Player Profile: Pedro Mantorras

Let’s face it. You probably don’t know much about Angolan football and its players. With a squad largely made up of players toiling away domestically and in lower divisions in Portugal, Angola does not have too many recognizable names on its roster. One exception to that rule is Pedro Mantorras who earns his paycheck playing for Benfica in Portugal.

Mantorras has often been described as “the best player to come out of Portuguese Africa since Eusebio left Mozambique for Benfica in the early 1960s”. Pedro joined the Portugal club as a 19-year-old in 2001 after a year at Alverca FC but a terrible knee injury limited his action until the 2004-05 season when the striker helped Benefica win a league title.

Pedro’s actions on the pitch are only overshadowed by his generosity off it. He has donated a significant amount of his wages to set up a home for street kids in Luanda.

“I feel so sorry for children in Angola,” says Mantorras. “I know what it’s like to go hungry and to sleep on the street. My father died when I was three months old and my mother when I was 16. I had a brother to look after and became the head of the family very young. I had a lot of difficulties early in my life. Now that my fortunes have improved, I’m going to do what I can to help the underprivileged.”

Mantorras wasn’t happy with the way he was used during Angola’s recent African Nations Cup appearance and has said that the World Cup will be the last time he will appear for the Palancas Negras. Whether or not this will be the case for a player who is still a mere 23 years of age, remains to be seen. But one thing is for certain. An in form Pedro Mantorras will help Angola in Germany this summer.

And he will help all of us as we try to decipher the players on this surprise World Cup qualifier.