Álvaro Gaspar Pinto (27 February 1912 – 27 April 1969), known as Gaspar Pinto, was a Portuguese
footballer who played as a
defender.
Over the course of 11 seasons he amassed
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...
totals of 154 games and four goals, spending the majority of his career at
Benfica, winning nine major titles.
Career
Born in
Oeiras, Gaspar Pinto started in
Carcavelinhos, where by the age of 21 he received his first call-up for the
national team. After a short spell at
Belenenses
Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, commonly known as Os Belenenses (), is a Portuguese sports club best known for its football team. Founded in 1919, it is one of the oldest Portuguese sports clubs. It is based in the 25,000-seat Estádio do Reste ...
, he joined Benfica in 1934, making his debut on 3 February 1935, in a 1–2 loss against
Porto, at the Estádio do Lima.
Capable of operating either as
full back or
half back, for the first part of his career, he played as half back, alongside
Álvaro Pina,
Albino,
Baptista and
Francisco Ferreira, and then descending down to full back, where his matches against
Peyroteo from
Sporting and
Pinga
In Inuit religion, Pinga ("the one who is p onhigh") is a goddess of the hunt and medicine. She is heavily associated with the sky.
Caribou Inuit tradition
In Caribou Inuit communities, Pinga had some authority over caribou herds. She became a ...
from Porto gave him greater notability.
He made his last official match in a 2–3 loss against Atlético on 9 June 1946, at
Estádio Nacional, after representing the club for over 300 games.
To celebrate his retirement, a farewell match against
Olhanense
Sporting Clube Olhanense () is a Portuguese sports club from Olhão, Algarve.
Its football team was founded on 27 April 1912 and currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth tier of Portuguese football. It holds home matches at the ...
was played on 9 September 1946.
International career
Gaspar Pinto gained 7
caps for Portugal and made his debut on 11 March 1934 in
Madrid against
Spain, in 9–0 defeat, in a qualification match for the
1934 World Cup. He made his last cap in a three-nil win against
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
on 1 January 1942.
Honours
Benfica
*
Primeira Divisão:
1935–36,
1936–37,
1937–38,
1941–42,
1942–43,
1944–45
*
Taça de Portugal (2):
,
1942–43
*
Campeonato de Portugal:
1934–35
*
Campeonato de Lisboa
The Campeonato de Lisboa (English: Championship of Lisbon) was a regional football league in Portugal, situated at the third level of the Portuguese football league system. The division started in 1906, even before Lisbon Football Association was c ...
:
1939–40
References
General
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Specific
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinto, Alvaro
1912 births
1969 deaths
Footballers from Lisbon
People from Oeiras, Portugal
Portuguese footballers
Association football defenders
Primeira Liga players
Atlético Clube de Portugal players
C.F. Os Belenenses players
S.L. Benfica footballers
Portugal international footballers