Former basketball player and coach Enrique Vieira died this Monday at the age of 65, according to former government official Herminio Loureiro, who, as manager of Oliveirense, was one of those responsible for hiring him.
“I lost a friend. Sport in Portugal is getting poorer. Enrique Vieira decided to leave. It took hours, days, weeks, months, years, thousands of miles together. It was not easy to convince Enrique to move from Lisbon to Oliveira de Azeméis. At first he came alone, and then the family arrived, who easily adapted to the city, where he still has friends. I have fantastic memories of Enrique Vieira as manager of Oliveirense,” the former secretary of state wrote.
Enrique Vieira excelled as coach on the Oliveira de Azemêes emblem after coaching Atlético and Estoril Praia, leading Oliveirense to the final of the national championship in 1996/97 against Porto, and also in 2001/02, 2002/03 and 2003/04, three times against Portugal Telecom.
He went to Ovarence, but it was in Benfica that he twice, in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons, became the national champion, and also won the Super Cups in the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons.
Born in Mozambique where he played for Real Sociedad and Sporting de Lourenco Marques, Enrique Vieira previously played for Portuguese clubs such as Academica, Ginacio Figueirense, Atlético Madrid and Benfica.
And again in the service of the “embodied”, he, playing 28 times for the Portuguese national team, won seven league titles, the Portuguese Cup, two Super Cups and two League Cups.
The Portuguese Basketball Federation (FPB) has declared mourning over the death of Enrique Vieira, honoring him with a moment of silence in the Portugal team’s match against Montenegro this Monday, as part of the qualification for the 2023 World Cup, in Odivelas, from 19:00.
“The FPB expresses its deepest condolences to the family of Enrique Vieira and his closest friends,” the federation’s website says.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
