January 2013 Benfica hosted FC Porto in week # of the Liga Zon Sagres. Both teams undefeated so far in the season. I often try to catch the bigger games of the season at the Casa Do Benfica in Toronto. Normally during these big games the Benfica house is filled with Benfica supporters. It was Sunday and instead of spending the day with my wife or my real family, I was spending the next 2 hours with my other family, the hundreds of Benfica fans who don't judge me for supporting who I feel is the greatest club in the world.
Sitting at the opposite side of the bar I see an older couple who was being approached by everyone. The woman had a "Aguiar" jersey on. My brother soon pointed out that she was the mother of ex - Benfica player Fernando Aguiar.
Although, I did not watch Benfica during Aguiar's stint at the Luz, I have always been fascinated with him. It is the same type of fascination that I have with Newly appointed SLB defender Steven Vitória. The connection is simple if you can't guess it then I'll tell you. Canadian Men's National Team. Vitória although Canadian born wants to represent Portugal? however, Aguiar born in Portugal represented Canada.
It was announced on June 16, 2013 that Mississauga, Ontario born free agent Steven Vitória joined Benfica after months of speculation. It was also reported in the past through Portuguese media that Steven would never want to at at Benfica, although such tabloids as O Jogo, and A Bola are not always reliable sources, I believe there is some truth to this. it's funny how that has changed. It's Steven's dream to represent Portugal and what better way to get Paulo Bento's then to play on Portugal's most popular team, Benfica.
Fernando Aguiar however, was born in Portugal in 1972 but immigrated to Canada. By 1995 while living in Canada, he played top flight soccer in Portugal playing for not only Benfica but Beira Mar and Nacional. When given the chance to play on a International level, Aguiar decided not to choose his birth country of Portugal but chose his new home of Canada instead. I have a theory on this.
It was noble of Aguiar to chose Canada over Portugal. Ideally if the FIFA rules made any sense, each player would represent their birth right country. There would be no nationalization of players and if you dislike your birth country then you should not be playing on a international level. For Aguiar, who was born in Portugal but came to Canada and decided to play for them he is making a statement that he considered Canada his home. Aguiar's parents are proabably a lot like mine taught us at a young age how Canada provided a better life for all of us and gave us opportunities that we would not have in Portugal. Vitória I feel is of the belief that he does not consider himself Canadian but Portuguese and feels that he is good enough to play with the likes of Ronaldo, Pepe, and Moutinho. Steven has not come out and said that he is not interested in playing for the Canadian Men's National squad but the main conflict that Steven faces is that Portugal has not called him up for any matches.
The reality is with centre backs like Pepe, Bruno Alves, currently starting for Portugal Steven does not have a chance to not only crack the starting 11 but the bench. Luis Neto, and Sereno are showing great promise for the future of Portugal's centre-back positionA few years ago after returning on a flight from Lisbon to Toronto my brother had the privilege of speaking with Fernando's Mom on the plane and when they started discussing her son's career she told him that the worst thing that happened in Aguiar's career was the back and forth traveling from Portugal to represent Canada. It took a toll on his performance and his health. Aguiar no longer plays pro soccer but is supposedly living in Lisbon as a scout with ties to Benfica.
If you are Steven and you are playing at Benfica it is easier to take time off to play for Portugal then to hop on a plane and travel 6 hours back to Canada. If Steven Vitória wants to be an international star and make a difference then he should accept Canada with open arms. I'm sure Steven would have a starting position on the team after a successful 2012/13 season with Estoril Praia in whcih he scored 11 goals as a centre back.
Vitória is not the only Canadian born soccer player who chose not to represent Canada on a international level. Owen Hargreaves, Daniel Fernandes, Junior Hoilett, Jonathan De Guzman, Teal Bunbury (Son of former Nacional star Alex Bunbury)are only a few names who took the easy way out. I am aware that this is a Benfica blog and not a Team Canada blog but the reason my national team is so stagnant in evolving on the world's stage is because it's easier to play on a well established team than to play on a team that needs to rebuild and capture talent. If players like Vitória continue to abandon Canada then Canada will never evolve. Why is the US such a powerhouse now? because over the last 20 years the US spent money on developing the sport of soccer, marketing the product to attract players, and of course they spent money on a coach. Something in which Canada has yet to do. This is a different conversation for a different time.
Vitória has already represented Portugal at the U19 and U20 levels. During the 2007 FIFA U 20 tournament held in Canada, Vitória represented Portugal and was praised by his performance especially by the Luso Canadian communities in southern Ontario. This was the same tournament in which such players as Juan Mata, Luis Suarez, Fabio Coentrão, Chicarito, Giovanni Dos Santos, David Luiz, Angel Di Maria, Shinji Kagawa and dozens more bursted into the spotlight and would become the future stars of soccer. Vitória's performance during the upcoming season at Benfica will determine whether or not he is worthy of a spot representing "As Quinas." Regardless of who he represents on an international, I am much more interested in seeing what the 26 year old has to offer at Benfica.
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