Fernando Nélson
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fernando Nélson Jesus Vieira Alves | ||
| Date of birth | 5 November 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Porto, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1983–1986 | Porto | ||
| 1987 | Rio Tinto | ||
| 1987–1990 | Salgueiros | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1990–1991 | Salgueiros | 23 | (0) |
| 1991–1996 | Sporting CP | 115 | (2) |
| 1996–1998 | Aston Villa | 59 | (0) |
| 1999–2002 | Porto | 32 | (0) |
| 2002–2004 | Vitória Setúbal | 32 | (1) |
| 2004–2006 | Rio Tinto | ||
| National team | |||
| 1991 | Portugal U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 1992–1994 | Portugal U21 | 22 | (0) |
| 1995–2001 | Portugal | 11 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Fernando Nélson Jesus Vieira Alves (born 5 November 1971), known as Nélson, is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a right back.
Best known for his spell at Sporting, he also played for Porto in his country, having a two-year stint at Aston Villa in England as well.
Over the course of ten seasons, Nélson amassed Primeira Liga totals of 202 games and three goals.
Football career
Nélson was born in Porto. After starting professionally at local S.C. Salgueiros he moved to first division giants Sporting Clube de Portugal, immediately after having helped the national under-20s win the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, played in the country.
At the Lisbon-based club, Nélson won the 1995 Portuguese Cup. After producing three final solid seasons, where he amassed nearly 100 league appearances and scored one goal apiece, he joined Premier League team Aston Villa in the 1996 summer, under manager Brian Little.
After two productive campaigns with the Midlands side, Nélson did not appear at all in the first half of the third, and returned home in 1999 January transfer window as he signed with F.C. Porto – his first youth club – winning his first national championship in his debut season.
During the following three years Nélson would be used irregularly at Porto (playing as much as 20 matches and as little as none), and moved in 2002 to Vitória de Setúbal. After two seasons with amateurs S.C. Rio Tinto he retired from football, becoming president of the latter.
Personal
Nélson's twin brother, Albertino, was also a footballer and a defender. He too started his career – which spanned more than two decades, with teams in all levels of Portuguese football – with Porto (youth) and Salgueiros, and amassed top division totals of 204 games and one goal, mainly with C.S. Marítimo (seven seasons, 169/1).
External links
- Stats and profile at Zerozero
- Fernando Nélson profile at ForaDeJogo
- Fernando Nélson career statistics at Soccerbase
- Fernando Nélson at National-Football-Teams.com
- Fernando Nélson – FIFA competition record