José Pinto de Carvalho Santos Águas (Portuguese pronunciation:[ʒuˈzɛˈaɣwɐʃ]; 9 November 1930 – 10 December 2000) was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker.
He enjoyed a lengthy professional spell with Benfica, never scoring less than 18 goals in 12 of his 13 first division seasons.[1][2] A prolific goalscorer, Águas was nicknamed "Cabeça de Ouro" ("Golden Head") because of his header skills.[3][4]
With Benfica he won the Primeira Liga five times (1955, 1957, 1960, 1961 and 1963) and the domestic cup seven, also being crowned national league's top scorer on five occasions. In the years previous to Eusébio's rise, he was also instrumental in the club's back-to-back European Cup conquests, in 1961 against FC Barcelona (3–2), and the next season against Real Madrid (5–3), scoring his team's first goal on both occasions and being club captain; he failed to complete a hat-trick of wins in the competition after the 1–2 defeat to A.C. Milan in the 1963 final (he did not play).
After leaving Benfica, Águas, aged 33, played one more season for FK Austria Wien, retiring the next summer. He died in Lisbon, at the age of 70 after a prolonged illness.[5]
International career
Águas made his debut for Portugal on 23 November 1952, in a 1–1 draw with Austria, and went on to gain a total of 25 caps while scoring 11 times. His last appearance was on 17 May 1962, a 2–1 defeat against Belgium.
Personal life
Águas' son, Rui, was also a footballer and a striker. He too represented Benfica and the national team, as well as FC Porto.
^"José Águas". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
^"Especial 'Tetra'" ['Tetra' special edition]. Mística (in Portuguese). No. 33. Portugal: Impresa Publishing. April–June 2017. p. 88. ISSN3846-0823.
^ ab"Bicampeões para a história" [Back-to-back champions for the ages]. Visão (in Portuguese). Portugal: Impresa Publishing. May 2015. p. 44. ISSN0872-3540.
Further reading
Galveias, Jorge (November 2004). José Águas, capitão dos campeões [José Águas, captain of the champions] (First ed.). Sete Caminhos. ISBN989-602-032-9.
Águas, Helena (June 2011). José Águas, o meu pai herói [José Águas, my hero father] (First ed.). Oficina do livro. ISBN978-989-555-545-1.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to José Águas.