Isaías Marques Soares
Encyclopedia
Isaías Marques Soares simply Isaías, is a retired Brazil
ian footballer who played as a forward.
, Isaías started his career with lowly Associação Desportiva Cabofriense
, then moved to Portugal
in 1987, gradually moving up the ranks: first with Rio Ave FC, then Boavista FC, arriving at S.L. Benfica in 1990.
At Benfica, he quickly became a fan favourite at Estádio da Luz, being also referred to as a "force of nature", due to his stamina and combativeness. He also found the net with frequence, being the owner of a powerful long-range shot. Arguably his greatest moment with the Lisbon
club came on November 6, 1991, in the last round prior to the group stage of the European Cup: against Arsenal
, at Highbury Park
, he assisted and scored twice in a 3–1 success (4–2 aggregate).
However, Isaías would be left out of the Benfica squad in 1995, by then-coach Artur Jorge. The manager was proceeding to a team reshuffle that would result in the darkest period in the club's history. At that time, the veteran was still one of the squad's most influential players and top scorers.
Subsequently, Isaías moved to England
with Coventry City
for £
500.000, signing a two-year contract with the Sky Blues, and becoming the first Brazil
ian to ever play in the Premier League. He played in just 12 league games for the team over a period of two seasons, scoring twice.
In 1997, aged nearly 34, Isaías returned to Portugal with S.C. Campomaiorense
, after which he retired in his country at almost 40, playing amateur football. Subsequently, he appeared in a few games with the Portuguese beach soccer team
, courtesy of his previously obtained citizenship.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian footballer who played as a forward.
Football career
Born in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Isaías started his career with lowly Associação Desportiva Cabofriense
Associação Desportiva Cabofriense
Associação Desportiva Cabofriense, or Cabofriense as they are usually called, is a Brazilian football team from Cabo Frio in Rio de Janeiro, founded on January 2, 1997.Home stadium is the Correão stadium, capacity 12,000.-History:...
, then moved to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 1987, gradually moving up the ranks: first with Rio Ave FC, then Boavista FC, arriving at S.L. Benfica in 1990.
At Benfica, he quickly became a fan favourite at Estádio da Luz, being also referred to as a "force of nature", due to his stamina and combativeness. He also found the net with frequence, being the owner of a powerful long-range shot. Arguably his greatest moment with the Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
club came on November 6, 1991, in the last round prior to the group stage of the European Cup: against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, at Highbury Park
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
, he assisted and scored twice in a 3–1 success (4–2 aggregate).
However, Isaías would be left out of the Benfica squad in 1995, by then-coach Artur Jorge. The manager was proceeding to a team reshuffle that would result in the darkest period in the club's history. At that time, the veteran was still one of the squad's most influential players and top scorers.
Subsequently, Isaías moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
for £
Pound sign
The pound sign is the symbol for the pound sterling—the currency of the United Kingdom . The same symbol is used for similarly named currencies in some other countries and territories, such as the Irish pound, Gibraltar pound, Australian pound and the Italian lira...
500.000, signing a two-year contract with the Sky Blues, and becoming the first Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian to ever play in the Premier League. He played in just 12 league games for the team over a period of two seasons, scoring twice.
In 1997, aged nearly 34, Isaías returned to Portugal with S.C. Campomaiorense
S.C. Campomaiorense
Sporting Clube Campomaiorense is a Portuguese football club, founded in 1926, and based in Campo Maior.The club had a professional football section that played five seasons at the top level of Portuguese football and reached the Cup of Portugal final in 1999.Campomaiorense was first promoted to the...
, after which he retired in his country at almost 40, playing amateur football. Subsequently, he appeared in a few games with the Portuguese beach soccer team
Portugal national beach soccer team
The Portugal national beach soccer team represents Portugal in international beach soccer competitions, and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. They are the only team to put Brazil out of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, having done it...
, courtesy of his previously obtained citizenship.
Honours
- Benfica:
- Portuguese League: 1990–91, 1993–94
- Portuguese CupTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
: 1992–93
- Campomaiorense:
- Portuguese CupTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
: Runner-up 1998–99
- Portuguese Cup