Playing position Years Team Children Miguel Veloso | Height 1.78 m | |
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Full name António Augusto da Silva Veloso Date of birth (1957-01-31) 31 January 1957 (age 60) Similar Miguel Veloso, Paola Preziosi, Enrico Preziosi | ||
António Augusto da Silva Veloso (born 31 January 1957) is a retired Portuguese professional footballer who played most of his professional career with Benfica. A gritty defender who could appear in the flanks and on occasion in the middle, he played for his main club during almost two decades, being team captain from 1988 to 1995.
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An international for nearly 15 years, Veloso represented Portugal at Euro 1984.
Club career
Born in São João da Madeira, Veloso starting playing football with hometown's A.D. Sanjoanense, then moved to S.C. Beira-Mar for a further two seasons. He joined top division club S.L. Benfica for 1980–81, and was an everpresent fixture until his retirement, helping the capital side to seven leagues and five cups.
With Benfica, Veloso also played in the UEFA Cup final in 1982–83, as they lost to R.S.C. Anderlecht 1–2 on aggregate and, most notably, in the 1987–88 European Champions Cup final, where he missed the penalty shootout attempt that gave PSV Eindhoven the final win (5–6).
An injury left Veloso out of the team that reached the 1990 European Cup final, lost to A.C. Milan. He retired at 38 after 15 seasons with the same club and more than 500 overall appearances, subsequently becoming a coach.
International career
Veloso gained 40 caps for Portugal, making his debut in a 2–1 win over Scotland on 18 November 1981, in a 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifier. He played at UEFA Euro 1984 where the national team reached the semi-finals, and was left outside the 1986 World Cup team due to a doping test, that was later proved to be fake.
Veloso's last international game came at age 36 in a 2–2 draw with Spain on 19 January 1994, in a friendly match.
Personal life
Veloso's son, Miguel, is also a professional footballer. After an unassuming youth spell at Benfica, he went on to represent, with success, neighbours Sporting Clube de Portugal, also reaching the national team.