Artur Correia, Portuguese footballer, Died at 66

  Sports

Artur Manuel Soares Correia was born on April 18, 1950, in Lisbon and died on July 25, 2016.

He was a Portuguese footballer.

Artur played as a right back.

Nicknamed “Ruço”, he amassed Primeira Liga totals of 234 games and four goals during 12 seasons, representing Académica, Benfica and Sporting, winning eight major titles with the second club including five national championships.

Artur Correia also spent two years in the United States, with the New England Tea Men.

He was a Portuguese international for seven years, making his debut in 1972.

Artur only appeared in one game in his first season, but eventually asserted himself as a starter, gathering interest from C.F. Os Belenenses, FC Porto and Sporting Clube de Portugal.

During 1971, he accepted an offer from Benfica, as Jimmy Hagan acted as the club’s manager.

Artur Correia made his debut on 12 September in a 3–1 win over Porto at the Estádio das Antas, going on to help his team win the league with a ten-point advantage over second-placed Vitória de Setúbal and beat Porto and Sporting in the Taça de Portugal, as the campaign ended with a domestic double and a semi-final run in the European Cup.

In his sixth the Eagles, Correia won five league titles, one Portuguese Cup and two Taça de Honra trophies.

Over the summer of 1977, during negotiations for a new contract, Benfica management proposed him a pay cut, which he refused.

But rather, the sporting president João Rocha offered him a better deal and Correia traded clubs, as he explained: “I never thought of playing in Sporting, but it was the club that offered me the best deal – basically, Benfica, sent me away.”

Artur played there for three years, winning the Portuguese Cup in 1977–78 and the league in 1979–80.

During 1979, Correia joined the New England Tea Men from the North American Soccer League, playing there the first six months of the season and the final six at Sporting.

Correia suffered a stroke on 23 September 1980 that left him permanently incapable of playing professional football; he remained connected with the sport, managing G.D. Sesimbra and Centro Desportivo Universitário de Lisboa and working for Lisbon’s city hall.

Artur Correia passed away at 66 years old.