Portuguese Futebol.com » Your Source for Portuguese Soccer » Legends

Mário Esteves Coluna

Birthplace:
6/8/1935, Mozambique

Played for:
Lourenço Marques (1954)
Benfica (1955-1970)
Lyon (1970-1971)

Biography:
Eusébio was the star of Portugal, but the midfielder Coluna made up the rest of the team.

The history of Mário Esteves Coluna can be counted through the numbers throughout his 16 years of playing soccer. Playing for Benfica, of Portugal, he played 715 games and got no less than 19 titles, which includes 10 Portuguese championships, 7 Portugal Cups and 2 European championships. He won all of his championships with Benfica. For the Portuguese National Team, he played in 58 games and scored 8 goals. It would seem then that the name of Mário Coluna deserves a place of honor in soccer history.

Strong at midfield, Coluna was known for the way he played on the field because of his elegant and efficient style. Coluna was also known to score long distance goals with ease. With one of these surprising kicks, he marked a historical goal. It was against Barcelona, where they played, and at the time, Evaristo de Macedo, Czibor and Kocsis. It was a goal that assured Benfica its first title as champions of Europe, in the season of 1961.

It was, however, with the victories in Europe with Benfica that paved the way to a successful run in the 1966 World Cup with the national team. The red and green was a sensation already in the tournament, defeating opponents such as England, Hungary, Bulgaria, Brazil, North Korea, and the USSR. The selected team of Portugal, which included Coluna and Eusébio, guaranteed Portugal third place in the Worldcup of 1966.

Coluna played in only 2 other clubs: the Lourenço Marques, the team of the city where he was born, in Moçambique, and Lyon, of France, where finsihed his career, in 1971, at the age of 37 years.

Honors:
Portuguese champion (1955, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968 and 1969)
Portugal Cup (1955, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1969/70)
Champions League(1961 and 1962)


	Mário Esteves Coluna Birthplace: 6/8/1935, Mozambique Played for: Lourenço Marques (1954) Benfica (1955-1970) Lyon (1970-1971) Biography: Eusébio was the star of Portugal, but the midfielder Coluna made up the rest of the team. The history of Mário Esteves Coluna can be counted through the numbers throughout his 16 years of playing soccer. Playing for Benfica, of Portugal, he played 715 games and got no less than 19 titles, which includes 10 Portuguese championships, 7 Portugal Cups and 2 European championships. He won all of his championships with Benfica. For the Portuguese National Team, he played in 58 games and scored 8 goals. It would seem then that the name of Mário Coluna deserves a place of honor in soccer history. Strong at midfield, Coluna was known for the way he played on the field because of his elegant and efficient style. Coluna was also known to score long distance goals with ease. With one of these surprising kicks, he marked a historical goal. It was against Barcelona, where they played, and at the time, Evaristo de Macedo, Czibor and Kocsis. It was a goal that assured Benfica its first title as champions of Europe, in the season of 1961. It was, however, with the victories in Europe with Benfica that paved the way to a successful run in the 1966 World Cup with the national team. The red and green was a sensation already in the tournament, defeating opponents such as England, Hungary, Bulgaria, Brazil, North Korea, and the USSR. The selected team of Portugal, which included Coluna and Eusébio, guaranteed Portugal third place in the Worldcup of 1966. Coluna played in only 2 other clubs: the Lourenço Marques, the team of the city where he was born, in Moçambique, and Lyon, of France, where finsihed his career, in 1971, at the age of 37 years. Honors: Portuguese champion (1955, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968 and 1969) Portugal Cup (1955, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1969/70) Champions League(1961 and 1962)