Bordeaux supporters, especially Benfica Lisbon supporters, are in mourning. Former attacking midfielder Fernando Challana passed away on Wednesday, August 10, at the age of 63. It was his favorite club, Benfica, who announced the sad news on their website. “Pequeno Genial “, He started his professional career with the Portuguese club in 1975. After becoming a key player in the team, he won several titles such as the Portuguese Championship, Cup and Portuguese Super Cup. The year 1984 was particularly significant in his career. At the age of 25, he was crowned for the second time as a Portuguese footballer of the season. Over the summer, he participated in the Euro Championships and made a deep impression, particularly with the exceptional performance in the semi-final against Les Bleus, in the Vélodrome. A performance that allowed him to sign an astronomical sum of 18 million francs with the Girondins de Bordeaux, a record at the time in France.
“He’s a very nice guy, with a wry sense of humour. A very nice boy with whom I’ve stayed friends. He was always in a good mood”Gernot Rohr, who knew the player well, recalls in the columns of our colleagues from SoFoot. Unfortunately, he is frequently injured in Bordeaux. “In France the preparation was much more violent than in Portugal. Maybe that’s what screwed it up.”Didier Koiko, sporting director of the Girondins at the time, recalls. He only played his first league match in February 1985 with FCGB. He left little mark on the history of the Girondins and ended up returning to Benfica in 1987, before finishing his career at Belenenses, and then at Estrella Amadora in Liga de Honra (Portuguese second division). At the end of his career he returned to Benfica.As a technical element related to football“.
Fernando Chalana, O Noso Pequeno Genil, Falesio, Os 63 Anos, Na Madrugada desta Cuarta Fiera, 10 de Agosto. pic.twitter.com/uWUGZzgWVe
– SL Benfica (SL Benfica) August 10, 2022
CL
