Alberto Festa, former Porto and national team player, dies

Alberto Festa, the former Porto and national team right-back, died on Tuesday at the age of 84 after a long illness.

The Portuguese divided his career 19 times between Tiersens and Porto, where he spent eight seasons. In 1996 he was part of the team at the World Championships in England, becoming the first Dragons athlete to play at the World Championships.

In a note published on the official website, the blue and white emblem expresses its condolences to the family of the former right-back, who played a total of 156 matches in eight seasons (1960-1968), and says goodbye after winning the Cup. Portugal, in the 1967/68 season.

Starting with Porto’s first-ever European Cup win, he was involved in a 3-0 home triumph over French side Lyon in the first leg of the first round of the now defunct 1964/64 European Cup Winners’ Cup. Alberto Festa was part of Portugal’s squad for the 1966 World Cup in England, along with Américo and Custodio Pinto.

Unlike his two team-mates, who were never used, the former defender played in the 3-0 win over Bulgaria, in the second round of Group 3, in the 1-2 defeat to hosts England, in the semi-final. -finals, as well as a victory over the Soviet Union (2-1), which gave the Portuguese a “thin” third place and their best performance ever.

Alberto Festa, awarded the silver medal of the Order of the Infante D. Henrique for his participation in the world’s premier team tournament, earned 19 caps for Portugal in a career that began and ended with Tiersens (1955-1960 and 1968-1972).

The emblem of Santo Tirso, the city he was from, also mourned the death of the former footballer, who would later return to FC Porto to work in the youth ranks.