Manuel Ventura Cajuda de Sousa (born 27 June 1951 in Olhão, Algarve) is a Portuguese football manager, currently in charge of União de Leiria.
In a career which spanned three decades, he managed nearly 20 teams in his country, also working in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
[edit] Playing career
Cajuda played exclusively in the Algarve region during his career, starting out at S.C. Olhanense. In 1975, he joined what would be his main club, S.C. Farense, also in the second division.
In the 1983 summer, even though the Faro outfit had just promoted to the top level, 32-year old Cajuda decided to retire from playing.
[edit] Manager career
Immediately after retiring, Cajuda started working as a manager with Farense, leading the team through 12 games in its first-ever season in the first division, and managing to help it retain it league status, after finishing 12th. He continued to work in his native region in the following years, with Portimonense SC, Olhanense and Louletano DC.
In 1994, after years of working almost exclusively in the second level - the exception being S.C.U. Torreense in 1991–92 - Cajuda signed for Sporting de Braga, remaining in Minho for the following eight years (leading the team to the fourth place in 1997 and 2001), with two incomplete seasons with C.F. Os Belenenses in between. He managed to finish in the top-six with his following two teams, U.D. Leiria - he had already been in charge of the club nine years before, in division two - and C.S. Marítimo.
Cajuda left the Madeira side only one game into the 2004–05 season, and joined fellow top-divisioner S.C. Beira-Mar,[1] but only lasted an additional ten matches in Aveiro.[2] After a brief spell with Associação Naval 1º de Maio, he left for Egypt with Zamalek SC, becoming the second Portuguese coach to be appointed at the club after Nelo Vingada.
Cajuda returned to Portugal midway through 2006–07 joining Vitória de Guimarães - being announced on Christmas Day - which he led to promotion, and a third position in the following year, just narrowly surpassing S.L. Benfica for the last UEFA Champions League berth, only to lose controversially in the last qualifying round against FC Basel of Switzerland. He left Vitória at the conclusion of the 2008–09 campaign, with an eighth-place finish, joining Al Sharjah SC of the United Arab Emirates.[3]
In late September 2011, Cajuda became Leiria's third coach of the season, after dismissed Pedro Caixinha and Vítor Pontes.[4]
[edit] Personal
Cajuda's sons, Hugo (born 1979) and João (1984), were both involved in sports: the former played twice for Braga in the top division - under the management of his father - mainly representing the club's reserves during a short spell. The latter was engaged in gymnastics in his youth, but later took up an acting career.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Cajuda, Manuel |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
Football player/manager |
| Date of birth |
27 June 1951 |
| Place of birth |
Olhão, Portugal |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
