Vítor Gonçalves
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Last ClubSL Benfica
Vítor Cândido Gonçalves was born in Lisbon on 12 April 1896 and died on 7 March 1965. A Casa Pia schoolboy, he played for Benfica as a forward and later as a midfielder alongside Cândido de Oliveira and António Ribeiro dos Reis, winning the Campeonato de Lisboa of 1919/20 and two Taças de Honra. He was capped by Portugal from the country's very first international, played in Madrid against Spain on 18 December 1921.
He took charge of Benfica in July 1934, his first match a 5-1 friendly win over Torres Novas on the 8th of that month, and remained for two seasons and 64 matches. Both brought a major trophy. In 1934/35 Benfica won the Campeonato de Portugal, and in 1935/36 they won the Campeonato da Liga, the newly created national league and the first league championship in the club's history. His last match was a cup semi-final defeat by Belenenses on 28 June 1936.
He worked in the era of the WM, with a settled defensive spine and half-backs who dictated the tempo, and he had the good fortune and the judgement to hand a young side its first league title. He was succeeded by the Hungarian Lippo Hertzka, under whom the same group won the next two championships, and he is remembered as the man who started the run.
He took charge of Benfica in July 1934, his first match a 5-1 friendly win over Torres Novas on the 8th of that month, and remained for two seasons and 64 matches. Both brought a major trophy. In 1934/35 Benfica won the Campeonato de Portugal, and in 1935/36 they won the Campeonato da Liga, the newly created national league and the first league championship in the club's history. His last match was a cup semi-final defeat by Belenenses on 28 June 1936.
He worked in the era of the WM, with a settled defensive spine and half-backs who dictated the tempo, and he had the good fortune and the judgement to hand a young side its first league title. He was succeeded by the Hungarian Lippo Hertzka, under whom the same group won the next two championships, and he is remembered as the man who started the run.
Coaching Philosophy
A former Benfica half-back who had spent nine years in the side, Gonçalves coached in the last days of the classical pyramid, a 2-3-5 in which the centre-half dictated play and the wingers stayed wide to stretch the defence.
He knew the club and its players intimately and ran the side on familiarity and continuity rather than on any imported system. His reward was the greatest prize in the club's early history: Benfica's first national league championship, won in 1935/36.
33Matches in Charge
66.67%Win Rate
93:48Goals For : Against
6Clean Sheets
33 matches in charge: 22W-3D-8L, 67% won, 2.09 points per game.
In charge from 14 Oct 1934 to 28 May 1936.
Biggest win: 8-3 against Boavista FC on 19 May 1935.
Longest unbeaten run: 8 matches.
93 scored, 48 conceded — 2.82 and 1.45 a game.
6 clean sheets — 18% of his matches.
Detailed Metrics
Points per match2.0969 of 99 contested
Scored per match2.8293 goals
Conceded per match1.4548 goals
Goal difference per match+1.36+45 overall
Clean sheet rate18.2%6 of 33
Seasons in charge133.0 matches per season
Biggest win7-2vs Académico FC
Heaviest defeat3-1vs Sporting CP
Analytics
Win Rate & Points Per Game by Season
All Results
Form — Last 10 Matches
Performance by Competition
| Competition | P | W | D | L | W% | GF | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 57.1% | 41 | 23 | +18 | ||
| 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 66.7% | 27 | 13 | +14 | ||
| 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 85.7% | 25 | 12 | +13 | ||
Head-to-Head Records
| Opponent | P | W | D | L | W% | GF | GA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 71.4% | 15 | 10 | ||
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 33.3% | 9 | 11 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75% | 13 | 6 | ||
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50% | 8 | 4 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | 6 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 11 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 14 | 5 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 5 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 8 | 3 | ||
