Introduction
António Augusto Gomes de Sousa (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐ̃ˈtɔniu ˈsowzɐ]; born 28 April 1957) is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a central midfielder, and a current manager.
During his career he played, among others, for Porto and Sporting, amassing Primeira Liga totals of 483 games and 83 goals over the course of 18 seasons. Subsequently, he worked as a manager for several clubs.
Gaining nearly 30 caps for Portugal during the 80's, Sousa represented the nation in one World Cup and another European Championship, scoring in both tournaments.
Club career
Born in São João da Madeira, Sousa started professionally with local A.D. Sanjoanense at only 16, with his team in the second division. In 1975 he signed with S.C. Beira-Mar, scoring a career-best 15 goals in his third year as the Aveiro club returned to the Primeira Liga (three of his four seasons there were spent in the top level).
Sousa was then bought by FC Porto, where he remained an undisputed starter: he won the league championship and the cup several times, also scoring against Juventus F.C. in the 1984 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, lost 1–2 in Basel.
In the 1984 summer, Sousa and longtime Porto central midfield partner Jaime Pacheco signed with Sporting Clube de Portugal – as part of the deal that sent 17-year-old prodigy Paulo Futre in the opposite direction – with the pair returning after two seasons. He then proceeded to win the European Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the UEFA Super Cup with the northern side, continuing to appear regularly.
Sousa retired in 1996 at 39, as player-coach of first club Sanjoanense. He then dedicated himself exclusively to coaching, working mainly with another former club as a player, Beira-Mar, where he remained for seven 1/2 years, with four consecutive top flight seasons. In 1999, he led the latter to its biggest achievement, the Portuguese Cup, after defeating S.C. Campomaiorense 1–0.
International career
Sousa received 27 caps for the Portuguese national team from 1981 to 1989, playing at UEFA Euro 1984 where he scored in the 1–1 group stage draw against Spain, and at the FIFA World Cup 1986.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 June 1984 | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France |  Spain | 1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 1984 |
Honours
Player
- Porto
- Primeira Liga: 1987–88
- Taça de Portugal: 1987–88
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1981, 1983, 1986
- European Cup: 1986–87
- UEFA Super Cup: 1987
- Intercontinental Cup: 1987
Manager
- Beira-Mar
- Taça de Portugal: 1997–98
Personal life
Sousa's son, Ricardo, is also a professional footballer, also in midfield. He was a youth graduate, albeit with no success, at Porto, and represented several teams in different countries, mainly playing for Boavista FC and Beira-Mar, with the pair sharing teams at the latter in three different spells (1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03).