Carlos Manuel Correia dos Santos (pronounced: [ˈkaɾluʃ mɐnuˈɛɫ]; born 15 January 1958), known as Carlos Manuel, is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a central midfielder, and a current manager.
Best known for his spell at Benfica, for which he appeared in 318 official games over the course of eight 1/2 seasons (scoring 58 goals), he was also a leading figure for the national team during the better part of the 80's. After retiring, he embarked in a lengthy spell as coach.
Having won more than 40 caps for Portugal in six years, Manuel represented the nation in one World Cup and one European Championship.
Club career
Born in Moita, Setúbal District, Carlos Manuel made his football debuts with CUF, moving in 1978 to F.C. Barreirense. He reached the Portuguese top level as he signed with S.L. Benfica, still in Lisbon, going on to be an influential member of a side that won four leagues and six cups in the 80's, as well as finishing runner-up to R.S.C. Anderlecht in the 1982–83 UEFA Cup.[1]
After falling out of favour with the club's management, Manuel moved in January 1988 to Switzerland with FC Sion. Only five months later, he returned to the Portuguese capital after signing with Sporting Clube de Portugal. After a solid first season his career began winding down, and he finally retired midway through 1993–94, whilst at G.D. Estoril Praia – he had previously represented Boavista Futebol Clube for two years; he was chosen by Portuguese sports newspaper Record as one of the best 100 Portuguese football players ever.
After retiring at 36, Carlos Manuel took on coaching, having managed with little success a host of clubs, mainly in the Lisbon area. Midway through 1997–98, he bought out his contract at S.C. Salgueiros and joined Sporting, but the Lions could only finish fourth and he was sacked, a fate he met mere months after, at Sporting de Braga.
International career
For the Portuguese national team, Carlos Manuel was capped on 42 occasions, scoring eight goals. His debut came on 26 March 1980 in a 1–4 away loss against Scotland for the UEFA Euro 1980 qualifiers.
Three of those goals were memorable: the win over Poland in Wrocław on 28 October 1983, which helped Portugal qualify for Euro 1984; the historic victory in West Germany on 16 October 1985, which secured qualification for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and in the latter competition's final stages, the win over England in the group opener (all three matches finished 1–0 for Portugal).
After the 1986 World Cup loss to Morocco, with the national side being ousted in the group stages – the competition was also stained by the Portuguese players' involvement in the Saltillo Affair – Manuel retired from the international scene, at only 28.
Carlos Manuel: International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition
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| 1 | 7 October 1980 | Estádio do Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal |  United States | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly
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| 2 | 21 September 1983 | Estádio José Alvalade (1956), Lisbon, Portugal |  Finland | 2–0 | 5–0 | Euro 1984 qualifying
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| 3 | 28 October 1983 | Olympic Stadium (Wrocław), Wroclaw, Poland |  Poland | 0–1 | 0–1 | Euro 1984 qualifying
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| 4 | 14 October 1984 | Estádio das Antas, Porto, Portugal |  Czechoslovakia | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1986 World Cup qualification
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| 5 | 30 January 1985 | Estádio José Alvalade (1956), Lisbon, Portugal |  Romania | 2–0 | 2–3 | Friendly
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| 6 | 10 February 1985 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta |  Malta | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1986 World Cup qualification
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| 7 | 16 October 1985 | Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart, West Germany |  West Germany | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1986 World Cup qualification
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| 8 | 3 June 1986 | Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey, Mexico |  England | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup
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Honours
Team
- Portuguese League: 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1986–87
- Portuguese Cup: 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1991–92
- Portuguese Supercup: 1979, 1984
- UEFA Cup: Runner-up 1982–83
Individual
- Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 1985
References
External links
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CNID Footballer of the Year (1970–2000) | | | Winners | |
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CNID Footballer of the Year or Primeira Liga Footballer of the Year (2006–2010) | | | Winners | |
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| Persondata |
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| Name |
Manuel, Carlos |
| Alternative names |
Manuel Santos, Carlos |
| Short description |
Portuguese football player/manager/commentator |
| Date of birth |
15 January 1958 |
| Place of birth |
Moita Municipality, Portugal |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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