Fernando Chalana

Portugal has always loved left footed artists, and Fernando Chalana belonged to the most romantic branch of that family. Small, elusive and beautifully balanced, he played from the left with the imagination of a number 10 and the dribbling instinct of a street footballer who refused to treat defenders as serious people. At Benfica, he became a symbol of flair and emotional attachment, capable of slowing a full back down with body feints before escaping with that low centre of gravity and velvet touch. Euro 1984 was his great international stage, where his creativity helped Portugal reach the semi final and reminded Europe how dangerous he could be when fully fit. Injuries and an unhappy spell at Bordeaux limited the wider legacy, which is frankly football behaving like a vandal again. Chalana was a fragile genius, a winger of poetry, deception and wonderful left footed mischief.