Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Thursday, March 19, 2026, 10:05 p.m. / Updated Thursday, March 19, 2026 10:19 p.m.
Silvino Louro, former legendary goalkeeper of Portuguese football and the man who worked with Benfica coach Jose Mourinho (63) for almost two decades, has passed away at the age of 67.
After a successful career between the sticks, Silvino accompanied Jose Mourinho for almost two decades as a goalkeeping coach.
Silvino Louro lost his battle with the disease
According to abola.pt, the former athlete had been suffering from a serious illness for some time and died on Thursday, March 19.
His football career began at Vitoria de Setubal in 1977, then moved to Vitoria de Guimaraes before making the move to Benfica in the 1984-85 season. At “Da Luz”, despite an initial phase spent in the shadow of the legendary Manuel Bento and a loan at Desportivo das Aves, Silvino established himself and became a fundamental piece of the “eagles”.
He battled for the start with Neno over several seasons, helping the club win four domestic titles and reach the pinnacle of European football, starting in the 1988 and 1990 European Champions Cup finals, even captaining the latter against AC Milan.
After spells at FC Porto and Salgueiros, Silvino retired in 2000, over 40 years old and with an impressive record of 408 first league games.
For the national team, he collected 23 caps over 14 years, equaling Vitor Damas' record as the oldest player to represent Portugal at the age of 38 in a match against Northern Ireland in 1997. He then became José Mourinho's right-hand man.
Silvino Louro and Paul Pogba // photo: Imago Images
As a goalkeeping coach, Silvino accompanied Mourinho to some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United. His influence was decisive as goalkeepers such as Vitor Baia, Petr Cech and Julio Cesar received UEFA's best goalkeeper award under his guidance.
Silvino was also active in the Portuguese Football Federation between 2000 and 2002.
