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Pedro Manuel Torres (presumably born 18 March 1982 in Huambo), commonly known as Mantorras, is an Angolan footballer who currently plays for Sport Lisboa e Benfica in the Portuguese first division, as a striker.

His nickname derives from the fact that, as a child, he suffered slight accidental burns, being then known as "Man torras", from the Angolan expression "Mano Torras," which means "Toasted brother." His professional career has been blighted by constant injury problems.¹

Club career

Mantorras started his career as a professional footballer in Angola, at Progresso do Sambizanga. He quickly caught the eye of Portuguese scouts, and transferred to F.C. Alverca shortly thereafter, as that club acted also as Sport Lisboa e Benfica's feeder club. Most notably, Mantorras scored a hat-trick in a surprising 4–1 home win over Sporting Clube de Portugal.

At only 19, Mantorras signed with Benfica, making a particularly good impression during his first season at the club. He was then sought out by FC Barcelona and also refused an offer from Inter Milan in Italy. During the player's quick rise to stardom, he was frequently described as the best player to come out of Portuguese Africa since Eusébio left Mozambique for Benfica in the early 1960s. Eusébio himself said of the youngster that, "He has special qualities and is set for a great future."

In 2002, Mantorras suffered a serious knee injury that almost put an end to his short career.²³ He spent approximately two-and-a-half years recovering, during which he was subject to four surgical procedures.¹ He returned to the pitch during the 2004–05 season, and managed to contribute sufficiently as the Águias ended an 11-year drought and won the national championship, with five goals in only 15 matches (four of those in the final two months).⁴⁵

Even though he was subsequently deemed to be fully recovered, Mantorras failed to re-establish himself as a first team player, playing only in a few games throughout the next seasons combined. However, he remained a favorite with the club's supporters, additionally stating he would like to see out his career at Benfica, and that he would remain in the club even if he was not paid a salary.⁶

International career

An Angolan international since the age of 19, Mantorras was part of the national team which became the first ever African Portuguese-speaking country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, in 2006. There, he played twice from the bench, including in the 0–1 group stage loss against Portugal.

Even though he was only fifth or sixth-choice at Benfica at the time, Mantorras was also summoned for the 2010 African Cup of Nations, played on home soil. As Angola reached the last-eight, he only appeared once, again as a substitute, in a 2–0 win against Malawi.

Honours

Team

• Portuguese League: 2004–05
• Portuguese Cup: 2003–04
• Portuguese Super Cup: 2005
• Portuguese League Cup: 2008–09
• African U-20 Championship: 2001

Individual

• CAF Young Player: 2001

Personal

Mantorras did not forget his humble roots: soon after joining Benfica, he turned his thoughts to the less fortunate in his homeland, promising to donate a hefty percentage of his wages to set up a home for street kids in Luanda.

"I feel so sorry for children in Angola," he stated. "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 [when I was] 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."

Club statistics

References

External links

• Stats and profile at Zerozero
• PortuGOAL profile
• Girabola profile (Portuguese)

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v • d • e Angola squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 João Ricardo • 2 Marco Airosa • 3 Jamba • 4 Lebo Lebo • 5 Kali • 6 Miloy • 7 Figueiredo • 8 André • 9 Mantorras • 10 Akwá • 11 Mateus • 12 Lamá • 13 Édson • 14 Mendonça • 15 Rui Marques • 16 Flávio • 17 Zé Kalanga • 18 Love • 19 Titi Buengo • 20 Locó • 21 Delgado • 22 Mário • 23 Marco Abreu • Coach: Gonçalves

v • d • e Angola squad – 2010 Africa Cup of Nations 1 Lamá • 2 Jamuana • 3 Enoque • 4 Dias Caires • 5 Kali • 6 Davíd • 7 Job • 8 Xara • 9 Mantorras • 10 Zuela • 11 Gilberto • 12 Macaba • 13 Carlos • 14 Djalma • 15 Rui Marques • 16 Flávio • 17 Zé Kalanga • 18 Love • 19 Dédé • 20 Stélvio • 21 Mabiná • 22 Wilson • 23 Manucho • Coach: Manuel José