Humberto Manuel de Jesus Coelho is a Portuguese retired footballer and manager. In a career mainly associated with Benfica, the central defender also competed professionally in France and the United States, during a 16-year career. He won more than 60 caps for Portugal, being the player with the most appearances for several years. Coelho worked as a manager since 1985, also being in charge of several national teams including his own.
Playing career
Born in Cedofeita, Porto, Coelho was regarded as one of the best stoppers in Portuguese football, imposing himself in Lisbon-based S.L. Benfica's first team at the age of 18 – four years later, he had already played in 101 Primeira Liga matches for the club. On 27 October 1968 he made his debut for Portugal, in a 3–0 win over Romania for the 1970 FIFA World Cupqualifying stages; during the next 15 years he would appear in a further 63 internationals, scoring six goals while acting as captain on 30 occasions. From 1975 and during two seasons, Coelho played abroad with Paris Saint-Germain FC. He continued to display the traditional attacking penchant in spite of his position as he netted six times in his first year, although the side could only finish in 14th position in Ligue 1. Subsequently, Coelho returned to Benfica, helping to the conquest of a further three leagues and four domestic cups. He last appeared for the national team at the age of 33, during the 0–5 defeat in the Soviet Union for the UEFA Euro 1984qualifiers – Portugal would qualify for the final stages in France, but he was severely injured during that period and retired shortly after, having appeared for his main club in 496 competitive matches and scoring 76 goals.
Coaching career
More than one decade after starting as a coach, with spells with S.C. Salgueiros and S.C. Braga, both in the top level, Coelho led Portugal to the semi-finals of Euro 2000. However, his contract was not renewed, and late into that same year he was appointed manager of Morocco, being released after the Atlas Lions failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. After a third spell with a national team, South Korea, which ended after roughly one year with the manager claiming he had not had enough time to form a competitive side, Coelho joined another one in 2008, Tunisia, after a brief return to club action in Saudi Arabia. On 18 November 2009, he was fired following a 0–1 loss in Mozambique for the 2010 World Cup qualification, which ended the country's streak of three consecutive presences in the tournament. Subsequently, Coelho acted as a director in the Portuguese Football Federation.
Personal life
Coelho met his future wife, Laurence, shortly after having moved to Paris in 1975. She worked as a freelance reporter for RTL, and the couple eventually fathered two daughters, born in 1980 and 1986.
