Former striker Manuel Duarte, one of the players called up by the Portugal national football team for the 1966 World Cup in England, has died today at the age of 77, a family source told Lusa.
Settled since 1972 in Fafe, in the district of Braga, the ‘skinny’, international in two preparation matches for the World Cup, but without even one minute in the tournament in which the team ‘quinas’ was classified third, suffered from “a weak health condition that has deteriorated in recent days,” the same source added.
Born in Vale de Azares, in the municipality of Celorico da Beira, in the Guarda district, Manuel Duarte “emerged” for football at Académica, a club for which he made his debut at the age of 17 in the main Portuguese Championship, in the 1962/63 season.
The forward moved to Leixões in 1964 and in both seasons with the Matosinhos crest scored 14 goals in 38 games, after securing the call-up to the Portuguese national team at the end of the second year, in the summer of 1966.
Manuel Duarte moved to Sporting in the 1966/67 season, scoring 11 goals in 21 games, before losing ‘space’ the following season and holding the record of two goals in 14 games until the end of the 1969 season. / 70.
The forward represented FC Porto in 1970/71, having played two ‘blue and white’ matches, Varzim in 1971/72 and AD Fafe, the city club where he would remain between 1972 and 1978.
Father of Jorge Duarte, midfielder who represented Fafe, Tirsense, Desportivo das Aves, Vitória de Guimarães, Moreirense and Leixões, the former spearhead was a coach after ending his football career.
The funeral of Manuel Duarte is scheduled for Saturday at 4 pm in the parish church of Fafe.
Source: El heraldo
