Raul Machado

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Martins and the second or paternal family name is Machado.

Raul Martins Machado (22 September 1937 – 22 October 2023) was a Portuguese footballer who played as centre-back.

Raul Machado

Machado in 1963
Personal information
Full name	Raul Martins Machado
Date of birth	(1937-09-22)22 September 1937
Place of birth	Matosinhos, Portugal
Date of death	22 October 2023(2023-10-22) (aged 86)
Position	Centre-back
Youth career
	Bebés do Mar[1]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1959–1962	Leixões	74	(2)
1962–1969	Benfica	122	(2)
1969–1970	Leixões	19	(0)
Total		216	(4)
International career
1962–1968	Portugal	11	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Born in Matosinhos, Machado joined his home-town club, Leixões, at the age of 21.^[2] In the three seasons there, he help them maintain in the Primeira Divisão and win the 1961 Portuguese Cup.^[2]

His performances led to a move to Benfica in 1962, and made his debut on 21 October 1962, in an away win to Belenenses.^[3] Due to an injury in Germano, he played 37 games in the centre of a WM formation, winning the league title and losing the European Cup Final.^[4][5] In the next season, he lost his starting position to Luciano, playing the majority of his games in the domestic cup, which the club successfully conquered.^[6] After a one-year on the right side of the WM formation,^[7] Machado easily adapted to the more common 4–4–2 in 1965 and played four more seasons at Benfica.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Machado partnered with Germano and later Jacinto Santos, winning three more league titles and losing a third European Cup Final.^[12][13][14] With the rapid rise of Humberto Coelho, he left in 1969 with 193 matches and seven goals, retiring after a last season at Leixões.^[2]

International career

Machado received 11 caps for the national team in a six-year spell. He was first called up by manager José Maria Antunes in 1962, to play the preliminary round of the 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying against Bulgaria.^[15] He played both legs, on 7 November and 16 December, but Bulgaria progressed after a 1–0 on replay.^[16][17] Due to strong competition in his position, he did not take part in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, but reappeared in the UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying stages in 1967.^[18][19]

Death

Machado died on 22 October 2023, at the age of 86.^[20]

Honours

Leixões

• Taça de Portugal: 1960–61

Benfica^[2]

• Primeira Liga: 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69^[21]
• Taça de Portugal: 1963–64, 1968–69
• Taça de Honra (4)^[1]
• European Cup runner-up: 1962–63, 1964–65, 1967–68
• Intercontinental Cup runner-up: 1962