Vata Matanu Garcia

Born in Damba, Uíge Province, Vata started his football career at Progresso Associação do Sambizanga. After a good run in Portugal with Varzim SC, he caught the eye of Primeira Liga club S.L. Benfica, signing with them for 1988–89 and being crowned the season's top scorer in his first year. In the following campaign's European Cup campaign, Vata achieved his most (in)famous moment: after the 1–2 defeat at Olympique de Marseille in the semifinals, he scored from a left-side corner kick, putting the ball in the net with his right arm as Benfica won on the away goals rule with that single goal. After two more seasons in Portugal, with C.F. Estrela da Amadora and S.C.U. Torreense, 38-year-old Vata retired in 1999 after spells with Malta's Floriana Football Club and Gelora Dewata and Persija Jakarta (Indonesia, where he also would act as player-coach). In 1993–94 he also had a brief go at Futsal, in the United States. As a full-time manager, Vata worked with Guntur Bali, winning the league in his only season and also coaching in that country Mitra Kukar F.C. and Kalimantan (in 2004–05). He also worked at the International School in Bali in 2000 and at the European Football Institute in Australia, as a high-performance coach of both the senior and reserve teams.

Vata was capped 65 times on the Angola national team, including one 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

Benfica

Portuguese League: 1988–89, 1990–91 Portuguese Supercup: 1986 European Cup runner-up 1989–90 Floriana

Maltese Cup: 1993–94 Deltras

Indonesian League: 1999–2000 (as coach) Individual

Portuguese League: Top Scorer 1988–89 (16 goals) Indonesian League: Top Scorer 1995–96