For the musician, see Armando Teixeira (musician).

Petit
Personal information
Full name	Armando Gonçalves Teixeira
Date of birth	September 25, 1976 (1976-09-25) (age 31)
Place of birth	Strasbourg, France
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Benfica
Number	6
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1999-2000 2000-2002 2002-	Gil Vicente Boavista Benfica	30 (4) 51 (7) 155 (12)
National team
2001-	Portugal	55 (4)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Armando Gonçalves Teixeira born on 25 September,1976 in Strasbourg,France) known as Petit is a Portuguese football player. He was born to Portuguese parents. He currently plays as a defensive midfielder for SL Benfica and is part of the Portuguese national team. He was nicknamed Petit because of his small frame and the fact he was born in France. He is known as 'the pitbull' by his supporters, because of the fierceness with which he faces every game. Petit is also known for his direct free kicks from which he often scores, most notably 2 in a 7-1 drubbing of Russia in a 2006 World Cup qualifier.

Club career

Petit first established himself at Gil Vicente FC, where he was a key player. He soon left to play in the Champions League with Boavista FC; the club won the League in 2001, and reached the semi-finals of the 2003 UEFA Cup. In 2002 he moved to Benfica where he has established himself as a player, winning the Cup of Portugal in 2004 and the 2005 league. After impressive showings in Benfica's 2005-06 Champions League campaign, which ended after they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Barcelona, Manchester United and Lyon were linked with Petit; however, he was reluctant to leave one of his favourite clubs.

International career

He made his debut in the national team on 2 June 2001, in a 1-1 draw with Ireland, in Dublin, during the 2002 World Cup qualifying rounds. He played for the national team in that World Cup finals, and also was a member of the national team that reached the final at Euro 2004, in Portugal.In the 2006 World Cup, Petit scored an own goal in the 61st minute of the third place playoff against Germany. He was the fourth player in the tournament to score an own goal. Following Euro 2008, Petit announced that he would retire from international football.

Honours

• Portuguese Liga: 2001, 2005
• Portuguese Cup: 2004
• Portuguese SuperCup: 2005
• Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 2001
• Portuguese Golden Ball: 2006