Vítor Cândido Gonçalves was born in Lisbon on 12 April 1896 and died on 7 March 1965. A Casa Pia schoolboy, he played for Benfica as a forward and later as a midfielder alongside Cândido de Oliveira and António Ribeiro dos Reis, winning the Campeonato de Lisboa of 1919/20 and two Taças de Honra. He was capped by Portugal from the country's very first international, played in Madrid against Spain on 18 December 1921.

He took charge of Benfica in July 1934, his first match a 5-1 friendly win over Torres Novas on the 8th of that month, and remained for two seasons and 64 matches. Both brought a major trophy. In 1934/35 Benfica won the Campeonato de Portugal, and in 1935/36 they won the Campeonato da Liga, the newly created national league and the first league championship in the club's history. His last match was a cup semi-final defeat by Belenenses on 28 June 1936.

He worked in the era of the WM, with a settled defensive spine and half-backs who dictated the tempo, and he had the good fortune and the judgement to hand a young side its first league title. He was succeeded by the Hungarian Lippo Hertzka, under whom the same group won the next two championships, and he is remembered as the man who started the run.