Toni (footballer, born 1946)

António José da Conceição Oliveira (born 14 October 1946), known as Toni (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈtɔni]), is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a midfielder, and a coach.

Not to be confused with Toni Conceição.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Conceição and the second or paternal family name is Oliveira.
Toni
Toni as Tractor manager in 2013
Personal information
Full name António José da Conceição Oliveira
Date of birth (1946-10-14) 14 October 1946
Place of birth Mogofores, Portugal
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Salesianos
1962–1965 Anadia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1965–1968 Académica 19 (0)
1968–1981 Benfica 298 (16)
1977 → Quicksilvers (loan) 16 (0)
Total 333 (16)
National team
1967–1971 Portugal U21 6 (0)
1969–1978 Portugal 32 (0)
Teams managed
1982–1987 Benfica (assistant)
1987–1989 Benfica
1992–1994 Benfica
1994–1995 Bordeaux
1995 Sevilla
1998–1999 United Arab Emirates (assistant)
2000–2002 Benfica
2002–2003 Shenyang Jinde
2003 Al-Ahly
2007–2008 Al-Ittifaq
2008–2009 Al-Sharjah
2010–2011 Ittihad
2012–2013 Tractor
2014 Tractor
2015 Tractor
2017–2019 Kazma
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

A Portugal international on more than 30 occasions, his career was mainly associated with Benfica as both a player and a manager. He won 22 major honours with his main club both spells combined, and also worked in the later capacity in six other countries.

Playing career

Club

Born in the village of Mogofores in Anadia, Aveiro District, Toni started playing organized football at local Anadia FC, and joined Académica de Coimbra at the age of 18 when he was signed by manager Mário Wilson. During his spell with the latter club, he was rarely played during three Primeira Liga seasons.[1][2][3]

On 9 June 1968, Toni joined S.L. Benfica for a transfer fee of 1,305,000 escudos. He scored one goal in 22 games in his debut campaign, helping his team to the national championship.[4]

Toni was part of the legendary Jimmy Hagan-led sides that won back-to-back domestic leagues from 1971–1973, losing only one match in 60. To this feat, he contributed with a combined three goals from 50 appearances;[5][6] before retiring in 1981 at 34, he appeared in 391 competitive matches with his main club (23 goals), and was named Portuguese Footballer of the Year in 1972.[7]

International

Toni earned 32 caps for Portugal, his debut coming on 12 October 1969 in a 0–1 away loss against Romania for the 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. His last match occurred eight years later, in a 0–2 friendly defeat in France.

Toni was part of the country's squad at the 1972 Brazil Independence Cup, lost to the hosts.

Coaching career

One year after retiring, Toni began working as assistant at Benfica, successively holding the position under Sven-Göran Eriksson,[8] Pál Csernai, John Mortimore and Ebbe Skovdahl. He was promoted to head coach early into the 1987–88 season, and led the team to the second place in the league and the final of the European Cup, lost to PSV Eindhoven on penalties.[9]

Toni managed Benfica to its 28th national championship in the 1988–89 campaign, losing only twice in 38 matches. After replacing fired Tomislav Ivić in November 1992, he won another league in 1994.[10]

Starting in 1994, Toni spent one year working abroad, with Ligue 1 side FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Sevilla FC in the Spanish La Liga. He won the UEFA Intertoto Cup with the former, but was sacked due to poor results in the domestic front; with the latter, he arrived at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium alongside player Emílio Peixe, being relieved of his duties on 15 October 1995 following a 0–3 home loss against RCD Espanyol.[11]

In 1999, Toni assisted compatriot Carlos Queiroz at the United Arab Emirates national team.[12] In December of the following year, the former returned to Benfica for a third spell after José Mourinho resigned from the position as new president Manuel Vilarinho had declared his intention to bring in Toni during the election campaign, with Mourinho leaving midway through 2000–01.[13]

In the next years, Toni was in charge of Shenyang Jinde FC (Chinese Super League), Al-Ahly SC (Egyptian Premier League, winning the domestic Supercup), Ettifaq FC (Saudi Professional League, leading them to the fourth place) and Al-Sharjah SCC (UAE Arabian Gulf League). During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he acted as match analyst for Ivory Coast.

Toni returned to Saudi Arabia in summer 2010, reaching the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League with Ittihad FC. On 9 June 2012, he signed a two-year contract with Iran Pro League club Tractor SC.[14]

After failing to qualify from the 2013 Champions League group stage, it was announced Toni's contract would not be renewed, and he left in May.[15] However, he returned on 28 January 2014, winning that season's Hazfi Cup after defeating Mes Kerman FC.

