Introduction
António Simões da Costa (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈtɔniu siˈmõȷ̃ʃ]); born 14 December 1943), known as Simões, is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a left winger.
He spent 14 professional seasons with Benfica, playing 449 official games and scoring 72 goals. In the late 1970s/early 1980s he represented several teams in the United States, and subsequently worked as a manager on both continents.
Simões played more than 40 times for Portugal, appearing with the country at the 1966 World Cup.
Club career
Benfica
Born in Corroios, Seixal, Setúbal, Simões joined S.L. Benfica when he was 15, and was already an important first-team member just two years later, being part of the squads that won ten national championships and one European Cup. In the 1962 final of the latter competition, a 5–3 win against Real Madrid, he became the youngest ever player to conquer the tournament, at 18 years and four months.
Simões left Benfica at the end of the 1974–75 season, after winning his last league. He contributed with 26 scoreless games in the process.
United States
Simões moved to the United States at the age of 32, signing with the Boston Minutemen of the North American Soccer League. He spent two seasons in the city before moving to the San Jose Earthquakes in 1976, and subsequently the Dallas Tornado.
In 1979 Simões joined the Detroit Lightning of the Major Indoor Soccer League. After one season he moved to the Chicago Horizon, before finishing his career at almost 39 with the Kansas City Comets; he returned twice to his country during the offseason period, briefly representing G.D. Estoril Praia and U.F.C.I. Tomar.
Immediately after quitting football Simões was hired as coach of the Phoenix Inferno of the MISL. Fired in March 1984 he was replaced him with Ted Podleski, joining the Las Vegas Americans as assistant to Alan Mayer afterwards, and also leaving in January 1985; in 1989 he was the SISL indoor season Coach of the Year, with the Austin Sockadillos.
International career
Simões made his debut with the Portugal national team on 6 May 1962, in a 1–2 friendly defeat with Brazil in São Paulo. He was a member of the squad that finished in third place in the 1966 World Cup in England, scoring the opener in the group stage opener against the same opponent (3–1 win).
The recipient of 46 caps with three goals, Simões missed the Brazil Independence Cup due to injury. He made his last appearance on 13 October 1973, in a 2–2 home draw against Bulgaria for the 1974 World Cup qualifiers.
Simões joined Iran's coaching staff in April 2011, acting as assistant to countryman Carlos Queiroz. He left in early 2014, due to personal reasons.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 April 1964 | Hardturm, Zurich, Switzerland |  Switzerland | 0–2 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 2 | 19 July 1966 | Goodison Park, Liverpool, England |  Brazil | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1966 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | 13 October 1973 | Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal |  Bulgaria | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1974 World Cup qualification |
Honours
Club
- Benfica
- European Cup: 1961–62; Runner-up 1962–63, 1964–65, 1967–68
- Primeira Divisão (10): 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75
- Taça de Portugal (4): 1961–62, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72; Runner-up 1964–65
Country
- Portugal
- FIFA World Cup: Third-place 1966
- ^ "Bicampeões para a história" [Back-to-back champions for the ages]. Visão (in Portuguese). Portugal: Impresa Publishing. May 2015. p. 48. ISSN 0872-3540.