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Jorge Leitão

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In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Vasconcelos and the second or paternal family name is Leitão.
Jorge Leitão
Personal information
Full name Jorge Manuel Vasconcelos Leitão[1]
Date of birth (1974-01-14) 14 January 1974 (age 50)[1]
Place of birth Nespereira, Portugal
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1991–1992 Coimbrões
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1997 Coimbrões
1997–1998 Avintes
1998–2000 Feirense 67 (21)
2000–2005 Walsall 233 (57)
2006–2007 Beira-Mar 27 (8)
2007–2009 Feirense 69 (11)
2009–2012 Arouca 83 (10)
Total 479 (107)
Managerial career
2012–2018 Arouca (assistant)
2017 Arouca
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jorge Manuel Vasconcelos Leitão (born 14 January 1974) is a Portuguese retired professional footballer who played as a striker.

He was known for his six-year spell with Walsall in England, but he also scored 28 goals in 169 games in the Portuguese Segunda Liga over seven seasons.

Club career

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Early years and Walsall

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Born in Nespereira, Cinfães, Viseu District, Leitão started playing in amateur football. At 24, he signed with Feirense, being relegated from the Segunda Liga in his first season and netting 14 goals in the second.[2] In July 2000, he moved to England with Walsall, who paid £150,000 for his services following an impressive trial spell.[3]

Leitão scored a career-best 18 goals in 44 matches in his debut campaign. The Saddlers promoted to the Championship after disposing of Reading in the play-off final.[4][5]

In 2001–02, after a difficult start, Leitão's fate was transformed following the sacking of Ray Graydon. In the first game under new manager Colin Lee, he scored a brace at Premier League's Charlton Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup.[6] The team also managed to finally stay clear of the relegation zone, and he netted the goal that saved them from the drop, the only one in an away win over Sheffield United on 13 April 2002;[7] two weeks later, he extended his contract for a further two years.[8]

2002–03 was Walsall's most successful season in the league since the 1950s, with Leitão pairing with Brazilian José Junior for a Portuguese-speaking front line which scored 30 goals.[9] Highlights included a brace against Stoke City (4–2 home win),[10] one against Grimsby Town (3–1, home)[11] and the game's only against Brighton & Hove Albion (also at home);[12] however, after the loss of Júnior to Derby County in the summer – his replacement being former Arsenal and England star Paul Merson – the team suffered relegation, with Leitão netting seven times from 39 appearances, his worst during his tenure.[13][5]

In late December 2005, Leitão signed a pre-contract with Beira-Mar in his country, citing homesickness as a factor in his sudden departure from English football.[14] Though the deal did not come into effect until June 2006, both Merson (now the team's manager) and chairman Jeff Bonser offered to release the player earlier, in recognition of the dedication he had given to the club in his five and a half years of service. The penultimate of his 262 competitive matches for Walsall (71 goals) was a 3–0 defeat away to Bristol City, in which he also suffered a groin injury; in his last, at Bescot Stadium against Blackpool, he was treated to a near half-hour rendition of his name by the home fans, eventually being reduced to tears before leaving the field through a guard of honour composed of some of his teammates.[15][5]

Later career

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After helping Beira-Mar promote to the Primeira Liga in 2006, Leitão had his only experience in the competition, scoring twice in ten appearances as the Aveiro side were immediately relegated.[16][17][18] He subsequently spent two and a half seasons with Feirense in the second tier and, aged 35, moved to modest Arouca.[19]

Immediately after retiring, Leitão was named his last club's assistant coach. On 21 March 2017 he became the third first-team manager of the season after Lito Vidigal and Manuel Machado.[20] He was not able to prevent top-division relegation, after winning only once in his five games in charge.[21]

Honours

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Walsall

Beira-Mar

Arouca

References

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  1. ^ a b "Jorge Leitão" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  2. ^ Silva, Alexandre (1 December 2006). ""Importante é estar nas contas do treinador"" ["What's important is that the manager counts on you"]. Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Hero Jorge to wear Saddlers shirt again". Express & Star. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Walsall break Reading hearts". BBC Sport. 27 May 2001. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  5. ^ a b c Keen, Liam (8 May 2020). "Walsall squad of the century: The strikers". Express & Star. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Walsall sink Addicks". BBC Sport. 26 January 2002. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  7. ^ "Sheff Utd 0–1 Walsall". BBC Sport. 13 April 2002. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  8. ^ "Duo earn new deals". BBC Sport. 30 April 2002. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  9. ^ Masi, Joseph (18 May 2019). "The Big Interview: I will always be a Walsall fan says Jorge Leitao". Express & Star. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Walsall 4–2 Stoke". BBC Sport. 2 November 2002. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  11. ^ "Walsall 3–1 Grimsby". BBC Sport. 7 December 2002. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  12. ^ "Walsall 1–0 Brighton". BBC Sport. 11 February 2003. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  13. ^ Drury, Jonny (27 June 2022). "Nightmare start: When Paul Merson and Walsall gave West Brom an opener to forget". Express & Star. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  14. ^ "Homesick Leitao to leave Saddlers". BBC Sport. 23 December 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  15. ^ "Memory Lane – Jorge Leitão". Walsall Web Fans. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  16. ^ "Forte resposta vale três pontos" [Strong reply awards three points]. Correio da Manhã (in Portuguese). 27 November 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  17. ^ "BEIRA-MAR-BELENENSES, 1–2 (Jorge Leitão 51'; José Pedro 5', Dady 41')". Record (in Portuguese). 2 December 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Desportivo das Aves e Beira-Mar descem à Liga de Honra" [Desportivo das Aves and Beira-Mar relegated to Honour League]. Público (in Portuguese). 20 May 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  19. ^ Monteiro, Hugo (25 May 2018). "Jorge Leitão está de saída do Arouca" [Jorge Leitão is leaving Arouca]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  20. ^ "Oficial: Manuel Machado rescinde com o Arouca" [Official: Manuel Machado terminated at Arouca]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 21 March 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  21. ^ Paralta Gomes, Lídia (22 May 2017). "O desalinhamento do cosmos, a Lei de Murphy, Lito Vidigal e o vapor do fumo (ou a queda do Arouca explicada)" [Cosmos unaligned, Murphy's law, Lito Vidigal and the fumes (or reasoning Arouca's fall)]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  22. ^ "Na despedida da Liga, Ovarense ganha (na) Honra" [In League's curtain call, Ovarense win (in) Honour]. Correio do Vouga (in Portuguese). 11 May 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
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