João Pinto leads among 455 other players; The most experienced players in the current squad are Pepe (290 games), Diogo Costa (151), Evanilson (150), Pepê (144) and Toni Martínez (139)
João Pinto, perhaps the most historic of FC Porto’s captains, was the most used player during Pinto da Costa’s 42-year presidency. No less than 576 of the 2103 games over the last 42 years had his presence: 27 percent. The right-back belongs to a restricted group of great players who have only worn the shirt of one club. Such as Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Paolo Maldini (Milan), Francesco Totti (Roma), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) and Thomas Muller (Bayern), among many others.
João Pinto debuted in FC Porto’s first team on December 1, 1981, at Estádio da Luz, against Benfica, in the first leg of the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (0-2 defeat), replacing Teixeira, in the 70th minute. The president of the dragons was still Américo Sá. JP’s first game with PC as president took place the following season, on September 5, 1982, in a SC Braga-FC Porto match on the 3rd round (2-1 victory), replacing Sousa, in the 67th minute João Pinto would gain the starting role towards the end of the year, relegating Gabriel to the substitutes bench. He would finish the season with 32 games and 1 goal scored. And two years later, on November 21, 1984, André entered the picture, making his debut for FC Porto-Farense (5-0) in round 7 of 1984/1985, replacing Frasco.
Domingos and Baía arrive
On November 21, 1987, Domingos Paciência appears to face Moura in the Portuguese Cup in the first of his 381 games for the Dragons. Without João Pinto and André among those used. Less than a year later, on September 11, 1988, on the fourth day of 1988/1989, João Pinto, André and Domingos attended the debut, in Guimarães, of the man who would end his career with just ten fewer games than JP: Vítor Bay. Taking advantage of Mlynarczyk’s serious injury and Zé Beto’s disciplinary problems, Quinito handed him the goal in a 1-1 draw. Zé Beto returned to the starting lineup in the following game, but at the beginning of 1989, with Artur Jorge back, Baía became, definitively, owner of the blue and white and cement goal, until May 20, 2007, the day he replaced Helton in the 86th minute to become national champion for the 10th and final time.
Here’s Aloísio
The third most used player of the Pinto da Costa era, Brazilian Aloísio Alves, made his debut in the first round of 1990/1991, on August 18, 1990, in a 2-0 home win against Penafiel. Two days later, in the reception to Boavista (3-1), those who are now five of the six most used in the PC era would join the Antas pitch: Vítor Baía, João Pinto, Aloísio, André and Domingos Paciência.
It’s the animal, it’s the animal…
Jorge Costa, what was missing from the most used sextet, arrived on August 25, 1992. And on November 8 of the same year, in Antas, against Benfica (1-0), the Brazilian Carlos Alberto Silva finally put the six on the field: Vítor Baía, João Pinto, Jorge Costa, Aloísio, André and Domingos Paciência.
The eleven of 456 players
The eleven made up of the most used in the last 42 years is this: Vítor Baía (576 games); João Pinto (576), Jorge Costa (383), Aloísio (474) and Paulinho Santos (316); Semedo (314), André (385) and Drulovic (327); Jaime Magalhães (359), Fernando Gomes (257) and Domingos (381). Not bad, huh. All you had to do was choose between the 456 players used by the 26 PC coaches.
