Luís Bilro

Luís Bilro
Personal information
Full name	Luís Miguel Bilro Pereira
Date of birth	1 April 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth	Borba, Portugal
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
1982–1985	Seixal
1985–1989	Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years	Team
1989–1990	Seixal
1990–1991	Atlético
1991–1992	Olhanense
1992–1993	Sporting CP
1993–2004	União Leiria
2005	Lusitânia
2008–2011	Sporting CP (beach soccer)
Total
International career
1987	Portugal U16
2005–2008	Portugal (beach soccer)
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Luís Miguel Bilro Pereira (born 1 April 1971), known as Bilro, is a Portuguese retired football and beach soccer player.

While playing association football, in a career that lasted over a decade, he operated as right back or central defender, having represented União de Leiria during 11 professional seasons.

He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 245 games and nine goals.

Football career

Bilro was born in Borba, Évora District. After finishing his footballing formation at Sporting CP he made his professional debut with Seixal FC, where he had begun as an infant. He went to represent Atlético Clube de Portugal and S.C. Olhanense, returning to Sporting for 1992–93 and spending an entire season without any official appearances, being released afterwards.

After leaving Sporting, Bilro moved to U.D. Leiria, where he would appear in nearly 400 competitive matches, helping the club achieve Primeira Liga promotion in his first year and being coached in the 2001–02 campaign by young manager José Mourinho, as the side from the Lis River finished seventh.^[1]^[2]

Beach soccer

After spending the latter part of 2004–05 with modest S.C. Lusitânia, Bilro moved to beach soccer, helping the Portugal national team win the BSWW Mundialito in 2008 and 2009.^[3] Shortly after, he moved back to Sporting but in his new sport.

In 2011, Bilro retired at the age of 40 and started coaching his last team.^[4]

Honours

Beach soccer

Country

Euro League: 2007, 2008
FIFA World Cup: Third place 2008
Euro League: 2007 (in Portugal); Runner-up 2007 (Italy); Third place 2007 (Spain)
Mundialito: 2008, 2009; Runner-up 2007

References

^ "Bilro quer continuar em Leiria" [Bilro wants to remain in Leiria] (in Portuguese). TVI 24. 15 April 2003. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
^ "Derrotas do Chelsea impedem Mourinho de regressar a Leiria" [Chelsea losses prevent Mourinho's return to Leiria]. Jornal de Leiria (in Portuguese). 5 November 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
^ "Portugal vence Mundialito ao bater o Brasil" [Portugal win Mundialito after beating Brasil] (in Portuguese). TSF. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
^ "Bilro acredita que Sporting pode disputar Mundialito de Clubes de Futebol de Praia" [Bilro believes Sporting can take part in Club Beach Soccer Mundialito] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2018.

External links

Luís Bilro at ForaDeJogo (archived)
Luís Bilro national team profile at the Portuguese Football Federation (in Portuguese)

[1] "Bilro quer continuar em Leiria" [Bilro wants to remain in Leiria] (in Portuguese). TVI 24. 15 April 2003. Retrieved 10 February 2018.

[2] "Derrotas do Chelsea impedem Mourinho de regressar a Leiria" [Chelsea losses prevent Mourinho's return to Leiria]. Jornal de Leiria (in Portuguese). 5 November 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2018.

[3] "Portugal vence Mundialito ao bater o Brasil" [Portugal win Mundialito after beating Brasil] (in Portuguese). TSF. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2018.

[4] "Bilro acredita que Sporting pode disputar Mundialito de Clubes de Futebol de Praia" [Bilro believes Sporting can take part in Club Beach Soccer Mundialito] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2018.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]