João Pinto

For the former Portuguese football player named João Pinto, see João Pinto.

João Pinto

Personal information
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Varzim SC

João Manuel Vieira Pinto (born 19 August 1971 in Porto) is a former Portuguese footballer, who made his name mostly at a domestic level and as a key figure in the Portuguese national team's Golden Generation.

Youth

As a youth, João Vieira Pinto played for the Bairro do Falcão (where he was born, in Campanhã, Porto's east side) and the Águias da Areosa, and once tried to join FC Porto, but was refused, joining Boavista FC instead. As a child, João Pinto impressed with his speed and ball control, and was one of the brightest stars in Portugal's wins in the World Youth Championship in Riyadh and Lisbon in 1989 and 1991 He is the only player ever to have been on the winning side in this competition twice. His performance in the first competition earned him a transfer to Atlético Madrid in 1990, but he was placed instead on Atlético Madrileño, the reserves' side. After a forgettable season, he rejoined Boavista, where he played every game, scoring eight goals, and helping his team win the Portuguese Cup. This season earned him a transfer to Lisbon's S.L. Benfica.

Career

In Benfica, João Pinto's career was threatened in late 1992 by a collapsed lung during a game in Scotland for the 1994 World Cup qualifiers. He did recover, but was unable to help Benfica win the title. However, in the next season he played some of what most agree was the best football he ever played at Benfica, with his best moment in a derby against Sporting, where he scored three goals and was on the play of the remaining three of a massive 6-3 victory in the Estádio José Alvalade. This result proved to be decisive for Benfica's title that season.Dubbed The Golden Boy, João Pinto won the captaincy from António Veloso after Veloso's retirement in 1995, but Pinto was unable to win a national title again. Arguably, the lack of quality of a poorly managed Benfica side played a part in his lack of development after 1995, as he was considered as the main talent of the Portuguese squad, alongside player Rui Costa.Finally, after a wage dispute with Benfica's president João Vale e Azevedo, he was released from contract weeks before the Euro 2000 (making him the only free-agent in the competition), where he helped the national team reach the semi-finals.

After the end of the Euro 2000, João Pinto had several offers from abroad, and after almost signing with Benfica's rivals FC Porto, he settled for Sporting instead. After a relatively poor season in 2000-01, Sporting hired four-time Portuguese Golden Boot winner Mário Jardel, and João Pinto returned to his golden years in a magnificent run by Sporting, where he captured his second title. Named the father of the team by Jardel, João Pinto played all but one game, and scored nine goals.

Never recovering fully from the incident at the World Cup, Pinto failed to impress in the following seasons, when Sporting failed to reach the top two spots, and in 2004 he was released from contract, returning to Boavista. Although he was close to signing with Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia in the January transfer window, he remained with his first professional club.

After a season carrying Boavista's squad (who almost qualified for UEFA Cup, with Pinto scoring nine league goals and receiving numerous man of the match awards), João Pinto accepted the invitation of SC Braga's board in July 2006, signing for one season. He was saluted by thousands of fans during his official presentation to the media. He scored 2 goals in 24 appearances helping Braga reaching fourth place, and extended his contract at Braga for the 2007/08 season. However, during February 2008, Pinto trained with Toronto FC of MLS and on February 22 announced the termination of his contract at SC Braga.

Aggression

Although a highly talented player, João Pinto was also known for a series of red cards for aggression and bad tackles. His feud with FC Porto player and national teammate Paulinho Santos lasted for years, and both players would be frequently sent off after hitting each other. Other incidents that stirred some controversy included one case of aggression against a fireman during the half-time break and elbowing an Estrela da Amadora player during a practice match.

The lowest point, however, was when he hit Argentine referee Ángel Sánchez (in the third game of the group stage, against South Korea, at the 2002 World Cup), who had sent him off after a bad tackle early in the match. Pinto was suspended for six months. He also got the reputation of being a diver, but he began to foul less in his later years.

He ended his Portugal career with 81 caps, 23 goals, and appearances in Euro 96, Euro 2000, and the 2002 World Cup.

Honours

• Portuguese Liga (1994, 2002)
• Portuguese Cup (1992, 1993, 1996, 2002)
• Portuguese SuperCup (2001)
• FIFA U-20 World Cup (1989, 1991)
• Portuguese Footballer of the Year (1992, 1993, 1994)