Manuel António


Manuel António Leitão da Silva, known as Manuel António, is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a striker.
He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 247 matches and 110 goals over 12 seasons, with Académica and Porto.

Club career

Manuel António was born in Santo Tirso, Porto District. During his 14-year professional career, he played almost exclusively for two teams; having started out at Académica de Coimbra, his excellent performances earned him a transfer – at only 19 – to FC Porto, where he appeared sparingly over three years.
In 1968, Manuel António returned to Académica, being crowned the Primeira Liga's top scorer in the first season in his second spell, with the Students finishing in sixth place. He all but saw out his career eight years later at the same club, still having a further four campaigns in double digits.

International career

Manuel António won four caps for Portugal in eight months, his debut coming on 6 April 1969 in a 0–0 friendly draw against Mexico.

Later life

After retiring, Manuel António majored in medicine, being in charge of Coimbra's Portuguese Institute of Oncology for several years.