Armando Gonçalves Teixeira (; born 25 September 1976), known as Petit, is a Portuguese former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of Boavista. He received the moniker ''Petit'' because of his small frame, and also because he was born in France. He also became known as ''

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

'' by supporters because of his fierce approach, in addition to a powerful outside shot. After helping Boavista win their first and only

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, ...

championship, he went on to amass more than 200 official appearances for Benfica, winning another three major titles. He also spent several seasons in Germany with

1. FC Köln 1. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V., commonly known as simply FC Köln () or FC Cologne in English, is a German professional football club based in Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs ''Kölner Ballspi ...

, but his later years were marred by injury problems. A

Portugal international The Portugal Open in badminton is an international open held annually in Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Sou ...

during the 2000s, Petit represented the nation in two

World Cups A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

– finishing fourth in the 2006 edition – and as many

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

. He started working as a manager in 2012, with Boavista, and led five other top-flight teams.

Club career

Early years and Boavista

Petit was born to Portuguese parents in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

, France, and moved to his parents' motherland at the age of two, settling in the Bom Pastor area of Paranhos in

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

. After four years with modest clubs, he first established himself at the

with

Gil Vicente F.C. Gil Vicente Futebol Clube (), commonly known as Gil Vicente, founded in 1924, is a Portuguese football club that plays in Barcelos. It competes in the Primeira Liga, the top division of football in the country, and it is named after the Portugues ...

where he was a key player, helping the Barcelos team to their best ever first division finish ( fifth, narrowly missing out on qualification to the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

). Petit left for

Boavista F.C. Boavista Futebol Clube, commonly known as Boavista (), is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Porto. Founded on 1 August 1903 by British entrepreneurs and Portuguese textile workers (thus the "FC" being appended – the British way as oppos ...

after one season, being instrumental in the side's only league conquest and going on to have his first experience in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

. He made his debut in the latter competition on 11 September 2001, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 group stage away draw against

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Benfica

In the summer of 2002, Petit moved to S.L. Benfica, being an instant first choice. In his third year, he scored twice in 29 games as the club ended an 11-year drought and won the national championship. After impressive showings in the team's 2005–06 Champions League campaign, which ended at the hands of eventual champions

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

in the quarter-finals,

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

and

Olympique Lyonnais Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a men and women's French professional football club based in Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The men play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. Founded in 1950, th ...

were linked with Petit, whom eventually renewed his contract a further two years.

FC Köln

On 30 July 2008, Petit signed a two-year contract with newly-promoted

from Germany. He netted his first goal with his new club on 7 August, against SV Niederauerbach in the first round of the

domestic cup A domestic cup (also known as association cup or national cup) is a type of sports tournament, particularly common in association football. This tournament type is notable for its participation by professional and amateur teams from many levels of ...

. On 1 November he scored his first in the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

, a 90th-minute effort against

VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...

in a 3–1 victory, ending his debut season with 31 matches out of 34 as the team easily retained their status. The 35-year-old Petit missed the entire 2011–12 due to an

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

injury, and Köln were also relegated. In August 2012 he returned to Boavista, with the club now in the

third division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

International career

Petit made his debut for

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

on 2 June 2001, in a 1–1 draw against

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

in Dublin for the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

qualifyiers. He played for the nation in the finals, and was also a member of the team that reached the final at

UEFA Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football competition contested by the List of men's national associatio ...

, held on home soil. Petit scored from two long free kicks in a 7–1 home drubbing of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

in the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, going on to be selected for the final stages in Germany where he netted an own goal in the 61st minute of the

third place playoff A third place match, game for third place, bronze medal game or consolation game is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The tea ...

against the hosts, becoming the fourth player in the tournament to score in that fashion. Prior to the start of Euro 2008, Petit announced that he would retire from international football after the tournament. He started for the Portugal team that eventually reached the quarter-finals. In total, he won 57 caps and scored four goals.

Coaching career

In October 2012, Petit was appointed player-coach of Boavista, becoming the full-time manager in the following season. The club returned to the top flight for administrative reasons in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, and on his professional managerial debut he lost 1–0 at home to Benfica on 24 August. On 9 December 2015, after leaving the hotseat at the Estádio do Bessa for personal motives, Petit was appointed at

C.D. Tondela Clube Desportivo de Tondela () is a Portuguese professional football club that plays in Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. They are based in the town of Tondela, located in Viseu District, and play in the Estádio João Cardoso ...

for their first top-division campaign. He was one of three coaches in charge, as the team avoided relegation in the last matchday. Subsequently, Petit signed a new deal to last until 2018, but left on 8 January 2017 after a 1–2 home loss to

F.C. Arouca Futebol Clube de Arouca () is a football club based in Arouca, Porto Metropolitan Area, Portugal. Founded in 1951, the club plays in the Primeira Liga, holding home games at Estádio Municipal de Arouca, with a 5,000-seat capacity. History Founde ...

