Minervino Pietra

Minervino José Lopes Pietra (born 1 March 1954) is a former Portuguese footballer who played as a right back, and a current assistant coach of S.L. Benfica.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Lopes and the second or paternal family name is Pietra.
Minervino Pietra
Personal information
Full name Minervino José Lopes Pietra
Date of birth (1954-03-01) 1 March 1954
Place of birth Lisbon, Portugal
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Right back
Club information
Current team
 Benfica (assistant)
Youth career
Belenenses
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971–1976 Belenenses 99 (10)
1976–1987 Benfica 227 (19)
Total 326 (29)
National team
1973–1983 Portugal 28 (1)
Teams managed
1989–1990 Boavista (assistant)
1990–1992 Alverca
1992–1993 Juventude Evóra
1994 Boavista (assistant)
1994–1996 Belenenses (assistant)
1996 Boavista (assistant)
1997–1998 Alverca (assistant)
1998–1999 Estoril (assistant)
1999–2000 Estoril
2000–2001 Barreirense
2009– Benfica (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He appeared in 326 Primeira Liga games over the course of 16 seasons, with Belenenses and Benfica (29 goals scored). Subsequently, he became a manager, working mainly as an assistant and having spells with both clubs.

Club career

Born in Lisbon, Pietra started his professional career with local C.F. Os Belenenses, collecting nearly 150 official appearances with the first team in his five-year Primeira Liga spell and scoring ten league goals. In 1976 the 22-year-old moved to S.L. Benfica, where he would remain until his retirement.

With Benfica, Pietra won, always as an important defensive unit, the league in 1977, 1981, 1983 and 1984, adding five domestic cups. In 11 seasons he appeared in more than 300 games all competitions comprised, netting on more than 20 occasions; he also helped the club to the 1982–83 UEFA Cup final, lost to Belgium's R.S.C. Anderlecht (0–1 abroad, 1–1 at home).

In the mid-1990s, Pietra began working as a manager, successively with Boavista FC, Belenenses, Benfica, F.C. Alverca (under former Benfica teammate António Veloso, his fullback counterpart), F.C. Barreirense and G.D. Estoril Praia, the latter two as head coach. After nearly one decade out of the game he returned to Benfica in 2007, acting as match scout for two years then joining Jorge Jesus' coaching staff two years later, remaining with the side for several seasons in the latter capacity.

International career

Pietra gained 28 caps for Portugal,[1] his first game being on 14 November 1973 in a 1–1 draw against Northern Ireland for the 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, at the age of only 19. He appeared regularly during the following years, but did not attend any major international tournament.

Pietra's last match was on 21 September 1983 in a 5–0 win over Finland for the UEFA Euro 1984 qualification stages. Portugal did make it to the finals in France, but he was overlooked for the squad that eventually finished third.

Minervino Pietra: International goals
GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
114 October 1981Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal Sweden1–11–21982 World Cup qualification

Honours

Benfica

References
  1. Pierrend, José Luis (11 December 2009). "Portugal – Record International Players". RSSSF.
  2. "Especial 'Tetra'" ['Tetra' special edition]. Mística (in Portuguese). No. 33. Portugal: Impresa Publishing. April–June 2017. p. 92. ISSN 3846-0823.
  3. "Bicampeões para a história" [Back-to-back champions for the ages]. Visão (in Portuguese). Portugal: Impresa Publishing. May 2015. p. 54. ISSN 0872-3540.
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