Oceano da Cruz

This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Andrade and the second or paternal family name is Da Cruz.
Oceano

Oceano with Iran in 2014
Personal information
Full name Oceano Andrade da Cruz
Date of birth (1962-07-29) 29 July 1962
Place of birth São Vicente, Cape Verde
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Iran (assistant)
Youth career
1976–1980 Almada
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1982 Almada
1982–1983 Odivelas
1983–1984 Nacional
1984–1991 Sporting CP 202 (17)
1991–1994 Real Sociedad 96 (17)
1994–1998 Sporting CP 106 (22)
1998–1999 Toulouse 30 (6)
National team
1985–1998 Portugal 54 (8)
Teams managed
2009–2010 Portugal U21
2012 Sporting B
2012 Sporting CP (caretaker)
2014– Iran (assistant)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Oceano Andrade da Cruz (born 29 July 1962), known simply as Oceano, is a Portuguese retired footballer, and the current assistant manager of the Iranian national team.

A defensive midfielder with tremendous physical strength and leadership skills as his main assets, he is widely regarded as the best footballer ever hailing from his birth nation, and represented most notably Sporting, appearing in more than 400 official games with the club over the course of 11 seasons (two separate spells).

Having gained more than 50 caps for Portugal, Oceano represented his adopted nation at Euro 1996.

Club career

Born in São Vicente, Cape Verde, Oceano's family emigrated to Portugal when he was a child. He started his career at Almada A.C. in the lower leagues and, after spells in the second division with Odivelas F.C. and C.D. Nacional, signed with Sporting Clube de Portugal for the 1984–85 season.

Oceano was an undisputed starter for the Lisbon side during his stay, which consisted at first of seven seasons. In 1991 he moved, alongside compatriot and teammate Carlos Xavier, to Spain's Real Sociedad, where the pair was equally influential, having been reunited with former Sporting boss John Toshack.[1][2]

In 1994, both Oceano and Xavier returned to the Lions, and the former continued to perform at a consistent level until the end of the 1997–98 campaign, when he was almost 36. His Sporting trophies consisted, however, of a single Portuguese Cup, in 1995; he wrapped up his career in 1999, after a stint in France with Toulouse FC.

After retiring, Oceano worked as a color commentator for several TV networks. In early March 2011, he returned to his main club Sporting, joining newly appointed José Couceiro's coaching staff; exactly one year after, he moved in the same capacity to U.D. Leiria, under another old Sporting acquaintance, José Dominguez.[3]

Oceano started the 2012–13 season in charge of Sporting's reserves, in the second division. On 4 October 2012, however, following Ricardo Sá Pinto's dismissal, he was named caretaker manager of the first team.[4]

Oceano's tenure as head coach of Sporting first consisted of three away games and losses – against F.C. Porto in the league (0–2), against Moreirense F.C. for the season's domestic cup (2–3) and at K.R.C. Genk for the UEFA Europa League group stage (1–2)[5][6]– and his spell ended on 29 October 2012 with a 0–0 home draw against Académica de Coimbra for the domestic championship.

International career

Oceano played 54 times for Portugal, scoring eight goals. His debut came on 30 January 1985 in a 2–3 friendly defeat with Romania, and his last game occurred thirteen years later in a 0–3 loss against England on 22 April 1998. He was a leading presence in the national team throughout the 90's, notably at UEFA Euro 1996 where he helped it to the quarterfinals.

Following the Portuguese Football Federation's appointment of Carlos Queiroz in July 2008, Oceano was invited to work as part of his technical team, and took up a position within the scouting department, working alongside former F.C. Porto's José Alberto Costa and former IFA Premiership player Julian Ward.

In August 2009 Oceano was appointed head coach of Portugal under-21s, succeeding Rui Caçador.[7] His first match was on the 11th, a 2–1 win over Northern Ireland.

After failing to qualify to the 2011 European Championship, Oceano was fired from his position. In late March 2014 he again reunited with Queiroz, joining his coaching staff at the Iranian national team prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament.[8]

Oceano da Cruz: International goals
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 16 January 1991 Nou Estadi Castalia, Castellón de la Plana, Spain  Spain 0–1 1–1 Friendly
2 12 February 1992 Estádio de São Luís, Faro, Portugal  Netherlands 1–0 2–0 Friendly
3 11 November 1992 Stade de Paris, Paris, France  Bulgaria 2–1 2–1 Friendly
4 10 February 1993 Estádio de São Luís, Faro, Portugal  Norway 1–0 1–1 Friendly
5 10 November 1993 Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal  Estonia 2–0 3–0 1994 World Cup qualification
6 19 January 1994 Balaídos, Vigo, Spain  Spain 2–2 2–2 Friendly
7 18 December 1994 Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal  Liechtenstein 3–0 8–0 Euro 1996 qualifying
8 27 March 1996 Estádio do Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal  Greece 1–0 1–0 Friendly

Managerial statistics

Nat Team From To Record
GWDLWin %GFGA+/-
Portugal Portugal U21 August 2009 September 2010 10613 60.0% 159+6
Portugal Sporting B August 2012 October 2012 9711 77.7% 167+9
Portugal Sporting October 2012 October 2012 4013 00.0% 28–6
Total 23 13 3 7 56.5% 33 24 +9

References

  1. ↑ "Toshack acusa de indisciplinados a los jugadores de la Real" [Toshack accuses Real players of indiscipline] (in Spanish). El País. 19 September 1992. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "25 años, 71 extranjeros" [25 years, 71 foreigners] (in Spanish). Noticias de Gipuzkoa. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Oceano é o adjunto de Dominguez (Oceano is Dominguez's assistant); Record, 14 March 2012 (Portuguese)
  4. ↑ Official – Sá Pinto relieved of his duties; Oceano appointed caretaker coach; PortuGOAL, 4 October 2012
  5. ↑ Wagner's extra-time winner beats Sporting; PortuGOAL, 21 October 2012
  6. ↑ Sporting lose again after a late Genk winner; PortuGOAL, 25 October 2012
  7. ↑ Quadro técnico definido (Managers selected); Portuguese Football Federation, 24 June 2009 (Portuguese)
  8. ↑ Oceano appointed as an assistant to Queiroz; Team Melli, 27 March 2014
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