Gustavo Manduca

Gustavo Manduca
Personal information
Full nameGustavo Manduca
Date of birth8 June 1980
Place of birthUrussanga, Brazil
Height1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionWinger / Striker
Club information
Current team
APOEL (director of football)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1997Grêmio0(0)
1998–1999HJK2(0)
1998→ Atlantis (loan)10(2)
1999Felgueiras13(2)
2000Esposende18(6)
2000–2003Chaves70(22)
2003–2004Paços Ferreira29(3)
2004–2005Marítimo46(11)
2006–2007Benfica16(1)
2006–2007→ AEK Athens (loan)23(5)
2007–2010AEK Athens73(9)
2010–2015APOEL125(45)
Total395(106)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Gustavo Manduca (born 8 June 1980) is a former Brazilian footballer who played mainly as a left winger, and the current director of football of APOEL FC.

He also holds an Italian passport, and played professionally in five different countries, mainly in Portugal – where he represented six teams in seven years, including a very brief spell with Benfica. He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 91 games and 15 goals, during three seasons.

In 2010 Manduca signed with APOEL, remaining with the club until his retirement and winning six major titles.

Club career

Early years / Portugal

Manduca was born in Urussanga, Criciúma. After a brief spell with Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense he moved in 1998 to Finland with HJK Helsinki and, after only two matches, he was loaned to Atlantis FC of the country's second division for the remainder of the season.

Manduca moved to Portugal in 1999, successively representing F.C. Felgueiras, AD Esposende and G.D. Chaves, all in the second level. In the 2003–04 campaign he made his top flight debuts, joining F.C. Paços de Ferreira.

Manduca blossomed into a top division player with C.S. Marítimo, where he scored in a 2004–05 UEFA Cup first round penalty shootout exit against Rangers, moving to S.L. Benfica in January 2006 on a four 1/2-year contract.[1] He appeared in 16 league games in his only season, netting in a 1–3 loss at U.D. Leiria on 4 February.

AEK

In August 2006 Manduca signed a one-year loan deal with the option for a permanent move with AEK Athens FC,[2] as he was deemed surplus to requirements by new Benfica boss Fernando Santos.

He made three appearances in the season's UEFA Champions League, and helped the capital club to the second place in the domestic league; on 16 May 2007, he signed a permanent three-year contract.[3]

APOEL

After three years (his on-loan season notwithstanding) of regular use at AEK, 30-year-old Manduca signed a three-year deal with APOEL FC from neighbouring Cyprus. In his debut campaign with the club he won the national championship (the first in his career), scoring ten goals and providing as many assists.

On 13 September 2011, in a home game against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg for the Champions League, Manduca scored the equaliser in the 73rd minute and, two minutes later, assisted compatriot Aílton for the final 2–1 win, in APOEL's first ever win in that stage of the competition.[4] On 1 November, he netted in the last minute against F.C. Porto (same competition, venue and result).[5] In the round-of-16's second leg against Olympique Lyonnais, on 7 March 2012, he netted the 1–0 at home which levelled the tie, being sent off before the penalty shootout triumph;[6] on 4 April 2012, he scored APOEL's first goal against Real Madrid in an eventual 2–5 quarter-final loss at the Santiago Bernabéu (2–8 on aggregate).[7]

In 2012–13 Manduca won his second Cypriot league, starting in all 32 league matches and scoring twelve times. On 31 May 2013, he signed a two-year contract extension with APOEL.[8]

The following campaign Manduca bettered that total to a career-best 13 goals, being an essential offensive unit as his team won conquered the treble of league,[9] Cup[10] and Super Cup.[11] He was also a regular in the next season's Champions League group stage[12] and scored the equaliser from the penalty spot in a 1–1 home draw against AFC Ajax on 30 September 2014.[13]

On 30 March 2015, aged 34, Manduca announced his immediate retirement from football due to a serious ankle injury.[14] The same day, he was appointed director of football at APOEL, signing a two-year contract with the club.[15]

Honours

HJK
AEK Athens
APOEL

References

  1. ↑ Manduca to bolster Benfica attack; UEFA.com, 28 December 2005
  2. ↑ AEK make Manduca move; UEFA.com, 4 August 2006
  3. ↑ AEK make Manduca move permanent; UEFA.com, 17 May 2007
  4. ↑ APOEL recovery leaves Zenit reeling; UEFA.com, 13 September 2011
  5. ↑ APOEL's Manduca floors Porto late on; UEFA.com, 1 November 2011
  6. ↑ Lyon stunned as APOEL fairy tale continues; UEFA.com, 7 March 2012
  7. ↑ Madrid make serene progress past APOEL; UEFA.com, 4 April 2012
  8. ↑ "Συνεχίζει ο Gustavo" (in Greek). APOEL FC. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "Sheridan strike hands APOEL Cypriot title". UEFA.com. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  10. ↑ ΕΡΜΗΣ ΑΡΑΔΙΠΠΟΥ 0–2 ΑΠΟΕΛ (in Greek). APOEL FC. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "APOEL FC 1–0 APOLLON". APOEL FC. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "APOEL FC". UEFA.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  13. ↑ "Ajax pegged back by APOEL". UEFA.com. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "APOEL hero Manduca calls it a day". Cyprus Score. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  15. ↑ Ανακοίνωση εταιρείας ΑΠΟΕΛ ΠΟΔΟΣΦΑΙΡΟ (ΔΗΜΟΣΙΑ) ΛΤΔ (in Greek). APOEL FC. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.

External links