Emanuel Jesus Bonfim Evaristo, known as “Manú,” has died; he also played in Italy

The soccer world is in tears over the passing of Manú—whose full name was Emanuel Jesus Bonfim Evaristo—who died in a car accident in Sobral de Monte Agraço, Portugal, not far from Lisbon. Manú, 43, was immediately attended to by paramedics who arrived at the scene, but unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done.

Having come up through the Alverca youth system, Manú played for Benfica in 2004 before moving to Modena in Italy. The following season, he was loaned to Carpenedolo, then returned to Portugal to play for Estrela Amadora.

Before retiring in 2019, he also played for AEK Athens, Marítimo, Legia Warsaw, Beijing Guoan, Ermīs Aradippou, Vitória Setúbal, Pafos, Cartaxo, and Vilafranquense.

“There’s news that doesn’t just break your heart, but also sweeps away all excuses. It shatters the illusion that there’s still time, that something can still be done,” Edinho wrote in a heart-wrenching social media post. “‘I’ll find the right moment.’ Forget it. Forget this story because when we lose someone—especially someone close to us, someone we love—the same old question resurfaces: ‘What if today were my last day? Am I really living?’”

“You’ve left me with a huge burden on my shoulders, my brother! But I’ll raise your son as if he were my own, just as you once did with mine, even before he was born and from that moment on. Your memory will live on forever in him. Watch over us all,” Edinho concluded.