Luanda - The former president of FC Porto, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, died on Saturday at the age of 87 after a long illness, according to the international press.
Pinto da Costa had been battling prostate cancer, diagnosed in 2021, and had been hospitalized several times.
Born in 1937, he graduated in law, but became publicly known as president of FC Porto for 42 years, before being defeated on April 27, 2024 in the elections that elected André Villas-Boas.
After many years of childhood and youth dedicated to the "Dragons", he joined the club for the first time in 1969, as director of amateur sports.
However, it was not until 1981 that Pinto da Costa decided to run for the presidency of the club, bringing in José Maria Pedroto as coach. He was elected in April 1982 and held the position for more than four decades.
With Pinto da Costa at the helm, the club entered a golden phase, becoming national champions and achieving European success.
In 1987, Madjer's famous heel and a great performance by Paulo Futre beat Bayern Munich in Vienna, Austria, to win the first European Cup for the blue and white team, followed by the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, the latter won against Peñarol in a match played in Japan under heavy snow.
The 1990s brought more victories and the club became the dominant football club in Portugal, winning the league five times between 1995 and 1999, something only the "Dragons" could achieve.
The success continued in 2004, when José Mourinho's side won the Champions League for the second time in their history. A year earlier, they had won the UEFA Cup in Seville, beating Celtic 3-2.
After Mourinho's departure for Chelsea, the team won four more domestic titles under Jesualdo Ferreira.
Under André Villas-Boas (current president), FC Porto won almost every title they played for in the 2010-11 season.
With the exception of the League Cup, they won the league by a large margin over Benfica and won the Europa League in Dublin, beating Sporting Braga 1-0.
In April 2024, Pinto da Costa's reign at the helm of FC Porto would come to an end. After 42 years, it was the same André Villas-Boas who defeated him by a wide margin.
The Portuguese club has a long history with Angola, with the FC Porto House in Luanda playing a key role in bringing fans closer together.
In 2014, Pinto da Costa was in Angola as a result of the cooperation between the Portuguese club and the Angolan branch.
During his visit, he signed cooperation protocols with a number of national sports institutions, in particular with the Angola Football Academy (AFA).
In November 2024, the current manager of the club, André Villas-Boas, was also in the country. He visited the Casa do FC Porto and strengthened the bonds of friendship between the club and its Angolan fans.
Some prominent Angolan players who have played for FC Porto are Quinzinho ( 1995-1999), André Macanga (2000 -2002) and Djalma Campos (winger 2011-2015). MC/AMP
