Paulo Figueiredo

Paulo Figueiredo
Personal information
Full name Paulo José Lopes de Figueiredo
Date of birth (1972-11-28) 28 November 1972
Place of birth Malanje, Angola
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
1982–1984 Domingos Sávio
1985–1986 Benfica
1986–1989 Domingos Sávio
1989–1991 Belenenses
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1992 Belenenses 0 (0)
1992–1993 União Tomar
1993–1994 Aves
1994–1995 O Elvas
1995–1996 Camacha 32 (1)
1996–2004 Santa Clara 249 (27)
2004 Dragões Sandinenses 17 (4)
2005 Lusitânia 9 (0)
2005–2006 Varzim 26 (3)
2006–2007 Östers IF 31 (1)
2007 Ceahlăul 0 (0)
2008 Olivais Moscavide 8 (0)
2008–2010 Libolo
National team
2003–2008 Angola 37 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Paulo José Lopes de Figueiredo (Portuguese pronunciation: [fiɡɐjˈɾedu]; born 28 November 1972) is an Angolan retired footballer who played as a central midfielder.

He spent the bulk of his 17-year professional career with Santa Clara, amassing Primeira Liga totals of 97 games and eight goals over the course of three seasons (eight in total with the club).

An Angolan international for five years, Figueiredo earned 37 caps and represented the nation at the 2006 World Cup and two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

Club career

Figueiredo was born in Malanje, Portuguese Angola to Portuguese settlers, moving to the land of his parents at the age of three. From 1991 to 1996 he played for five clubs, including one spell at C.F. Os Belenenses for which he failed to appear in the second division in the 1991–92 season.

In the 1996 summer, Figueiredo signed for C.D. Santa Clara in the second level, scoring five goals in 33 games in his third year as the team promoted to the Primeira Liga for the first time ever. He made his debut in the competition on 22 August 1999 in a 2–2 home draw against Sporting Clube de Portugal, and appeared in 31 league matches during the 1999–2000 campaign, but the Azores side was immediately relegated back.

After four more seasons with Santa Clara (two in the top flight) and nearly 300 official games, Figueiredo moved to the Portuguese lower leagues, splitting 2004–05 with Sport Clube Dragões Sandinenses and S.C. Lusitânia. He then signed with Sweden's Östers IF, being relegated in his first and only season in the Allsvenskan.

Figueiredo spent 2007–08 with FC Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț in Romania and C.D. Olivais e Moscavide in Portugal, without any competitive appearances for the former team. Subsequently, he closed out his career in his homeland after two years with C.R.D. Libolo.[1]

International career

In 2003, aged almost 31, Figueiredo was invited to play for Angola, and returned for the first time in almost 30 years to the country of his birth. After featuring heavily during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign – ten games, one goal against Nigeria on 18 June 2005, in a 1–1 away draw – he was selected to the final stages in Germany, playing in all three group stage matches as the Palancas Negras managed two draws in their first participation ever.[2]

Figueiredo also featured at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments — a group stage exit in 2006 and a quarter-final finish two years later.

International goals

(Angola score listed first, score column indicates score after each Figueiredo goal)

No Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 18 June 2005 Sani Abacha, Kano, Nigeria  Nigeria 1–1 1–1 2006 World Cup qualification
2. 25 March 2007 Cidadela, Luanda, Angola  Eritrea 6–1 6–1 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3. 17 June 2007 Cidadela, Luanda, Angola  Swaziland 1–0 3–0 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
4. 13 January 2008 Complexo Desportivo, Alverca do Ribatejo, Portugal  Egypt 1–1 3–3 Friendly

References

  1. ↑ Internacional angolano anuncia fim de carreira (Angolan international announces end of career); Ango Notícias, 18 June 2009 (in Portuguese)
  2. ↑ Angola 0–1 Portugal; BBC Sport, 11 June 2006
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