Luanda - Former national football squad and Portugal's Benfica player Paulo Alves "Pauão" died on Monday night in Luanda, of illness.
According to a family source, Paulão passed away at the Luanda General Hospital, in the capital.
He began began his career at 1º de Maio club in coastal Benguela province in 1993 at the age of 23, before moving to Vitória de Setúbal in 1994, where he started an 8-year career in the Portuguese football.
The former right side player was one of the members of the national team that marked Angola's debut in an African Cup of Nations (CAN 1996), in South Africa.
The 51-year-old former footballer played for Angola’s National Team (Palancas Negras) from 1999 until 2001.
Born in south-west Namibe province, he played for the 1st of May in Benguela (1993-1994) and then moved to Portugal where he represented between 1994-1995 (Vitória de Setúbal), 1995 - 1997 (Benfica).
At the end of the 1997 season he moved to Académica de Coimbra, and later to Sporting de Espinho where he evolved until 2002.
Still in 2002 he returned to the country to play for Petro de Luanda, one season, and in 2003-2004 he ended his career at the service of ASA.
