Vítor Baptista (soccer player)

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Vítor Baptista
Vítor Baptista (1972) .jpg
Vítor Baptista (1972)
Personnel
Surname Vítor Manuel Ferreira Baptista
birthday October 18, 1948
place of birth Setúbal ,  Portugal
date of death January 1, 1999
Place of death Setúbal ,  Portugal
size 178 cm
position Center Forward
Juniors
Years station
0 Vitória Setúbal
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1966-1971 Vitória Setúbal 76 (33)
1971-1978 Benfica Lisbon 111 (51)
1978-1979 Vitória Setúbal 19 0(7)
1979-1980 Boavista Porto 15 0(8)
1980 San Jose Earthquakes 1 0(0)
1980-1981 Amora FC 4 0(0)
1981-1982 CD Montijo 2 0(0)
1982 AC Malveira
1982 União de Tomar
1982-1983 Monte Caparica AC
1984-1986 Estrelas do Faralhao
National team
Years selection Games (goals)
1971-1976 Portugal 11 0(2)
1 Only league games are given.

Vítor Manuel Ferreira Baptista , Vítor Baptista for short (born  October 18, 1948 in Setúbal , †  January 1, 1999 ibid), was a Portuguese professional footballer .

He was known for his eccentric lifestyle and distinguished himself both on the field and in private life with his uncompromising style and self-will. After great success and extravagant appearances in the 1970s, he died penniless and a drug addict in 1999. He earned a reputation in the history of Portuguese football that parallels George Best in British football, with whom he briefly played together in 1980 at the San José Earthquakes in the United States.

The public gave him various nicknames , in particular O Maior ( Portuguese for: "The greatest"). Most recently, the documentary “O Maior - A História de Vítor Baptista” , published in 2016 and produced by the weekly Expresso , dealt with the idiosyncratic history of Baptistas.

youth

Baptista was born into a poor family in Setúbal who lived in the simplest of circumstances. His father transported fish from the harbor to the market hall and died early. Baptista left school at the age of 10 and began to earn some money with little temporary work. He also played in soccer tournaments that were held in his city.

After one of these tournaments, Vitória Setúbal Baptista joined the youth team at the age of 13, where his career in organized football began. The young Eusébio became a great role model for Baptista.

Career

Baptista quickly developed into a regular player at Vitória Setúbal and was already part of the team that won the Portuguese Cup in 1967 at the age of 18 .

After he had caused a stir at Vitória Setúbal, he moved to record champions Benfica Lisbon in 1971 , the most expensive move in Portuguese football history. There he became known for his enormous goal danger, but also for his self-confidence. So he was the only competitor for Eusébio, whom he was the only one on the team. His technical ability and goal scoring made him a central player in the team with which he won the Portuguese championship five times .

Baptista's successful years at Benfica were increasingly marked by eccentric episodes. He now bought expensive cars and had a hired chauffeur drive him. His unadjusted character became more and more evident, for example through eye-catching tattoos (including a wristwatch) or when he brought his dog into the stadium in a Benfica dress.

One of the most famous episodes is his goal in the explosive Lisbon derby against city rivals Sporting Lisbon on February 12, 1978. He did not cheer it, but began vehemently to look for his earring, which he had lost in the lawn of the Estádio da Luz . The game was paused for a few minutes and a large number of players helped him unsuccessfully in the search for the 12,000 Escudos , gem-studded earring. Afterwards, he also said that he was the only one who did not earn any money on the day on the pitch, as he received 8,000 (according to other sources 10,000 escudos) for the game, but lost 12,000 escudos. This scene is considered to be the most famous episode in the history of the Baptist player, which football fans in Portugal will remember again and again.

He was appointed to the Portuguese national soccer team several times from 1971 onwards. However, he did not set any major accents and often quarreled with the coaches. He refused to play a game in Russia because the Russian players are not professional players and he only plays against professionals. When he insulted national coach Juca in front of the team in 1976, after being late for training again , his career as a national player was finally over.

Apart from the game, Baptista was known for her often unruly behavior in expensive cars and in the company of frequently changing women. He also increasingly struggled with drug problems. In his seventh season at Benfica, Baptista demanded 650,000 Escudos a month. However, the club only offered 450,000 and a Porsche Carrera. Baptista then left the club in 1978 and signed with his old club Vitória Setúbal, for 100,000 Escudos monthly salary.

He then changed clubs several times, but continued to deteriorate. In 1980 he accepted an offer from the US club San José Earthquakes , under the coaching team Bill Foulkes and António Simões , and at the side u. a. by George Best . Baptista only played one game there and just flew back a few weeks later.

In the end Baptista played from 1984 in the second division of the Setúbal district association with the Estrelas do Faralhão , before he stopped playing after 1986. Baptista also came into conflict with the law several times after petty theft and drug offenses. He was often a guest at the stadium for games in Benfica.

On New Years Day 1999, Baptista died, just 50 years old and completely destitute.

title

literature

  • Frederico Duarte Carvalho: Vítor Baptista o Maior. Contemporânea Editora, Matosinhos 1999

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The film "O Maior - A História de Vítor Baptista" in the media library of the Expresso newspaper , accessed on May 26, 2016
  2. ↑ a b c d Biography of Vítor Baptistas on the website of the Portuguese players' union SJPF, accessed on May 26, 2016
  3. ↑ a b c Web page for Vítor Baptista on the Benfica website Ser Benfiquista , accessed on May 26, 2016
  4. ↑ a b Article on the eccentric time of Baptistas near Benfica Lisbon from the Portuguese news portal www.ionline.sapo.pt, accessed on May 26, 2016
  5. ↑ Vítor Baptista, "o rapaz do brinco" - "Vítor Baptista, the" boy with the earring "" , contribution from February 12, 2013 in the football show Grande Área of the Portuguese TV station RTP , recorded on YouTube , accessed on 26. May 2016
  6. ↑ Vítor Baptista regressa às origens - “Vítor Baptista returns to his origins” , article of August 26, 2015 about the return of Baptistas to Setúbal, on the Portuguese news portal www.ionline.sapo.pt, accessed on May 26, 2016
  7. ↑ Article of November 25, 2011 about the episode Baptistas at the San José Earthquakes on the Portuguese news portal www.ionline.sapo.pt, accessed on May 26, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Baptista, Vítor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ferreira Baptista, Vítor Manuel (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Portuguese soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH October 18, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Setúbal , Portugal
DATE OF DEATH January 1, 1999
Place of death Setúbal , Portugal