Artur Jorge, former coach of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) – with whom he won the French championship in 1994 – died at the age of 78 on Thursday February 22, his family announced. “It is with deep sadness that the family of Artur Jorge Braga de Melo Teixeira announces his death this morning in Lisbon, following a long illness. He died peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones”she said in a press release.
During his long coaching career, from 1980 to 2015, Artur Jorge coached numerous Portuguese teams: Vitoria, Belenenses, Portimonense, as well as Benfica Lisbon and FC Porto. He notably won the European Cup for Champion Clubs – the ancestor of the Champions League – in 1987, against Bayern Munich (2-1), thanks in particular to a backheel from Rabah Madjer, a technical gesture which will keep his name ( a madjer). He also lifted the Portuguese champion trophy three times (in 1985, 1986 and 1990) with FC Porto.
Artur Jorge also played twice on the PSG bench: between 1991 and 1994, winning the French championship and the Coupe de France in 1993, then during the 1998-1999 season. “Artur Jorge is the greatest coach I have ever known. Erudite, cultured, passionate, strategist, uncompromising… with him PSG grew very quickly”greeted the former president of the Parisian club Michel Denisot, on his account. As a player, Artur Jorge won four Portuguese league titles in 1969, 1971, 1972 and 1973 with Benfica Lisbon.