. That March he was hired at

Moreirense F.C. Moreirense Futebol Clube is a Portuguese professional football club based in Moreira de Cónegos, Guimarães Municipality, in Minho. Founded on 1 November 1938, it plays in the Liga Portugal 2, holding home games at Parque de Jogos Comendador Joa ...

with the goal of keeping them in the main division, and left two months later by mutual consent when that was achieved. On 23 October 2017,

F.C. Paços de Ferreira Futebol Clube Paços de Ferreira () is a Portuguese football club based in Paços de Ferreira, Porto district. Founded in 1950, the club competes in the Primeira Liga, holding home games at the 9,077-seater Estádio da Mata Real, a municipal stadi ...

hired Petit in an attempt to preserve their place in the top tier, and he left by his own accord the following January. He returned to Moreirense in February as their third manager of the season, and left again after keeping them up. Petit was appointed manager of

C.S. Marítimo Club Sport Marítimo MH M, commonly known as Marítimo ( locally ), is a Portuguese sports club founded in Funchal, Madeira, in 1910. Marítimo is best known for its football team playing in Portugal's top-flight competition, the Primeira Liga. ...

on 27 November 2018, on a contract lasting until the end of the campaign. He left the

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

n club at its conclusion, as it did not exercise the option of another year. On 15 January 2020, Petit was hired by his sixth Portuguese top-division side, becoming the third coach of

Belenenses SAD B-SAD is a Portuguese football club from Lisbon founded on 30 June 2018 as an independent entity. A rebel offshoot of Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, they last played in the Primeira Liga, being relegated to Liga Portugal 2 for 2022–23. They ...

's campaign as they were one point above the relegation zone. He reached the quarter-finals of the Taça de Portugal in his one complete season, being eliminated 3–0 at Benfica. On 19 October 2021, having needed a goal in the last minute of extra time to defeat minnows

Berço SC Berço Sport Clube is a Portugal, Portuguese sports club from Guimarães. The men's football team plays in the Campeonato de Portugal (league), Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth tier of Portuguese football. The team started out in the Braga Foo ...

in the cup, he resigned with eight months of his contract remaining; the team had earned four points and no wins in the first eight games of the league campaign. Petit returned to Boavista on 2 December 2021, on a deal until 2023. Two weeks later, he took the club to the

Taça da Liga The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual football club competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the Primeira Liga and LigaPro, the top two tier ...

semi-finals for the first time following a 5–1 home rout of S.C. Braga.

Career statistics

Club

:Sources:

International

:Source:

International goals

Managerial statistics

Honours

Club

Boavista *

: 2000–01 Benfica *Primeira Liga: 2004–05 * Taça de Portugal: 2003–04 * Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira:

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

International

Portugal *

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...

runner-up:

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Individual

Portuguese Footballer of the Year The CNID Footballer of the Year (often called the Portuguese Footballer of the Year) was an annual award given to the player who was adjudged to have been the best of the year in Primeira Liga. Between 1970 and 2005, this award was given to a Portu ...

: 2001 *

Portuguese Golden Ball The Portuguese Golden Ball (known in Portuguese as ''A Bola de Ouro'') is an annual award given, by Portuguese newspaper ''A Bola'', to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in the Primeira Liga. The first winner of the award ...

: 2006

Orders

PRT Ordem de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao de Vila Vicosa Cavaleiro ribbon

Medal of Merit,

Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa The Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (also known as The Order of Our Lady of Conception of Vila Vicosa; pt, Ordem de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Vila Viçosa) is a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Braganza, the f ...

(

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Ame ...

)

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petit 1976 births Living people French people of Portuguese descent Citizens of Portugal through descent Portuguese footballers Footballers from Porto Footballers from Strasbourg Association football midfielders Primeira Liga players Liga Portugal 2 players Segunda Divisão players A.D. Esposende players Gondomar S.C. players C.F. União de Lamas players Gil Vicente F.C. players Boavista F.C. players S.L. Benfica footballers Bundesliga players 1. FC Köln players Portugal international footballers 2002 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2004 players 2006 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2008 players Portuguese expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Germany Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Germany Portuguese football managers Primeira Liga managers Boavista F.C. managers C.D. Tondela managers Moreirense F.C. managers F.C. Paços de Ferreira managers C.S. Marítimo managers Belenenses SAD managers