Eurico Gomes

Eurico Monteiro Gomes (born 29 September 1955), known mononymously as Eurico when he was a player, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a central defender, and now serves as a manager.

His career began as a player at Benfica, later playing for Sporting and Porto; he became the second player to have represented the Big Three in his country, and the only one to have been champion in all three clubs (twice with each). During his career as a player in the Primeira Liga, he played a total of 313 matches with seven goals across 14 seasons, winning 12 major titles. He subsequently embarked on a lengthy managerial career.

Eurico played nearly 40 times with the Portugal national team, appearing at Euro 1984. This was Portugal's debut in the tournament, in which they advanced to the semi-finals, losing 3-2 to France in extra time.

Club career
Born in Santa Marta de Penaguião, Vila Real District, Eurico made his professional debut with S.L. Benfica at the age of 19, being regularly used in four Primeira Liga seasons and winning back-to-back national championships with the club (he also reached two domestic cup finals). In 1979 he switched to Lisbon rivals Sporting CP, only missing one league game during his three-year spell and winning a total of three titles, including the double in 1981–82.

Aged 27, Eurico signed with another team from the country's Big Three, FC Porto, again rarely missing one match until suffering a severe injury early into the 1985–86 campaign. He started in the final of the 1983–84 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, a 1–2 loss against Juventus FC in Basel.

After only one league appearance in his last two seasons at Porto combined, due to a run-in with manager Artur Jorge – he still managed to take part in the side's victorious run in the European Cup – Eurico signed with Vitória F.C. still in the top level, retiring from football at the age of nearly 34.

Gomes took up coaching in 1989, managing a host of teams in Portugal. He helped F.C. Tirsense promote to the top division in 1994, then coached them in a further two full seasons, the latter one ending in relegation. Early into 1996–97 he agreed to terminate his contract with the northerners and joined U.D. Leiria, suffering another top flight relegation (he was one of the club's three managers during the campaign).

In 2006 and 2007, Gomes worked in Algeria with JSM Béjaïa and MC Oran. The following year, on 10 October, he was appointed at Ethnikos Piraeus F.C. in Greece (second division), failing to win promotion.

International career
Eurico earned 38 caps for Portugal, scoring three goals. His first appearance with the national side was a 1–0 win over the United States in a friendly match, on 20 September 1978, and his final game was played on 3 April 1985 in another exhibition game, now a 0–2 loss with Italy.

Selected for UEFA Euro 1984 in France, Eurico played in all the matches and minutes as Portugal reached the semi-final stage of the competition.


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Player
Benfica
 * Primeira Divisão: 1975–76, 1976–77

Sporting
 * Primeira Divisão: 1979–80, 1981–82
 * Taça de Portugal: 1981–82

Porto
 * Primeira Divisão: 1984–85, 1985–86
 * Taça de Portugal: 1983–84
 * Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1983, 1984
 * European Cup: 1986–87

Manager
Tirsense
 * Segunda Divisão: 1993–94