Minervino Pietra

Minervino Pietra
Personal information
Full name	Minervino José Lopes Pietra
Date of birth	1 March 1954
Place of birth	Lisbon, Portugal
Date of death	7 March 2024 (aged 70)
Place of death	Portugal
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	Right-back
Youth career
	Belenenses
Senior career*
Years	Team
1971–1976	Belenenses
1976–1987	Benfica
Total
International career
1971	Portugal U18
1973–1974	Portugal U21
1973–1983	Portugal
Managerial career
1989–1990	Boavista (assistant)
1990–1992	Alverca
1992–1993	Juventude Évora
1994	Boavista (assistant)
1994–1996	Belenenses (assistant)
1996	Boavista (assistant)
1997–1998	Alverca (assistant)
1998–1999	Estoril (assistant)
1999–2000	Estoril
2000–2001	Barreirense
2009–2022	Benfica (assistant)
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Minervino José Lopes Pietra (1 March 1954 – 7 March 2024) was a Portuguese footballer who played as a right-back.

He appeared in 323 Primeira Liga games over the course of 16 seasons, with Belenenses and Benfica (28 goals scored). Subsequently, he became a manager, working mainly as an assistant and having spells with both clubs.

Pietra was a Portugal international in the 70s and 80s.

Club career

Born in Lisbon, Pietra started his professional career with local C.F. Os Belenenses, making nearly 150 official appearances with the first team in his five-year Primeira Liga spell and scoring nine goals. In 1976 the 22-year-old signed for S.L. Benfica, where he would remain until his retirement.^[1]

With Benfica, Pietra won, always as an important defensive unit, the league in 1977, 1981, 1983 and 1984, adding five Taça de Portugal trophies. In 11 seasons he appeared in 320 games in all competitions, netting on 25 occasions;^[1] he also helped the club to the 1982–83 UEFA Cup final, lost to Belgium's R.S.C. Anderlecht (1–0 abroad, 1–1 at home).^[2]

In the mid-1990s, Pietra began working as a manager, successively with Boavista FC, Belenenses, Benfica, F.C. Alverca (under his former Benfica teammate António Veloso, his fullback counterpart), F.C. Barreirense and G.D. Estoril Praia, the latter two as head coach. After nearly one decade out of the game he returned to Benfica in 2007, acting as match scout for two years then joining Jorge Jesus' coaching staff two years later, remaining with the side for several seasons in the latter capacity.^[3]^[4]

International career

Pietra earned 28 caps for Portugal,^[5]^[6] his first game being on 14 November 1973 in a 1–1 draw against Northern Ireland for the 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, at the age of only 19. He appeared regularly the following years, but did not attend any major international tournament.

Pietra's last match was on 21 September 1983 in a 5–0 win over Finland for the UEFA Euro 1984 qualification stages. Portugal reached the finals in France, but he was overlooked for the squad that eventually finished third.

**Minervino Pietra: International goals**
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	14 October 1981	Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal	Sweden	1–1	1–2	1982 World Cup qualification^[7]

Death

Pietra died on 7 March 2024, shortly after celebrating his 70th birthday.^[8]^[9]

Honours

Benfica

Primeira Divisão: 1976–77, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84^[10]
Taça de Portugal (5)^[11]
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (2)^[11]
Taça de Honra (2)^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b Sanches, João (26 January 2018). "Belenenses-Benfica: um campeão raro chamado Pietra" [Belenenses-Benfica: a rare champion called Pietra] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^ "Final Liga Europa: 1983, da euforia ao choque" [Europa League final: 1983, from euphoria to shock] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^ "Adjunto do Benfica suspenso dez dias" [Ten-day suspension for Benfica assistant]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 6 December 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^ Almeida, Isaura (3 August 2020). "Jorge Jesus para "recuperar prestígio europeu", "jogar o triplo" e "arrasar"" [Jorge Jesus to "recover European prestige", "play three times more" and "crush"]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^ "Lista completa dos internacionais portugueses" [Complete list of Portuguese internationals] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 18 February 2004. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^ Pierrend, José Luis. "Portugal – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
^ "Portugal com saldo negativo, mas com razões para sorrir frente à Suécia" [Portugal with negative head-to-head, but with reasons to smile against Sweden] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^ "Profundo pesar por Minervino Pietra" [Deep sorrow for Minervino Pietra] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
^ "Morreu Minervino Pietra" [Minervino Pietra has died]. Record (in Portuguese). 7 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
^ "Especial 'Tetra'" ['Tetra' special edition]. Mística (in Portuguese). No. 33. Portugal: Impresa Publishing. April–June 2017. p. 92. ISSN 3846-0823.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Bicampeões para a história" [Back-to-back champions for the ages]. Visão (in Portuguese). Portugal: Impresa Publishing. May 2015. p. 54. ISSN 0872-3540.