Isaías Marques Soares

Born in Linhares, Espírito Santo, Isaías started his career with Fluminense, where he had an unassuming spell. He then represented Friburguense and Cabofriense, and moved to Portugal in 1987, gradually moving up the ranks: first with Rio Ave then Boavista, arriving at Benfica in 1990. With Benfica, he quickly became a fan favourite at the Estádio da Luz, being also referred to as a "force of nature" due to his powerful build, stamina and combativeness – he also scored regularly in big games, being the owner of a powerful long-range shot. Arguably his greatest moment with the Lisbon side came on 6 November 1991, in the last round prior to the group stage of the season's European Cup: against Arsenal, at Highbury Park, he assisted once and netted twice in a 3–1 win (4–2 aggregate success). Sporting coach Bobby Robson found him to be the most impressive player in the Portuguese league. However, Isaías would be left out of the Benfica squad in 1995 by coach Artur Jorge, who was proceeding to a team reshuffle that would result in the darkest period in the club's history – at that time, the veteran was still one of the squad's most influential players and top scorers. Subsequently, Isaías moved to England with Coventry City for £500.000, signing a two-year contract and becoming the first Brazilian to ever play in the Premier League. He featured in just 14 competitive matches for the Sky Blues over a period of two seasons, due to differences with manager Gordon Strachan and his…

Benfica

Primeira Liga: 1990–91, 1993–94 Taça de Portugal: 1992–93 Campomaiorense

Taça de Portugal runner-up: 1998–99