Vítor Oliveira

Vítor Manuel Oliveira (17 November 195328 November 2020) was a Portuguese football midfielder and manager.

In a managerial career spanning over 30 years, he won 11 promotions to the Primeira Liga, six as champion.

Playing career Born in Matosinhos, Oliveira's senior career spanned 13 seasons, ten of which were spent in the Primeira Liga where he appeared in a total of 218 games, scoring 17 goals; he represented Leixões SC, F.C. Famalicão, S.C. Espinho, S.C. Braga and Portimonense S.C. at that level. In his last year as a professional, he played 23 matches (one goal) for the latter team as they finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first and only time in their history.

Oliveira retired in June 1985, at the age of 31. In the Segunda Liga, he played for U.S.C. Paredes and Famalicão.

Coaching career Oliveira was player-manager of Famalicão for their final match of the 1978–79 season, after the exit of Mário Imbelloni. The team lost 2–0 at C.F. Os Belenenses on 17 June, and were consequently relegated from the top level.

Afterwards, Oliveira was in charge of Portimonense. His first season yielded the best finish of his entire career as seventh in the 1985–86, but only managed to lead his team to three wins in his 21 games (14 losses) as the season ended in top-division relegation.

After working with former club Leixões as director of football in 2008–09, Oliveira resumed his career in the second level, with C.D. Trofense, C.D. Aves, F.C. Arouca and Moreirense FC. On 19 May 2016, he returned to Portimonense nearly three decades after his first spell, on a one-year contract with the aim of winning promotion. After doing so as champions – his fifth consecutive promotion – he decided to remain in the Algarve; having taken the team to tenth place on their return to the top flight, he left the Estádio Municipal de Portimão in May 2018.

On 22 May 2018, Oliveira replaced João Henriques as manager of another former side, Paços de Ferreira. In May 2019, having sealed his eleventh promotion and sixth as champion, he left for yet another former employer Gil Vicente – who had been restored to the top tier in a court decision. On 10 August, in their first game of the season, they beat FC Porto 2–1 at home; they finished in tenth, after which he left.

Death and legacy Oliveira died while going for a walk in his hometown of Matosinhos on 28 November 2020, at the age of 67; early reports, which were later confirmed, stated that he felt unwell and died of a heart attack. He had been working as a pundit for Canal 11 a few weeks prior to the event.

Afterwards, the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional decided to name the monthly and yearly Best Manager Award in his honour.

Managerial statistics

+ Managerial record by team and tenure Team Nat From To Record Famalicão (caretaker) 11 June 197918 June 1979 Portimonense 8 June 19855 February 1987 Maia 1 July 1987 31 December 1988 Paços Ferreira 17 January 1989 20 March 1992 Gil Vicente 20 May 1992 30 May 1995 Vitória Guimarães 31 May 1995 18 December 1995 Académica 11 January 1996 17 May 1997 União Leiria 17 May 1997 18 May 1998 Braga 26 May 1998 28 October 1998 Belenenses 3 December 1998 16 May 2000Rio Ave 16 May 2000 2 December 2001 Gil Vicente 23 December 2001 3 June 2003 Académica 29 August 2003 18 December 2003 Moreirense 7 June 2004 4 April 2005 Leixões 23 February 2006 22 May 2007 União Leiria 6 November 2007 12 May 2008 Trofense 15 June 2009 8 February 2010 Aves 25 October 2010 30 May 2011 Arouca 21 September 2011 19 May 2013 Moreirense 21 May 2013 10 March 2014 União Madeira 27 May 2014 25 May 2015 Chaves 10 June 2015 15 May 2016 Portimonense 19 May 2016 15 May 2018 Paços Ferreira 22 May 2018 20 May 2019 Gil Vicente 20 May 2019 25 July 2020 Career totals

Honours Manager Paços Ferreira Segunda Liga: 1990–91, 2018–19

União Leiria Segunda Liga: 1997–98

Leixões Segunda Liga: 2006–07 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19 Primeira Liga Manager of the Month: October/November 2019