Guilherme Espírito Santo
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Guilherme Santa Graça do Espírito Santo | ||
| Date of birth | 30 October 1919 | ||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal | ||
| Date of death | 25 November 2012 (aged 93) | ||
| Place of death | Lisbon, Portugal | ||
| Playing position | Centre forward / Right winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1927–1936 | Benfica de Luanda | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1936–1950 | Benfica | 117 | (79) |
| Total | 117 | (79) | |
| National team | |||
| 1937–1945 | Portugal | 8 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1977 | Montijo | ||
| 1979–1981 | Quimigal do Barreiro | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Guilherme Santa Graça do Espírito Santo (30 October 1919 – 25 November 2012), best known as Espírito Santo, was a Portuguese footballer and athlete.
Over the course of 12 seasons he amassed Primeira Liga totals of 117 games and 79 goals, spending all of his career at Benfica, winning seven major titles.
Nicknamed The Black Pearl, he was a prolific goalscorer, with Peyroteo even claiming he was a more complete footballer than him.
Born in Lisbon from Angolan descendents, Espírito Santo moved to Luanda at the age of 8, and joined the local Benfica delegation, Sport Luanda e Benfica. A fast and agile footballer, his performances led him to being call up to Benfica at age 16, to replace his idol — Vítor Silva – as centre forward. He made his debut on 10 January 1937, still age 17, in a 2–1 win against Vitória de Setúbal, scoring both goals from Benfica.
His 23 goals in two seasons, help the club achieve a three-peat, with Espírito Santo assisting in the final two, in 1936–37, 1937–38. A notable event in his career was match for the 1937–38 Campeonato de Lisboa, when scored 9 goals in a 13–1 trashing of Casa Pia on 5 December 1937. He also took part on historic reversal of a 1–6 deficit in the semi-final of the Taça Portugal against Porto on 18 June 1939, scoring twice in a 6–0 win.
In 1941, he suffered a serious medical condition that sideline him for two whole seasons, only reappearing on 6 February 1944. Moved to the right wing, Espírito Santo helped the club won two more league titles, and two Portuguese Cups, scoring over 50 goals in the process. He retired in 1950, playing his last match on 13 November 1949, with 211 matches and 152 goals scored. For his services, the club awarded him with the Aguia de Ouro (Golden Eagle) medal, and the Olympic Committee of Portugal, with a Fair Play medal.
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