Fernando Aguiar

Fernando João Lobo Aguiar (born 18 March 1972) is a Canadian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Lobo and the second or paternal family name is Aguiar.
Fernando Aguiar
Personal information
Full name Fernando João Lobo Aguiar
Date of birth (1972-03-18) 18 March 1972
Place of birth Chaves, Portugal
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1981–1986 Scarborough Blizzard
1987 Wexford
1988–1989 Oshawa Turul
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1993 Toronto Blizzard 22 (9)
1994–1995 Marítimo 7 (0)
1995–1997 Nacional 39 (4)
1997–1999 Maia 54 (9)
1999–2001 Beira-Mar 75 (10)
2002–2004 Benfica 38 (3)
2002–2003 → União Leiria (loan) 28 (4)
2004 Landskrona BoIS 1 (0)
2004–2005 Penafiel 21 (3)
2005–2009 Gondomar 93 (10)
2013–2014 Pedrouços 17 (5)
Total 395 (57)
National team
1992 Canada U23 4 (0)
1995–1999 Canada 13 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He was arguably Canada's second most successful player to have competed in Portugal, after Alex Bunbury, and was one of about a dozen Portuguese Canadians to have played football in the country. He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 138 matches and 13 goals over six seasons, appearing in the competition for Marítimo, Beira-Mar, Benfica, União de Leiria and Penafiel; he added 195/25 in the Segunda Liga.

Aguiar represented Canada internationally.

Club career

Born in Chaves, Aguiar moved to Canada at an early age, beginning his career in the Canadian Soccer League where he represented hometown's Toronto Blizzard. Although the league disbanded in 1992, he remained with the team for their only season in the American Professional Soccer League.

Dubbed RoboCop due to his powerful frame,[1][2] Aguiar started competing in Europe in 1994, with Portuguese Primeira Liga club C.S. Marítimo. He had trouble making the lineups and subsequently dropped down to the second division where he spent four of the next five years, playing for C.D. Nacional, F.C. Maia and S.C. Beira-Mar, helping the latter achieve promotion in 2000 and subsequently stay in the top flight.

Aguiar's good form was noticed by S.L. Benfica, for whom he signed a six-month contract in December 2001,[3] going on to play a somewhat important defensive role. On 25 January 2004 he scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Vitória de Guimarães (in the 90th minute), assisted by Miklós Fehér who would die in the hospital just hours later;[4] he also helped the Lisbon-based side capture the 2004 Portuguese Cup.[5]

After his cup-winning exploits, Aguiar transferred to Swedish club Landskrona BoIS. However, an injury and his high wages ruined the move, and he left after only a few months for F.C. Penafiel.[6] In August 2005 he joined division two's Gondomar SC, representing it for four years and suffering relegation in the last, after which he was released at age 37, retiring shortly after.

On 13 November 2013, more than four years after his last match, Aguiar came out of retirement, moving to Pedrouços A.C. in the Porto regional divisions.[7][8]

International career

Aguiar possessed both Portuguese and Canadian citizenship but, having grown up in Canada, he eventually featured for its national team. Ironically, he made his debut in a January 1995 SkyDome Cup match against Portugal,[9] and went on to earn a total of 13 caps scoring no goals.

Aguiar represented Canada in four FIFA World Cup qualification matches.[10] His final international appearance was in July 1999, with Saudi Arabia.

Honours

Benfica

References
  1. Beira Mar frente à Naval: Fernando Aguiar, o possante «Robocop» (Beira Mar against Naval: Fernando Aguiar, the powerful «Robocop») Archived 21 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Record, 22 July 2001 (in Portuguese)
  2. Gondomar-Belenenses, 1–4: O trem de Belém (Gondomar-Belenenses, 1–4: The Belém train); Record, 22 January 2007 (in Portuguese)
  3. Fernando Aguiar assinou contrato por seis meses (Fernando Aguiar signed six-month contract); Record, 12 December 2001 (in Portuguese)
  4. Benfica's Miklós Fehér dies after heart attack on pitch; The Guardian, 26 January 2004
  5. "Benfica vence Taça de Portugal (2–1)" [Benfica win Portuguese Cup (2–1)] (in Portuguese). Público. 16 May 2004. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  6. Fernando Aguiar: «Cumpri a palavra mas perdi dinheiro» (Fernando Aguiar: «I kept my word but i lost money»); Record, 25 August 2004 (in Portuguese)
  7. AF Porto – Pedrouços: Fernando Aguiar (antigo médio do Benfica) regressa aos relvados (Porto FA – Pedrouços: Fernando Aguiar (former Benfica midfielder) returns to the pitches) Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Agente Desportivo, 13 November 2013 (in Portuguese)
  8. "Vou tentar divertir-me" ("I will try to have fun"); SJPF, 9 January 2014 (in Portuguese)
  9. "Skydome Cup (Canada 1995)". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  10. Fernando Aguiar – FIFA competition record
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