Vicente Lucas, historical figure of Belenenses, died this Wednesday, April 14th. He was 90 years old. The information was revealed by the club, which remembers the former player as “a good, simple, modest and affable man”.
“He was to this day Belenenses’ greatest living figure, a legend not only of our club but of Portuguese and world football”, highlights Belenenses in a statement released on social media. He emphasizes that Vicente Lucas, Matateu’s brother – also a former club player – was recognized “for his sporting spirit, correctness, nobility of character and football value”.
Born in Mozambique on September 24, 1935, Vicente Lucas arrived at Belenenses at the age of 18, having participated in the 1966 World Cup with the national team’s shirt in the team that became known as Magriços. The club remembers him as the “man who dried Pelé” in a Portugal-Brazil match in that same World Cup, where the team from the corners came in third place.
A 20-time Portuguese international, he has a Portuguese Cup on his CV, won in 1960 by the Restelo club.
“Both at Belenenses and in the national team, he commanded general admiration and consideration”, says the club, recalling the 12 seasons in which he was at the service of the Restelo emblem, totaling 284 official meetings.
“An elegant player with fine technique, with impeccable positional sense, he started out as an attacking midfielder – scoring the winning goal against FC Porto on his official debut – and then retreated to more defensive roles, where he achieved greater acclaim, with an unusual marking and anticipation ability that made the phrase, often repeated, popular.Cut Vicente’”, reads the note from Belenenses.
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