Jorge Paulo dos Santos Futre (born 28 February1966 in Montijo, Portugal) is a former professional footballer. He is commonly known as Futre.
Appeared in 1983, as a very young left winger in Sporting Lisbon with dazzling speed and dribbling abilities. However, when he asked a pay rise to president João Rocha he was denied, and soon left Sporting to FC Porto. In the following years he collected two Portuguese Championships, and played a key role in the 1987 European Champions Cup final won by Porto, and played one impressive solo where he missed a goal by inches after passing by five Bayern Munich players.
After that win he was traded to Atlético de Madrid for a high sum, where he rose to a fan favourite status. However, the roughness of the Spanish football left him with several knee injuries which tormented his 90's carrer. In 1993 he arrived in a controversial deal to Porto and Sporting rivals SL Benfica, winning a cup. Soon after his arrival, he left but his knee problems not allowed him to settle, and played one-season contracts with Olympique Marseille, Reggiana, AC Milan and West Ham United. Finally, he returned to Atlético de Madrid, but ended his carrer with J. League side Yokohama Flugels. Now, he is a director in Atletico Madrid, and a respected football personality.
He was capped 41 times for Portugal (from 1983 to 1995), scoring six goals. He was also a controversial non-playing member in the Mexico'86 World Cup.
Futre, who won two Spanish Cups in his five years at the Calderon, admitted last month that he earned around £2.5 million in under-the-counter, untaxed payments during that period.
Futre, as talented and effective in the kill-or-be-killed jungle of football transfers as he ever was on the pitch, has moved through the European market like a wolf among sheep.
The Portuguese Futre is like an alter ego to the fat, balding, feet-of-clay Spaniard who likes to wear his shirt open on particularly hot days and let his big brown belly flop out.
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