Porto is a club that has had some of the most legendary Portuguese players the game has ever seen. This article will be looking back at the career of Porto's legendary goalkeeper Vítor Baía, who's one of the most decorated players in football history. He spent the majority of his career at Porto, except for a few seasons at Barcelona. Let us look back at his football career.
Porto's very own shotstopper
Vítor Baía came through Porto's youth academy , and ultimately made his first-team debut against Vítoria de Guimarães. There was no turning back for the young Portuguese after this, as he did not concede his starting place for the next seven seasons.
It was a golden period for both the club and Baía, as they won 5 league titles and 2 Taça de Portugal triumphs at the time. The Portuguese keeper only conceded 116 goals during those years, which on average was an impressive 16.5 goals per year. Baía's immense talent saw him be regarded as a world-class keeper between 1994 and 1996, as evident by his inclusion in the IFFHS' "World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1995" List back then.
World-record Barca move
Baía's heroics for Porto eventually resulted in Barcelona making a then world-record €6.5m bid for the player, which was the most expensive for a goalkeeper at the time.
The Portuguese keeper joined Barcelona with high expectations, but his two-and-a-half-year spell with the Blaugrana was overshadowed with knee problems and poor performances.
The appointment of new manager Louis van Gaal at the time made things worse for him, as the former preferred fellow Dutchman Ruud Hesp as Barca's top goalie.
Despite the transfer being a colossal failure, Baía was able to win La Liga and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with the Blaugrana.
The redemption
Vítor Baía's poor stint at Barcelona resulted in the club sending him back on loan to Porto. The Portuguese seemed to have his career back on track, but he was injured again during the 1999–2000 season, and needed a corrective surgery on his knee.
Baía returned to Barcelona after his loan period in 2000, but was immediately released and signed by Porto. After a year on the sidelines due to injury, he made his comeback during the 2001–02 campaign in a reserves match against S.C. Vila Real on 26th November 2001.
This was the beginning of an epic comeback for the player, which saw him silence all his critics. Baía was back to proper fitness as the 2002–03 began, and he was steadily coming back to his usual self. The Portuguese keeper was instrumental in Porto's historic success that season, which ultimately saw them win the league title, the domestic cup and the UEFA Cup. He was especially instrumental in the European competition, as Baía saved crucial penalties in both the semi-finals against Lazio and final against Celtic.
What followed after this was an even bigger triumph, as Baía was finally back to full fitness and at his very best. Baía and Porto made history and shocked the world by winning the UEFA Champions League that season, as they beat Monaco 3-0 in the final. Baía's heroics also saw him selected as the "UEFA Club Best Goalkeeper of the Year". Despite his majestic heroics, he was still overlooked for the 2004 Euro Cup, as Sporting CP's Ricardo was controversially selected.
His final years at the club saw his performances deteriorate with age, and was eventually succeeded by Brazilian Helton. Baía left Porto in 2007, after 8 years at the club.
He bid farewell after winning an astonishing 26 titles with Porto, and establishing himself as arguably their greatest ever goalkeeper
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