José Pinto de Carvalho Santos Águas (; 9 November 1930 – 10 December 2000) was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker.
He enjoyed a lengthy professional spell with Benfica, never scoring less than 18 goals in 12 of his 13 first division seasons. A prolific goalscorer, Águas was nicknamed "Cabeça de Ouro" ("Golden Head") because of his header skills.
Club career Born in Luanda, Portuguese Angola, Portuguese Empire from a Portuguese colonial family, Águas started his footballing career with local team Lusitano do Lobito, before moving to S.L. Benfica in 1950 where he gained legendary status.
With Benfica he won the Primeira Liga five times (1955, 1957, 1960, 1961 and 1963) and the domestic cup seven, also being crowned national league's top scorer on five occasions. In the years previous to Eusébio's rise, he was also instrumental in the club's back-to-back European Cup conquests, in 1961 against FC Barcelona (3–2), and the next season against Real Madrid (5–3), scoring his team's first goal on both occasions and being club captain; he failed to complete a hat-trick of wins in the competition after the 1–2 defeat to A.C. Milan in the 1963 final (he did not play).
After leaving Benfica, Águas, aged 33, played one more season for FK Austria Wien, retiring the next summer. He died in Lisbon, at the age of 70 after a prolonged illness.
International career Águas made his debut for Portugal on 23 November 1952, in a 1–1 draw with Austria, and went on to gain a total of 25 caps while scoring 11 times. His last appearance was on 17 May 1962, a 2–1 defeat against Belgium.
Personal life Águas' son, Rui, was also a footballer and a striker. He too represented Benfica and the national team, as well as FC Porto.
His daughter, Helena Maria, known as Lena d'Água, has a career in pop music as a singer.
Career statistics
Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsBenfica1950–51Primeira Divisão192376–26291951–52222876–29341952–532525710–32351953–54182420–20241954–55262066–32261955–56262822–28301956–57253073–32331957–582222892032311958–59242683–32291959–602518912–34301960–6123271591133431961–622218529636261962–63426531138Total28129175702118377379Austria Wien1963–64Austrian Staatsliga72001082Career total28829375702218385381
International Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Águas goal.
+ List of international goals scored by José ÁguasNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition127 September 1953Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Wien, Austria1–51–91954 FIFA World Cup qualification222 November 1953Estádio do Jamor, Lisbon, Portugal2–03–1Friendly322 May 1955Estádio das Antas, Porto, Portugal1–13–1Friendly43–1520 November 1955Estádio do Jamor, Lisbon, Portugal1–12–6Friendly62–4723 December 1955Muhammad Ali Stadium, Cairo, Egypt1–04–0Friendly84–099 June 1956Estádio do Jamor, Lisbon, Portugal1–02–2Friendly1019 March 1961Estádio do Jamor, Lisbon, Portugal1–06–01962 FIFA World Cup qualification1121 May 1961Estádio do Jamor, Lisbon, Portugal1–01–11962 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours
Player Benfica Primeira Liga: 1954–55, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63 Taça de Portugal: 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1961–62 European Cup: 1960–61, 1961–62
Manager Marítimo AF Madeira Championship: 1966–67 Madeira Cup: 1966–67
Atlético Segunda Divisão: 1967–68
Individual Primeira Liga top scorer: 1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1960–61 European Cup top scorer: 1960–61 Taça de Portugal top scorer: 1950–51, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1957–58
See also List of association football families
References
Further reading
External links