Sérgio Conceição

Sérgio Conceição
Personal information
Full name Sérgio Paulo Marceneiro Conceição
Date of birth November 15, 1974 (1974-11-15) (age 37)
Place of birth Coimbra, Portugal
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current club Olhanense (coach)
Youth career
1986–1991 Académica
1991–1993 Porto
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1993–1994 Penafiel 30 (2)
1994–1995 Leça 24 (3)
1995–1996 Felgueiras 30 (4)
1996–1998 Porto 56 (9)
1998–2000 Lazio 63 (7)
2000–2001 Parma 25 (5)
2001–2003 Inter 41 (1)
2003–2004 Lazio 7 (0)
2004 Porto 11 (0)
2004–2007 Standard Liège 74 (21)
2007 Al Qadsia 7 (5)
2008–2010 PAOK 37 (4)
Total 408 (61)
National team
1995–1996 Portugal U21 7 (1)
1996–2003 Portugal 56 (12)
Teams managed
2012– Olhanense
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Sérgio Paulo Marceneiro da Conceição (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɛɾʒiu kõsɐjˈsɐ̃w̃]; born 15 November 1974) is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mostly as a right winger.

Known for his speed and strength, combined with his good dribbling and crossing skills, and fairly accurate shooting.[1] During his extensive career, he played for ten different teams, in five countries. After gaining international recognition with F.C. Porto, he switched to Italy, where he played for three teams.

Having won more than 50 caps for Portugal, Conceição represented the nation in one World Cup and one European Championship.

Contents

Club career

Born in Coimbra, Conceição began his career playing for the youth teams of hometown's Associação Académica. He started professionally in the second division, consecutively for F.C. Penafiel, Leça FC and F.C. Felgueiras, before moving to powerhouse F.C. Porto in 1996. Two hugely successful years with Porto saw Conceição’s marauding runs down the right flank, combined with a good goalscoring record, help his team to back-to-back domestic championships and a Portuguese Cup triumph.

Conceição joined S.S. Lazio and played a significant part in their 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup success, while also scoring five goals in 33 games in his first Serie A season. He also helped the side to a Scudetto, an Italian Cup (in a 1999–2000 double) and the 1999 UEFA Super Cup.

In July 2000, he transferred to Parma A.C. as a makeweight in Hernán Crespo's transfer (along with Matías Almeyda). The following season, Conceição was used in the same fashion in the transfer of Sébastien Frey, which saw him go to F.C. Internazionale Milano while Frey went in the other direction.[2] After two seasons and a good number of starts, he would eventually leave Inter by mutual agreement and re-joined Lazio, leaving for another familiar side, Porto, towards the end of 2003–04, again by mutual agreement,[3][4] adding his third Portuguese national championship.

In 2004, Conceição signed for Belgian club Standard Liège on a one-year deal.[5] He won the Belgian Golden Shoe for best player of the year in his first season. However, in March 2006, he was banned for three years (the first 4.5 months of the ban taking effect immediately and the rest suspended),[6] depending on good behaviour, for spitting on an opposing player and assaulting a referee.[7]

After the 2006–07 season, Conceição failed to win any silverware with Standard, finishing runner-up in 2005–06's league and losing the 2007 Belgian Cup final. He decided to move to Kuwait and Al Qadsia on a rather lucrative contract. Quickly unsettled, the player later admitted that he was amazed at the slack training schedule and low level of professionalism.

In January 2008, after failed deals in Portugal, however, in a surprise move, Conceição agreed to join PAOK Thessaloniki in Greece, signing an 18-month contract. His unlikely signing was largely attributed to club technical director Zisis Vryzas, and the presence of Portuguese manager Fernando Santos on the bench. Though he initially struggled even to return to proper fitness levels, he was instantly given the number #7 shirt, once worn by legendary former player (and also chairman) Theodoros Zagorakis.

In 2008–09, Conceição was promoted to team captain. Along with compatriot Vieirinha, he was a regular on the team's wings and gradually became a fan favorite for his leadership and his devotion to the club. However, at the beginning of the next campaign, he was regularly troubled by knee injuries for the most part of October, managing only a few appearances. On October 13, he announced his decision to withdraw from professional football and continue working for PAOK as technical director,[8] accepting Vryzas' proposition for the seat Vryzas himself left vacant when he assumed presidency early on.

In late May 2010, Conceição left PAOK and rejoined another former team, being made part of Standard Liège's coaching staff. On 1 January 2012, he began his coaching career, replacing fired Daúto Faquirá at the helm of S.C. Olhanense. [9]

International career

Conceição earned 56 caps for the Portuguese national team, scoring 12 goals, his debut being against Ukraine on 9 November 1996, a 1–0 home win in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier. In his last international game, he was on the losing end of a 3–0 friendly defeat at the hands of Spain on 6 September 2003.

