Mario Esteves Coluna: "The Sacred Monster"

Mario Eteves Coluna is a Mozambican-born Portuguese retired footballer. He was born in 1935 and is probably t midfielder his country has ever had. His footballer nick name is “O Monstro Sagrado” (The sacred monster).

His history can be counted through numbers throughout his 16 years of playing soccer. He moved to Benfica in 1954 -55, where he won ten National Championships from 1954 to 1969 and six Cup of Portugal in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1964, and 1969. With that squad he also won the European Cup Twice in 1961 and 1962, and also played in the finals of 1963, 1965 and 1968, this last time as the captain. For the national team he played 57 games and scored eight goals. His first match was on 1955 and his last game in 1968. Coluna captained the legendary team of the “Magricos” (Portugal national football team), which reached the third place in the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

Strong at midfield Coluna was known for the way he played on the field because of his elegant and efficient style. He was also known to score long distance goals with ease. With one of these surprising kicks, he marked a historical goal against Barcelona, in the Benfica first title as champions of Europe in the season 1961.

After his 715 games with Benfica, Coluna played in only two other clubs, the Lourenco Marques of Mozambique and the Lyon of France, where he finished his career, in 1971 at the age of 37.