Mário Wilson was born in Lourenço Marques, now Maputo, in 1929 and became one of Portuguese football's most respected figures. After a season at home and two at Sporting, he spent twelve years at Académica de Coimbra, where he was so identified with the club that he was known for the rest of his life as the 'Velho Capitão', the old captain.

He managed Benfica five separate times. The first, in 1975-76, brought the Primeira Divisão title in the chaotic aftermath of the revolution. The second, in 1979-80, brought the Taça de Portugal. He came back in September 1995 when Artur Jorge was dismissed, finished second in the league and won another Taça de Portugal, beating Sporting in the 1996 final.

His last two spells were emergency caretaker jobs of days and weeks in 1997, when the club was in turmoil and he was working inside it. Across those five appointments he stands as one of only a handful of men to have coached Benfica more than three times. He also managed Portugal between 1978 and 1980, and died in Lisbon in October 2016.