António Semedo

António Paulo Sanches Semedo (born 1 June 1979) is a Portuguese retired footballer. Operating on the left or right wings or behind the striker, he was nicknamed "The Black Panther".

António Semedo
Personal information
Full name António Paulo Sanches Semedo
Date of birth (1979-06-01) 1 June 1979
Place of birth Lisbon, Portugal
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
1996–1998 Casa Pia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2000 Casa Pia
2000–2006 Estrela Amadora 187 (25)
2006–2008 CFR Cluj 68 (13)
2008–2009 Steaua București 24 (3)
2009 Steaua II București[1]
2009–2010 Unirea Urziceni 40 (8)
2011 Alki Larnaca 15 (2)
2011–2012 Khazar 21 (3)
Total 355 (54)
National team
2000–2002 Portugal U21 16 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 97 games and 11 goals over the course of three seasons, with Estrela da Amadora where he played six years overall. He also competed professionally in Romania, Cyprus and Azerbaijan.

Club career

After beginning his professional career in his local Lisbon area with modest Casa Pia AC, Semedo moved to C.F. Estrela da Amadora in 2000. He went on to establish himself as an important attacking element, whether as a starter or from the bench – in his last season he scored six goals in 32 games, helping the capital side finish ninth in the Primeira Liga after having promoted from the second division the previous campaign.

In 2006–07, Semedo joined Romania's CFR Cluj, as the Liga I team was filled with Portuguese players. After good displays during two seasons, and a double in his last, he moved to the most successful club in the country, FC Steaua București.[2]

On 13 September 2008, Semedo scored from a corner kick on his debut, as Steaua won 4–1 against FC Farul Constanţa. The following week, he netted a brace in the 4–0 victory over CS Gaz Metan Mediaş.

For 2009–10, Semedo was initially demoted to the B-squad.[1][3] Several weeks later his contract was terminated, but he stayed in the country and signed with FC Unirea Urziceni.

In the summer of 2011, Semedo penned a one-year contract with FK Khazar Lankaran from the Azerbaijan Premier League.[4] He retired at the end of the season, aged 33.

International career

Semedo played at the 2002 UEFA European Championship for the Portuguese under-21s, who finished third in their group.

Honours
CFR Cluj

References
  1. Dayro Moreno, Semedo, Pleşan, Lovin şi Pedriel au fost trecuţi la echipa a II-a pe site-ul oficial al Stelei; Gazeta Sporturilor (in Romanian)
  2. Ogăraru and Semedo swell Steaua ranks; UEFA.com, 1 September 2008
  3. Bergodi: Lovin, Pleşan, Pedriel, Liţu, Semedo şi Dayro Moreno nu vor veni în cantonament; Mediafax, 25 June 2009 (in Romanian)
  4. "Antonio Semedo joined "Khazar Lankaran"". FK Khazar. 2011. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.