Toni as head coach of Al-Ittihad

On 12 February 2015, Toni returned to Tractor for a third stint after agreeing to a one-and-a-half-year deal.[16] He left his post in December.[17]

Personal life

Toni's son, also named António, was also a football player and manager.[18]

Managerial statistics
As of 30 November 2015[19][20]
Team From To Record
GWDLWin %
Benfica November 1987 June 1989 87 52 24 11 059.77
Benfica October 1992 July 1994 86 57 20 9 066.28
Bordeaux July 1994 May 1995 34 16 7 11 047.06
Sevilla June 1995 October 1995 10 2 4 4 020.00
Benfica December 2000 December 2001 43 17 16 10 039.53
Shenyang Jinde May 2002 May 2003 31 11 8 12 035.48
Al-Ahly July 2003 September 2003 8 3 2 3 037.50
Al-Ittifaq June 2007 June 2008 28 13 7 8 046.43
Al-Sharjah June 2008 September 2009 26 8 3 15 030.77
Ittihad August 2010 June 2011 23 12 8 3 052.17
Tractor June 2012 May 2013 42 20 13 9 047.62
Tractor January 2014 June 2014 14 6 2 6 042.86
Tractor February 2015 December 2015 32 16 9 7 050.00
Kazma July 2017 June 2019 64 27 21 16 042.19

Honours

Club

Académica

Benfica

Individual

Club

Benfica

Bordeaux

Al-Ahly

Al-Ittifaq

Ittihad

Tractor

Kazma

Individual
  • IFCA Manager of the Month: February 2015

References
  1. "Época 1965/66: Primeira Divisão" [1965/66 season: First Division] (in Portuguese). Arquivos da Bola. 12 October 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  2. "Época 1966/67: Primeira Divisão" [1966/67 season: First Division] (in Portuguese). Arquivos da Bola. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  3. "Época 1967/68: Primeira Divisão" [1967/68 season: First Division] (in Portuguese). Arquivos da Bola. 21 October 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  4. "Época 1968/69: Primeira Divisão" [1968/69 season: First Division] (in Portuguese). Arquivos da Bola. 25 October 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  5. "Época 1971/72: Primeira Divisão" [1971/72 season: First Division] (in Portuguese). Arquivos da Bola. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  6. "Época 1972/73: Primeira Divisão" [1972/73 season: First Division] (in Portuguese). Arquivos da Bola. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  7. "Portugal – Footballer of the Year". RSSSF. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  8. Rodrigues, Berta (25 November 2013). "Eriksson: Benfica, Portugal e a vida na história dele" [Eriksson: Benfica, Portugal and life in his story] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  9. "European Competitions 1987–88". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  10. Sousa, Hugo Daniel (11 May 2010). "Jorge Jesus é o quarto treinador português campeão pelo Benfica" [Jorge Jesus is the fourth Portuguese manager champion with Benfica]. Público (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  11. Gómez, Jesús (16 October 1995). "Juan Carlos Álvarez releva a Toni al frente del Sevilla" [Juan Carlos Álvarez takes over for Toni at the helm of Sevilla]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  12. Macedo, André (25 August 1999). "Carlos Queiroz demitido dos Emirados Árabes" [Carlos Queiroz dismissed at the Arab Emirates]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  13. "José Mourinho: "Vilarinho não manda nada no Benfica"" [José Mourinho: «Vilarinho is not the boss of anything at Benfica»]. Record (in Portuguese). 15 December 2000. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  14. Official: Toni becomes new Tractor head coach; Goal, 9 June 2012 (in Persian)
  15. Tractor Sazi fires coach Oliveira; Persian League, 3 May 2013
  16. Ruela, João (13 February 2015). "Toni volta a comandar o Tractor" [Toni back in charge of Tractor]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  17. "Toni Oliveira quits Iran's Tractor Sazi job". Tasnim News Agency. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  18. "Treinador António Oliveira, filho de Toni, ambiciona "alcançar o top europeu"" [Manager António Oliveira, Toni's son, aims to "reach the European top"] (in Portuguese). TSF. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  19. Toni coach profile at Soccerway
  20. Toni manager profile at BDFutbol
  21. "Especial 'Tetra'" ['Tetra' special edition]. Mística (in Portuguese). No. 33. Portugal: Impresa Publishing. April–June 2017. p. 76. ISSN 3846-0823.
  22. "Bicampeões para a história" [Back-to-back champions for the ages]. Visão (in Portuguese). Portugal: Impresa Publishing. May 2015. p. 53. ISSN 0872-3540.

Further reading
  • Correia, Palmira (January 2003). Toni, o Benfica na alma [Toni, Benfica in his soul] (Second ed.). Garrido Editores. ISBN 972-8738-56-0.
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