Early in his international career, Conceição was not known for his scoring prowess but, at UEFA Euro 2000, Portugal reached the semi-finals with a major contribution from him. In the third and final match of the group stage, against defending champions Germany in Rotterdam, Conceição bagged a hat-trick, scoring all of the match's goals.[10] Portugal had guaranteed first place in the first two games, so the side played mostly with substitutes, but Conceição cemented his place in the starting XI for the rest of the tournament and subsequent call-ups.

In qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, Conceição scored four goals as Portugal finished atop a group that also featured the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands (netting against both). He was not recalled since 2003.

International goals

Sérgio Conceição: International goals
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 October 1997 Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisboa, Portugal  Northern Ireland 1–0 1–0 1998 World Cup qualification
2 26 March 1999 Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimaraes, Portugal  Azerbaijan 4–0 7–0 Euro 2000 qualifying
3 20 June 2000 Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands  Germany 1–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2000
4 20 June 2000 Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands  Germany 2–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2000
5 20 June 2000 Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands  Germany 3–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2000
6 7 October 2000 Estádio da Luz (1954), Lisbon, Portugal  Republic of Ireland 1–0 1–1 2002 World Cup qualification
7 11 October 2000 De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands  Netherlands 0–1 0–2 2002 World Cup qualification
8 1 September 2001 Camp d'Esports, Lleida, Andorra  Andorra 1–6 1–7 2002 World Cup qualification
9 5 September 2001 Antonis Papadopoulos, Larnaca, Cyprus  Cyprus 1–3 1–3 2002 World Cup qualification
10 27 March 2002 Estádio do Bessa, Porto, Portugal  Finland 1–2 1–4 Friendly
11 17 April 2002 Estádio José Alvalade (1956), Lisbon, Portugal  Brazil 1–0 1–1 Friendly
12 16 October 2002 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden  Sweden 2–1 2–3 Friendly

Statistics

Club

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Portugal League Taça de Portugal Taça da Liga Europe Total
1993–94 Penafiel Second Division 30 2
1994–95 Leça Second Division 24 3
1995–96 Felgueiras Portuguese League 30 4
1996–97 Porto Portuguese League 26 1
1997–98 30 8
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
1998–99 Lazio Italian League 33 5
1999–00 30 2
2000–01 Parma Italian League 25 5
2001–02 Inter Italian League 22 1
2002–03 19 0
2003–04 Lazio Italian League 7 0
Portugal League Taça de Portugal Taça da Liga Europe Total
2003–04 Porto Portuguese League 11 0
Belgium League Belgian Cup League Cup Europe Total
2004–05 Standard Liège Belgian League 27 10
2005–06 25 7
2006–07 22 4
Kuwait League Kuwait Emir Cup League Cup Asia Total
2007–08 Al-Qadsia Kuwaiti League 7 5
Greece League Greek Football Cup Greek League Cup Europe Total
2007–08 PAOK Greek League 7 0
2008–09 24 4
2009–10 6 0
Country Portugal 151 18
Italy 136 13
Belgium 74 21
Kuwait 7 5
Greece 37 4
Total 405 61

International

Portugal national team
Year Apps Goals
1996 1 0
1997 7 1
1998 3 0
1999 9 1
2000 12 5
2001 6 2
2002 11 3
2003 7 0
Total 56 12

Honours

Club

Porto
Lazio
Parma
Standard

Country

Individual

Personal

Coimbra's municipality governors named a local 2,500-seater stadium after him – the Estádio Municipal Sérgio Conceição.[11]

References

  1. ^ Euro 2000 profile
  2. ^ Inter in double swoop
  3. ^ Conceição leaves Lazio
  4. ^ Sérgio Conceição back at Porto
  5. ^ Standard set on Sérgio Conceição
  6. ^ Hefty suspension for Conceição
  7. ^ Conceição out of Steaua tie
  8. ^ Δήλωση του Sergio Conceicao (Greek)
  9. ^ "Sérgio Conceição é o novo treinador [Sérgio Conceição is the new manager]" (in Portuguese). A Bola. 1 January 2012. http://www.abola.pt/nnh/ver.aspx?id=307267. Retrieved 3 January 2012. 
  10. ^ Portugal host holders
  11. ^ Ultimate accolade for Conceição

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Eric Deflandre		 Standard Liège Captain
2005–2007		 Succeeded by
Steven Defour
Portugal squad – UEFA Euro 2000 semi-finalists
Portugal squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup