Last night, Fernando Chalana, 63, died, an emblematic figure of Benfica, a club he represented for 13 seasons, nicknamed ‘Pequeno Genial’.
«One of the great and eternal names of the Mystique of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, he joined the Club at the age of 15 and represented it, first as a player, for 13 seasons (1974-1984 and 1987-1990), and then, for many years, as a technical element linked to football. Born in Barreiro, where he was born on February 10, 1959, Fernando Chalana officially wore the Sacred Mantle for the first time on March 7, 1976, at the age of 17 years and 25 days. Until that date, no one so young had ever played in the Portuguese 1st Division», reads on the Benfica website.
Trained at Barreirense, Chalana, capped 37 times by Portugal, arrived at Benfica in 1974/1775, moved to Bordeaux (in 1984/1985), where he stayed for three years before returning to Benfica (from 1997 to 1990), followed Belenenses (1990/1991) and ended his career at Estrela da Amadora (1991/1992).
After finishing his career, he was still linked to Benfica for several years, first as a youth coach and then as an assistant to several coaches in the senior team.
In social networks, there are reactions from various quarters of society to the departure of a name that marked Portuguese football.
BOLA addresses heartfelt condolences to the family.
News updated at 10:05 am
Fernando Chalana, our Little Genius, passed away, at age 63, in the early hours of this Wednesday, August 10th. pic.twitter.com/uWUGZzgWVe
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) August 10, 2022
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