Germano Luís de Figueiredo (23 December 1932 – 14 July 2004), simply known as Germano, was a Portuguese footballer who played as a central defender. He spent most of his professional career with Benfica, appearing in 131 official matches and winning eight major titles, including two European Cups. Germano represented Portugal at the 1966 World Cup.

Club career

Born in Alcântara, Lisbon, Germano started playing with local Atlético Clube de Portugal, spending seven of his nine seasons in the Primeira Liga. In the summer of 1960 he moved to neighbouring S.L. Benfica, where he remained the following six years, being a leading defensive unit of the sides that won four national championships and two European Cups (against FC Barcelona and Real Madrid); in the latter competition's 1964–65 edition, he was placed in goal following his teammate's Costa Pereira injury in the final against Inter Milan, and kept a clean sheet for more than 30 minutes, albeit in a 1–0 loss. Germano retired in 1967, after one year with S.C. Salgueiros of the Segunda Liga. He died in Linda-a-Velha, at the age of 71.

International career

Germano won 24 caps for Portugal over 13 years. He was part of the squad that appeared at the 1966 FIFA World Cup but, after a subpar performance in the second game against Bulgaria, was benched for the rest of the tournament, which ended with a third-place conquest.

Style of play

A hard-working and strong-tackling defender, Germano was noted for his towering presence in Benfica's back-three defending formation, alongside left-back Ângelo and right-back Mário João. He possessed excellent ball control. Germano ranked 53rd in UEFA's 50 Greatest Footballers of the Last 50 Years jubilee list.

Honours

Benfica Atlético Portugal Individual