Mantorras
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pedro Manuel Torres | ||
| Date of birth | 18 March 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Huambo, Angola | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Progresso | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2001 | Alverca | 31 | (9) |
| 2001–2011 | Benfica | 101 | (29) |
| 2011–2012 | 1º Agosto | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 132 | (38) | |
| National team | |||
| 2001 | Angola U20 | 4 | (1) |
| 2001–2010 | Angola | 33 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Pedro Manuel Torres (born 18 March 1982), known as Mantorras, is a retired Angolan footballer who played as a striker.
His nickname derives from the fact that, as a child, he suffered slight accidental burns, being then known as "Mantorras" from the Angolan expression "Mano Torras," which means "toasted brother". His professional career, mainly spent with Benfica, was blighted by constant injury problems.
Mantorras played for Angola in the 2000s, representing the nation at the 2006 World Cup and two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Born in Huambo, Mantorras started his career at Progresso Associação do Sambizanga. He quickly caught the eye of Portuguese scouts, and transferred to F.C. Alverca shortly thereafter as that club acted also as S.L. Benfica's farm team. Most notably, he scored once in a 3–1 home win over Sporting Clube de Portugal on 17 February 2001, and finished that season with nine league goals as the team managed to retain their Primeira Liga status, finishing in 12th position.
At 19, Mantorras signed with Benfica, making a particularly good impression during his first season and being subsequently sought out by FC Barcelona and Inter Milan. During his quick rise to stardom, he was frequently described as the best player to come out of Portuguese Africa since Eusébio left Mozambique for Benfica in the early 1960s; the latter himself said of the former: "He has special qualities and is set for a great future".
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