O Alex do Marítimo: Bunbury honoured as club legend

CS Marítimo

Canadian legend Alex Bunbury has returned to the Caldeirão for an afternoon in which he will be honoured by his former club, CS Marítimo. A former two-time Canada Soccer Player of the Year, Bunbury spent six seasons at CS Marítimo in the 1990s and remains the club’s all-time leading goalscorer more than 20 years later.

Bunbury will be honoured at the Sunday 22 January 2022 match at the Estadio do Marítimo. He famously wore the club’s colours from 1993-94 to 1998-99, notably helping the club qualify for UEFA Cup in 1994-95 and 1998-99. He also helped the club reach the Taça de Portugal Final in 1995 and then led the club in goalscoring in four consecutive seasons from 1995-96 to 1998-99.

Across the 1990s, Bunbury was a star with Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team and won Player of the Year honours in 1993 and 1995. He was the nation’s top goalscorer in back-to-back FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns and retired as Canada’s all-time leader with 11 career goals in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. He scored 17 goals in 70 international appearances with Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team, including 15 goals in 65 appearances at the international “A” level.

An honoured member of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame, Bunbury has also been honoured by the Québec Soccer Hall of Fame and the Hamilton Soccer Hall of Fame. After his youth career in Montréal, he moved from Corfinium St-Léonard to the Canadian Soccer League with Hamilton, Toronto and Montréal, then made the move to Europe where he played for West Ham United FC in the English First Division and Premier League. After his time in Portugal, he returned to North America and helped Kansas City win the 2000 MLS Cup.

From 18 December 1993 to 24 May 1999, Bunbury made 217 appearances for CS Marítimo in all competitions and scored 77 goals. He helped the team finish as high as fifth place in the Primeira Divisão in both 1993-94 and 1997-98.