The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Angola

This page contains a list of the greatest Angolan Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 38 of which were born in Angola. This makes Angola the birth place of the 65th most number of Soccer Players behind Algeria, and Israel.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Angolan Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Angolan Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Angolan Soccer Players.

1. Fernando Peyroteo (1918 - 1978)

With an HPI of 58.33, Fernando Peyroteo is the most famous Angolan Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages on wikipedia.

Fernando Baptista de Seixas Peyroteo de Vasconcelos (10 March 1918 – 28 November 1978) was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent his entire professional career with Sporting CP, scoring 544 goals in all competitions, winning 11 major titles and being crowned his country's top-division scorer on six occasions.

2. José Águas (1930 - 2000)

With an HPI of 55.97, José Águas is the 2nd most famous Angolan Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

José Pinto de Carvalho Santos Águas (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛ ˈaɣwɐʃ]; 9 November 1930 – 10 December 2000) was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker. He enjoyed a lengthy professional spell with Benfica, never scoring less than 18 goals in 12 of his 13 first division seasons. A prolific goalscorer, Águas was nicknamed "Cabeça de Ouro" ("Golden Head") because of his header skills.

3. Rui Jordão (1952 - 2019)

With an HPI of 49.54, Rui Jordão is the 3rd most famous Angolan Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Rui Manuel Trindade Jordão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʁuj ʒuɾˈðɐ̃w]; 9 August 1952 – 18 October 2019) was a Portuguese footballer. His professional career was spent mostly with two of the biggest clubs in the country, Benfica and Sporting CP. One of the most prolific strikers in the history of Portuguese football, he won the Silver Ball award twice, once with each team. Jordão represented the Portugal national team for 17 years, appearing with them at Euro 1984.

4. Eduardo Camavinga (b. 2002)

With an HPI of 48.30, Eduardo Camavinga is the 4th most famous Angolan Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 53 different languages.

Eduardo Celmi Camavinga (born 10 November 2002) is a professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Real Madrid and the France national team. He is known for his tackling, versatility, and mobility. His usual positions are central or defensive midfielder and left-back. Camavinga began his career in Ligue 1 with Rennes, making his senior debut at the age of 16, and quickly established himself as a regular first-team player. In 2021, he signed for Real Madrid for a fee of €31 million, winning a La Liga and UEFA Champions League double in his first season. Born in Angola, to Congolese refugees, Camavinga moved to France at a young age, eventually representing the country at under-21 level. He made his first senior appearance for the France national team in 2020 at the age of 17, becoming the nation's youngest debutant in over a century. He was part of the French squad that finished runners-up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

5. Jorge Mendonça (b. 1938)

With an HPI of 47.20, Jorge Mendonça is the 5th most famous Angolan Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Jorge Alberto Mendonça Paulino (born 19 September 1938), known as Mendonça, is a Portuguese-Angolan former footballer who played as a striker. Having spent the vast majority of his career in Spain, he amassed La Liga totals of 205 matches and 69 goals over the course of 12 seasons, almost all with Atlético Madrid, with which he won five major titles.

6. José Morais (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 45.97, José Morais is the 6th most famous Angolan Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

José Manuel Ferreira de Morais (born 27 July 1965) is a Portuguese professional football coach and former player. Morais arrived at Inter Milan in July 2009 to replace the departing André Villas-Boas, who took the head coaching position with Académica de Coimbra. Hired by fellow countryman José Mourinho, the two reportedly first met at Benfica in 2000. After head coach Mourinho terminated his contract with Inter, Morais followed Mourinho to Real Madrid in June 2010. Similarly, he then followed Mourinho to Chelsea in June 2013 following the end of Mourinho's managerial spell with Real Madrid. He then managed in his own right in several countries, winning two K League 1 titles with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in South Korea.

7. William Carvalho (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 43.28, William Carvalho is the 7th most famous Angolan Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

William Silva de Carvalho (born 7 April 1992) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis. He spent most of his career with Sporting CP since making his debut with the first team at age 18, going on to appear in 193 competitive matches and win the 2015 Taça de Portugal. In 2018 he signed with Betis, where he totalled 213 games and won the 2022 Copa del Rey. A full international for Portugal since 2013, Carvalho represented the nation at three World Cups and two European Championships, winning the 2016 edition of the latter tournament.

8. Flávio Amado (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 43.14, Flávio Amado is the 8th most famous Angolan Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Flávio da Silva Amado (born 30 December 1979), better known as Flávio, is an Angolan former professional footballer who played as striker. He is the assistant of Angolan side Petro Atlético.

9. Oliveira Gonçalves (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 41.45, Oliveira Gonçalves is the 9th most famous Angolan Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Luís de Oliveira Gonçalves (born 22 June 1960) is an Angolan football coach who coached the Angola national football team. A studious, tactically astute coach, Gonçalves was not a prolific player in his younger days, but has earned the nickname the "Professor" for his reading of the game, and is a popular figure in Angola for his efforts of turning round his nation's footballing fortunes.

10. João Ricardo (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 41.04, João Ricardo is the 10th most famous Angolan Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

João Ricardo Pereira Batalha Santos Ferreira (born 7 January 1970), known as João Ricardo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈɐ̃w ʁiˈkaɾðu]), is an Angolan retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

People

Pantheon has 43 people classified as Angolan soccer players born between 1918 and 2002. Of these 43, 39 (90.70%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Angolan soccer players include Eduardo Camavinga, Jorge Mendonça, and José Morais. The most famous deceased Angolan soccer players include Fernando Peyroteo, José Águas, and Rui Jordão. As of April 2024, 3 new Angolan soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Jorge Mendonça, Gelson Dala, and Quinzinho.