Fernando Cabrita

{{Infobox football biography

|name = Fernando Cabrita

|image =

|caption =

|fullname = Fernando da Silva Cabrita

|birth_date = {{birth date|1923|5|1|df=y}}

|birth_place = Lagos, Portugal

|death_date = {{death date and age|2014|9|22|1923|5|1|df=y}}

|death_place = Loures, Portugal

|height =

|position = Forward

|youthyears1 = 1940–1942 | youthclubs1 = Esperança Lagos

|years1 = 1942–1951 | clubs1 = Olhanense | caps1 = 170 | goals1 = 82

|years2 = 1951–1953 | clubs2 = Angers | caps2 = 56 | goals2 = 5

|years3 = 1953–1957 | clubs3 = Covilhã | caps3 = 125 | goals3 = 6

|years4 = 1959–1960 | clubs4 = Portimonense (player-coach) | caps4 = | goals4 =

|totalcaps = 351 | totalgoals = 93

|nationalyears1 = 1945–1957 | nationalteam1 = Portugal | nationalcaps1 = 7 | nationalgoals1 = 1

|manageryears1 = 1954–1958 | managerclubs1 = Unhais Serra

|manageryears2 = 1959–1960 | managerclubs2 = Portimonense

|manageryears3 = 1967–1968 | managerclubs3 = Benfica (caretaker)

|manageryears4 = 1970–1972 | managerclubs4 = União Tomar

|manageryears5 = 1973–1974 | managerclubs5 = Benfica

|manageryears6 = 1977–1979 | managerclubs6 = Beira-Mar

|manageryears7 = 1980 | managerclubs7 = Rio Ave

|manageryears8 = 1981 | managerclubs8 = Rio Ave

|manageryears9 = 1981–1982 | managerclubs9 = Académico Viseu

|manageryears10 = 1983–1984 | managerclubs10 = Portugal

|manageryears11 = 1985–1986 | managerclubs11 = Penafiel

|manageryears12 = 1986–1987 | managerclubs12 = Estrela Amadora

|manageryears13 = 1987–1988 | managerclubs13 = Raja Casablanca

|manageryears14 = 1988–1989 | managerclubs14 = Académico Viseu

|manageryears15 = 1990–1991 | managerclubs15 = Raja Casablanca

|manageryears16 = 1992 | managerclubs16 = Esperança Lagos

}}

Fernando da Silva Cabrita {{post-nominals|post-noms=OIH}} (1 May 1923 – 22 September 2014) was a Portuguese football forward and manager.

He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 295 games and 88 goals over the course of 14 seasons, in representation of Olhanense and Covilhã. Subsequently, he went on to have a coaching career that lasted more than two decades, and included spells with Benfica and the Portugal national team.

Club career

Born in Lagos, Algarve, Cabrita played 14 of his 18 years as a senior in his country's top division, starting out at Olhanense. In the 1943–44 season, he scored a career-best 20 goals in only 18 games to help his team to the fifth position out of ten clubs. Cabrita also represented Angers (France, second level), Covilhã and Portimonense, before retiring in 1960 at the age of 37.{{cite news|url=http://historiascc.blogspot.com/2009/11/fernando-cabrita.html|title=Fernando Cabrita|publisher=Histórias CC Blogspot|language=pt|date=November 2009|access-date=3 February 2010}}

International career

He gained seven caps for Portugal in twelve years, making his debut on 11 March 1945 in a 2–2 friendly draw against Spain{{cite news|url=http://eu-football.info/_match.php?id=6335|title=Portugal 2–2 Spain|publisher=European Football|access-date=24 September 2014}} and netting his only goal in his next appearance, a 1–5 away loss to the same opponent for the 1950 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, on 2 April 1950.{{cite news|url=http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1950/04/03/pagina-3/662497/pdf.html|title=España, 5 – Portugal, 1|trans-title=Spain, 5 – Portugal, 1|newspaper=Mundo Deportivo|language=es|date=3 April 1950|access-date=24 September 2014}}

Managerial career

Cabrita started working as a coach, as he was still playing with Portimonense in 1959. His first full-time stop at the professional level came during the 1967–68 campaign, when he acted as interim at Benfica and led the club to the national championship, before Otto Glória took over.{{cite news|url=http://lacobrigolagos.blogspot.com/2008/06/blog-post_09.html|title=Fernando Cabrita|publisher=Lacobrigolagos Blogspot|language=pt|date=9 June 2008|access-date=3 February 2010}}{{cite news|url=http://www.slbenfica.pt/noticias/detalhedenoticia/tabid/2788/ArticleId/38355/language/pt-PT/Faleceu-Fernando-Cabrita.aspx|title=Faleceu Fernando Cabrita|trans-title=Fernando Cabrita has died|publisher=S.L. Benfica|language=pt|date=22 September 2014|access-date=22 September 2014|archive-date=23 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140923182831/http://www.slbenfica.pt/noticias/detalhedenoticia/tabid/2788/ArticleId/38355/language/pt-PT/Faleceu-Fernando-Cabrita.aspx|url-status=dead}} In the Portuguese top flight he was also in charge of Tomar, Beira-Mar, Rio Ave, Academico de Viseu and Penafiel.

Cabrita served as Portugal's manager during nine matches starting in 1983, after the resignation of Glória.{{cite web|url=http://www.portugalferroviario.net/ohnoffris/slb/recortes/730928-jhagancabrita.png|title=Cabrita com a "castanha quente": "é um fardo bastante pesado...|trans-title=Cabrita with the "hot chestnut": "it is quite a heavy burden..."|publisher=Portugal Ferroviário|language=pt|date=28 September 1973|access-date=22 September 2014}} He led a technical commission with three other members – José Augusto, António Morais and Toni – and coached the national side to the semi-finals at UEFA Euro 1984, where they lost 2–3 to France in extra time.{{cite web|url=https://pt.uefa.com/uefaeuro/history/news/0254-0d7b39da609a-09bc665112af-1000--platini-faz-a-diferenca-em-meia-final-de-sonho-no-euro-1984/|title=Platini faz a diferença em meia-final de sonho|trans-title=Platini makes the difference in dream semi-final|publisher=UEFA|language=pt|date=4 October 2003|access-date=18 April 2017}}

Death

Cabrita died on 22 September 2014 due to respiratory failure, at the Hospital Beatriz Ângelo in Loures, Lisbon. He was 91 years old.{{cite news|url=http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/interior.aspx?content_id=905812|title=Morreu Fernando Cabrita|trans-title=Fernando Cabrita has died|newspaper=Record|language=pt|date=22 September 2014|access-date=23 September 2014}}