Jorge Silva (footballer, born 1972)


Jorge Soares da Silva is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Football career

Born in Lamego, Viseu District, Silva emerged through FC Porto's youth system, but could never be more than third-choice with its first team. In the 1995–96 season he was part of the Primeira Liga-winning squad by playing four minutes in one game, and previously made his professional debut at Rio Ave FC.
Silva spent the better part of his career with two modest clubs in the top flight, S.C. Salgueiros – who had previously loaned him to Porto – and C.D. Santa Clara, reaching the Portuguese national team for his only cap with the former on 15 November 2000, where he featured one minute in a friendly with Israel after coming on as a substitute for Quim. In the 2003–04 campaign he played with the Azores side in the second level and, from there onwards, competed mainly in the third, with brief returns to the second tier.
In the summer of 2008, 36-year-old Silva signed with U.D. Oliveirense, freshly promoted to division two. After one season he called it quits, joining the club's coaching staff as goalkeepers' manager; however, a string of injuries propelled him back to action, and he eventually appeared in five matches during 2009–10, with Oliveirense narrowly missing out on another promotion. In June 2010, he retired for good and returned to his previous post.

Personal life

Silva's younger brother, Francisco, was also a footballer. A defender, they shared teams at C.D. Trofense and Oliveirense.