Mantorras

Mantorras

Personal information
Full name	Pedro Manuel Torres
Date of birth	18 March 1982
Place of birth	Huambo, Angola
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
	Progresso
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1999–2001	Alverca	31	(9)
2001–2011	Benfica	101	(29)
2011–2012	1º Agosto	0	(0)
Total		132	(38)
National team
2001	Angola U20	4	(1)
2001–2010	Angola	29	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Pedro Manuel Torres (born 18 March 1982), known as Mantorras, is an Angolan retired footballer who played as a striker.

His nickname derives from the fact that, as a child, he suffered slight accidental burns, being then known as "Mantorras" from the Angolan expression "Mano Torras," which means "toasted brother".^[1] His professional career, mainly spent with Benfica, was blighted by constant injury problems.^[2][3]

Mantorras played for Angola in the 2000s, representing the nation at the 2006 World Cup and two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

Club career

Born in Huambo, Mantorras started his career at Progresso Associação do Sambizanga. He quickly caught the eye of Portuguese scouts, and transferred to F.C. Alverca shortly thereafter, as that club acted also as S.L. Benfica's farm team. Most notably, he scored once in a surprising 3–1 home win over Sporting Clube de Portugal on 17 February 2001, and finished that season with nine league goals as the team managed to retain its top division status, finishing in 12th position.

At 19 Mantorras signed with Benfica, making a particularly good impression during his first season at the club. He was then sought out by FC Barcelona and also refused an offer from Inter Milan in Italy. During the player's quick rise to stardom, he was frequently described as the best player to come out of Portuguese Africa since Eusébio left Mozambique for Benfica in the early 1960s; Eusébio himself said of the youngster that, "He has special qualities and is set for a great future."

In 2002, Mantorras suffered a serious knee injury that almost put an end to his short career.^[4][5] He spent approximately two-and-a-half years recovering, during which he was subject to four surgical procedures.^[2] He returned to the pitch during the 2004–05 season, and managed to contribute sufficiently as the Águias ended an 11-year drought and won the national championship, with five goals in only 15 matches (four of those in the final two months).^[6][7]

Even though he was subsequently deemed to be fully recovered, Mantorras failed to re-establish himself as a first-team player, playing only in a few games throughout the next seasons combined. However, he remained a favorite with the club's supporters, additionally stating he would like to see out his career at Benfica, and that he would remain in the club even if he was not paid a salary.^[8]

Benfica won the league again in 2009–10, as well as the domestic league cup, also reaching the last eight in the UEFA Europa League, but Mantorras' output consisted of 10 minutes during the pre-season, in a 1–2 loss against Atlético Madrid; in mid-February 2011, one month shy of his 29th birthday, he announced his retirement from professional football, making a short and unsuccessful comeback with C.D. Primeiro de Agosto later on.

In June 2012 Mantorras returned to Benfica, being named club ambassador.^[9] The following month, on the 18th, he received a testimonial match at the Estádio da Luz, facing an All-Star team which included Luís Figo, Edgar Davids, Luís Boa Morte, Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, Paulo Futre, Ronaldo, Francesco Toldo, Fabio Cannavaro, Fernando Couto, Míchel Salgado, Serginho, Pauleta, Juliano Belletti and Mateja Kežman, and netting the fourth goal in a 5–1 win;^{[10] [11]} after the match he praised the club fans in an interview, and dedicated his goal to them for all the support he received during his spell.^[12] His former manager Jorge Jesus praised his efforts as well as the money raised in the game by both teams.^[13]

International career

Mantorras represented Angola at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, in Argentina. He scored in a 1–1 group stage draw against Australia, helping his country eventually reach the round-of-16.

A full international since the age of 19, Mantorras was part of the national team which became the first ever African Portuguese-speaking country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, in 2006. There, he played twice from the bench, including in the 0–1 group stage loss against Portugal.^[14]

Even though he was only fifth or sixth-choice at Benfica at the time, Mantorras was also summoned for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, played on home soil. As Angola reached the last-eight he only appeared once, again as a substitute, in a 2–0 win against Malawi.

Personal life

Mantorras did not forget his humble roots: soon after joining Benfica, he turned his thoughts to the less fortunate in his homeland, promising to donate a hefty percentage of his wages to set up a home for street kids in Luanda.

"I feel so sorry for children in Angola," he stated. "I know what it's like to go hungry and to sleep on the street. My father died when I was three months old and my mother when I was 16. I had a brother to look after and became the head of the family [when I was] very young. I had a lot of difficulties early in my life. Now that my fortunes have improved, I'm going to do what I can to help the underprivileged."

Statistics

Club

^[15]

Club	Season	League		Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Alverca	1999–00	5	0	1	0	–		–		6	0
	2000–01	26	9	2	0	–		–		28	9
	Total	31	9	3	0	–		–		34	9
Benfica	2001–02	30	13	3	0	–		–		33	13
	2002–03	8	3	1	0	–		0	0	9	3
	2003–04	—
	2004–05	15	5	1	0	–		2	0	18	5
	2005–06	17	3	2	0	–		5	0	24	3
	2006–07	17	2	3	1	–		5	0	25	3
	2007–08	9	1	2	0	1	0	2	1	14	2
	2008–09	5	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	2
	2009–10	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2010–11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total	101	29	13	1	1	0	14	1	129	31
Career total		132	38	16	1	1	0	14	1	163	40

International

Angola
Year	Apps	Goals
2001	2	0
2002	2	0
2003	0	0
2004	0	0
2005	3	1
2006	8	1
2007	2	1
2008	3	1
2009	7	0
2010	2	0
Total	29	4

Honours

Club

• Primeira Liga: 2004–05
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2005
• Taça de Portugal: Runner-up 2004–05

Angola

• African Youth Championship: 2001

Individual

• CAF Young Player: 2001

References

1. "Mantorras joga Paintball" [Mantorras plays Paintball] (in Portuguese). Histórias Tolas. 28 October 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
2. Benfica show belief in Mantorras; UEFA.com, 4 July 2005
3. Mantorras out for three months; BBC Sport, 27 August 2007
4. Benfica hit by Mantorras injury; UEFA.com, 26 February 2002
5. Benfica to miss Mantorras; UEFA.com, 16 December 2002
6. Benfica stay six points clear; UEFA.com, 4 April 2005
7. Benfica speed away from Sporting; UEFA.com, 24 April 2005
8. Mantorras: «Luisinho, ainda vai chegar a hora do papá» (Mantorras: "Luisinho, daddy's time will still come"); Record, 10 January 2006 (Portuguese)
9. "Mantorras vai ser embaixador do Benfica" [Mantorras to be an ambassador for Benfica] (in Portuguese). O Jogo. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
10. "Benfica bid Mantorras farewell". PortuGOAL. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
11. "Mantorras despede-se da Luz com um golo" [Mantorras says goodbye to Luz with a goal] (in Portuguese). A Bola. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
12. ""Golo foi para dar alegria aos adeptos do Benfica" – Mantorras" ["I scored to make fans of Benfica happy" – Mantorras] (in Portuguese). A Bola. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
13. ""Foi uma festa à Benfica" – Jorge Jesus" ["It was a Benfica-like party" – Jorge Jesus] (in Portuguese). A Bola. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
14. "Angola 0–1 Portugal". BBC Sport. 11 June 2006. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
15. "Mantorras". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 December 2014.

External links

• Mantorras at footballzz.co.uk
• Mantorras profile at ForaDeJogo
• Mantorras at National-Football-Teams.com
• Mantorras – FIFA competition record
• Girabola profile (Portuguese)