Francisco Ferreira (Portuguese footballer)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Ferreira | ||
| Date of birth | 23 August 1919 | ||
| Place of birth | Guimarães, Portugal | ||
| Date of death | 14 February 1986 (aged 66) | ||
| Place of death | Lisbon, Portugal | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1936–1937 | Porto | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1937–1938 | Porto | 13 | (0) |
| 1938–1952 | Benfica | 265 | (23) |
| Total | 278 | (23) | |
| National team | |||
| 1940–1951 | Portugal | 25 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Francisco "Xico" Ferreira (23 August 1919 – 14 February 1986) was a Portuguese footballer who played as a midfielder.
Over the course of 15 seasons, he amassed Primeira Liga totals of 278 games and twenty-three goals, mainly at Benfica, winning ten major titles.
He is also notable for ill fated reasons, after a friendly in his honor between Benfica and Torino, as the Italian team returned home, their plane crashed into the Basilica of Superga, killing all aboard and ending the Grande Torino team.
Born in Guimarães, Ferreira arrived at Porto at 17, he made his debut for the northerners in the 1937 Campeonato de Portugal Final, against Sporting on 4 July 1937. In the following year, in a match against Benfica on 20 February 1938, he crashed with Rogério de Sousa and broke his foot, needing three months to recover, only reappearing in another match against Benfica, on 10 April 1938.
After a disagreement with Porto's over a wage increase, in which he was told, "O Senhor ou assina ou põe-se na rua, não queremos cá malandros a pedir dinheiro." ("Sir, you either sign or get lost, because he do not want slackers asking for money.") – he moved to Benfica, debuting on 20 November 1938 in a home win against Sporting in Estádio das Amoreiras.
A powerful and energetic player, he became an undisputed player in the midfield, alongside Albino, Moreira and Jacinto Marques, assuming the captain armband from 1944 onwards, in 293 official matches. Due to his performances, he received offers from Real Madrid in 1945, and from Torino in 1949, after Ferruccio Novo had watch him compete for the national team in a 1–4 loss against Italy on 27 February 1949.
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