Artur Jorge, former PSG coach and Portugal coach, has died at the age of 78, Europe 1 can confirm this Thursday. “It is with deep sadness that the family of Artur Jorge announces his death this morning in Lisbon, after a long illness. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family,” his relatives announced in a press release.
Artur Jorge, a former player who also coached the Portuguese selection, Benfica Lisbon and FC Porto, was on the Parisian bench from 1991 to 1994 then for a few months in 1998-99. “Artur Jorge is the greatest coach I have known,” reacted former PSG president Michel Denisot. “Educated, cultured, passionate, strategist, uncompromising… with him PSG grew very quickly”.
Portuguese La Liga ‘saddened to learn of the death of Artur Jorge’
The Canal+ group, which in 1991 had just bought the club with the aim of making it a rival to Olympique de Marseille, poached Artur Jorge from his Porto club. Under his orders, the team of Le Guen, Ricardo, Ginola then Lama, Roche and Weah won the Coupe de France in 1993 then the division 1 championship in 1994.
The Portuguese Football League said it was “saddened to learn of the death of Artur Jorge, a former Portuguese international who distinguished himself as a player and coach for FC Porto, Benfica and Academica”. With Benfica he won four league titles as a player. Prolific scorer (215 goals in 316 matches), was capped 16 times by Portugal. “FC Porto mourns the loss of one of the greatest figures in its history,” reacted on its website the club which had also won three league titles with Jorge as coach.