Hugo Viana

This article is about the football player. For the mixed martial artist, see Hugo Viana (fighter).
This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Gomes and the second or paternal family name is Viana.
Hugo Viana

Viana playing for Braga in 2012
Personal information
Full nameHugo Miguel Ferreira Gomes Viana
Date of birth15 January 1983
Place of birthBarcelos, Portugal
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Club information
Current team
Al-Wasl
Number45
Youth career
1993–1998Gil Vicente
1998–2001Sporting CP
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2001–2002Sporting CP26(1)
2002–2005Newcastle United39(2)
2004–2005→ Sporting CP (loan)32(6)
2005–2010Valencia44(2)
2007–2008→ Osasuna (loan)9(1)
2009–2010→ Braga (loan)28(4)
2010–2013Braga79(12)
2013–2015Al-Ahli27(3)
2015–Al-Wasl3(0)
National team
2001–2004Portugal U2122(3)
2001–2012Portugal29(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 23 February 2015 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).

Hugo Miguel Ferreira Gomes Viana (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈuɣu ˈvjɐnɐ]; born 15 January 1983) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Al-Wasl F.C. in the United Arab Emirates, as a central midfielder.

His main assets are good set pieces and passing skills. After starting out at Sporting he moved abroad at the age of 19, going on to have unassuming spells in England (Newcastle United) and Spain (Valencia) before settling back in his country with Braga. He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 165 games and 23 goals over the course of six seasons.

Viana represented Portugal in two World Cups and Euro 2012, also appearing with the under-23s at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Club career

Sporting / Newcastle

Born in Barcelos, Viana started his professional career at Sporting Clube de Portugal where he won the Young European Footballer of the Year award, after an excellent debut season in the top division and, aged 19, was signed by Premier League's Newcastle United for €12 million.[1] He played there for two seasons, scoring four times, against FK Željezničar Sarajevo[2] and Feyenoord[3] in the UEFA Champions League and Birmingham City[4] and West Bromwich Albion in the league.[5]

However, Viana was unable to cement a starting XI position, and returned to Sporting on loan.[6] In his return he found his old form and enjoyed a successful spell, even helping the Lions to the season's UEFA Cup final.

Valencia

At the start of the 2005–06 season Viana moved to Valencia CF, again on loan. In March 2006, reports stated that Valencia had signed him on a permanent deal for £1.5m.[7] During his first season he struggled to claim a first-team spot, facing tough competition from the likes of David Albelda and Rubén Baraja, manager Quique Flores' preferred duo; still, he featured in 19 league games and displayed some flashes of talent that allowed him to preserve his place in the national squad.

In a bid to secure first team football, Viana decided to join fellow La Liga team CA Osasuna on loan, on August 2007. Unfortunately, a serious injury during pre-season forced him out for four months. As he recovered, he failed to make the breakthrough in an already established team, but would feature in all of the side's final three matches, as Osasuna barely avoided relegation. After the loan (nine matches, one goal, in a 3–1 home win against RCD Mallorca, in which he played one minute), he returned to Valencia.[8]

In 2008–09, Viana took absolutely no part in coach Unai Emery's plans, being restricted to four UEFA Cup matches and two Copa del Rey appearances.

Braga

On 31 July 2009 Viana was loaned to Sporting de Braga for one season, thus returning to Portugal after three years.[9][10] As the Minho club led the league in its early stages, he scored his first goals upon returning to his country, hitting twice in a 3–1 home win against C.F. Os Belenenses, on 30 August. On 31 October, he again found the net, from a stunning free kick against S.L. Benfica, in a 2–0 home triumph where he received Man of the match accolades[11]) – Braga eventually finished in a best-ever second place, losing the title to precisely this team, in the last matchday, with the player appearing in 28 matches (14 as a reserve – he lost his importance after the return of Uruguayan Luis Aguiar, on loan).

In the 2010–11 season, under the same manager, Domingos Paciência, Viana regained his starting position over Aguiar, whom eventually left the club. On 6 March 2011, again from a direct free kick and against Benfica, he equalized for the hosts, in an eventual 2–1 home win; he also appeared in nine games (all starts) in Braga's UEFA Europa League runner-up run.

On 27 November 2011, in a game against F.C. Porto, Viana displayed a white t-shirt with the words 'Gary – Rest In Peace', in a tribute to his former Newcastle teammate Gary Speed who committed suicide earlier that day.[12]

Al Ahli

On 5 June 2013 Al Ahli Club (Dubai) announced the signing of Viana effective as of 1 July, when his contract with Braga expired.[13]

International career

Viana made his debut in the national team on 14 November 2001, in a 5–1 friendly win over Angola. Replacing suspended Daniel Kenedy in the last minute, he was a non-playing squad member for Portugal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and played for his country at the 2004 Olympics.

Viana returned to the national squad after UEFA Euro 2004, and appeared in two matches (as a substitute) at the 2006 World Cup. He was called as a last-minute replacement for injured Carlos Martins to the Euro 2012 squad, with the team already in training camp.[14]

Hugo Viana: International goals
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 October 2005 Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal  Latvia 3–0 3–0 2006 World Cup qualification

Statistics

Club

As of 15 May 2014[15]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sporting 2001–02 2610030291
Total 2610030291
Newcastle 2002–03 2320081312
2003–04 1600090250
Total 39200171562
Sporting 2004–05 32600102426
Total 32600102426
Valencia 2005–06 1900000190
2006-07 2420070312
2008–09 00204060
Total 43220110562
Osasuna 2007–08 912000111
Total 912000111
Braga 2009–10 2845000334
2010–11 23240120392
2011–12 27263100435
2012–13 2875280419
Total 1061520522015620
Al-Ahli 2013–14 2439060393
Total 2439060393
Total 3793034562347738

Honours

Club

Sporting
Braga
Al Ahli

Orders

References

  1. ↑ Newcastle close on Viana; UEFA.com, 20 June 2002
  2. ↑ "Magpies join Europe's elite". BBC Sport. 28 August 2002. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  3. ↑ "Newcastle go through". BBC Sport. 13 November 2002. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  4. ↑ "Newcastle reach Champions League". BBC Sport. 3 May 2003. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  5. ↑ "Baggies go out on a high". BBC Sport. 11 May 2003. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  6. ↑ Hugo Viana heads home; UEFA.com, 21 July 2004
  7. ↑ It's off Hugo as Viana joins Valencia
  8. ↑ "Hugo Viana returned to Camp de Mestalla" (in Spanish). Valencia's official website. 27 April 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
  9. ↑ Hugo Viana é reforço por uma temporada (Hugo Viana strengthens squad for one season); Braga's official website, 31 July 2009 (Portuguese)
  10. ↑ Lawrence, Amy (24 May 2012). "Hugo Viana's Portugal recall reignites debate of purists v realists". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  11. ↑ Brilliant Braga see off Benfica; PortuGOAL, 31 October 2009
  12. ↑ "Hugo Viana chocado com morte de Gary Speed" [Hugo Viana shocked with Gary Speed's death] (in Portuguese). Diário Digital. 27 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  13. ↑ "Al Ahli present Viana, Abbas and Dhahi". AG League. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  14. ↑ Portugal replace Martins with Viana; FIFA.com, 23 May 2012
  15. ↑ "Hugo Viana". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  16. ↑ "Selecção distinguida pelo Duque de Bragança" [National team honoured by Duke of Bragança] (in Portuguese). Cristiano Ronaldo News. 30 August 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2006.

External links