to perform at a consistent level until the end 1997–98, when he was almost 36; his Sporting trophies consisted, however, of a single Portuguese Cup, in 1995. He wrapped up his career in 1999, after a stint in France with Toulouse FC.
After retiring, Oceano worked as a color commentator for several TV networks. In early March 2011, he returned to his main club Sporting, joining newly-appointed José Couceiro's coaching staff.
Oceano played 54 times for Portugal, scoring eight goals. His debut came on 30 January 1985, in a 2–3 defeat with Romania, and his last game occurred thirteen years later, on April 22, 1998, in a 0–3 loss against England. He was a leading presence in the national side throughout the 90's, notably at UEFA Euro 1996, helping them to the quarterfinals.
Following the Portuguese Football Federation's appointment of Carlos Queiroz in July 2008, Oceano was invited to work as part of his technical team, and took up a position within the scouting department, working alongside former F.C. Porto's José Alberto Costa and former IFA Premiership player Julian Ward.
In August 2009, Oceano was appointed head coach of Portugal U21's, succeeding Rui Caçador.[1] His first match was on the 11th, a 2–1 victory over Northern Ireland.
After failing to qualify to the 2011 European Championship, Oceano was fired from his position.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 January 1991 | Nou Estadi Castalia, Castellón de la Plana, Spain | Spain | 0–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 12 February 1992 | Estádio de São Luís, Faro, Portugal | Netherlands | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 11 November 1992 | Stade de Paris, Paris, France | Bulgaria | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 10 February 1993 | Estádio de São Luís, Faro, Portugal | Norway | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 10 November 1993 | Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal | Estonia | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1994 World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 19 January 1994 | Balaídos, Vigo, Spain | Spain | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 7 | 18 December 1994 | Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal | Liechtenstein | 3–0 | 8–0 | Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 8 | 27 March 1996 | Estádio do Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal | Greece | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
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