Hugo Almeida

Hugo Miguel Pereira de Almeida (born 23 May 1984) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a centre forward.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Pereira and the second or paternal family name is Almeida.
Hugo Almeida
Almeida playing for Kuban Krasnodar in 2015
Personal information
Full name Hugo Miguel Pereira de Almeida
Date of birth (1984-05-23) 23 May 1984
Place of birth Figueira da Foz, Portugal
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Centre forward
Youth career
1993–1996 Buarcos
1996–2000 Naval
2001–2002 Porto
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2005 Porto B 25 (18)
2003–2007 Porto 33 (4)
2003 → União Leiria (loan) 13 (3)
2004 → União Leiria (loan) 14 (2)
2005 → Boavista (loan) 14 (3)
2006–2007 → Werder Bremen (loan) 28 (5)
2007–2010 Werder Bremen 89 (36)
2011–2014 Beşiktaş 88 (36)
2014–2015 Cesena 10 (0)
2015 Kuban Krasnodar 10 (2)
2015–2016 Anzhi 12 (2)
2016 Hannover 96 7 (1)
2016–2017 AEK Athens 22 (5)
2017–2018 Hajduk Split 14 (3)
2018–2020 Académica 33 (11)
Total 409 (131)
National team
2001 Portugal U16 4 (1)
2002 Portugal U18 5 (1)
2002–2003 Portugal U19 15 (8)
2003 Portugal U20 5 (0)
2004–2007 Portugal U21 27 (16)
2004 Portugal U23 4 (2)
2004–2006 Portugal B 4 (4)
2004–2015 Portugal 57 (19)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

After failing to establish himself at Porto, being loaned several times during his contract, he made a name for himself in Germany with Werder Bremen where he remained for four seasons, reaching one UEFA Cup final and scoring 63 official goals. He also spent several years in Turkey with Beşiktaş, netting 47 times in 109 total games.

Almeida, whose international career with Portugal spanned a decade, succeeded in becoming a regular after the departures of Pauleta in 2006 and Liédson in 2010. He represented the nation at two World Cups and as many European Championships, earning 57 caps and scoring 19 goals.[1]

Club career

Portugal

Born in Figueira da Foz, Coimbra District, Almeida started playing football for hometown club Naval 1º de Maio, before being signed by Porto still as a junior. He made his Primeira Liga debut in a 2–0 home win over Benfica on 21 September 2003, playing three minutes;[2] unable to settle at first, however, he had loan spells with União de Leiria (with which he had already played in the previous season, also on loan)[3] and Boavista.[4]

Almeida returned to Porto for 2005–06, having a relatively important role in a side that was crowned national champions. During that campaign's UEFA Champions League he scored a spectacular goal from a 35-metre free-kick against Inter Milan at the San Siro, albeit in a 1–2 loss.[5]

Werder Bremen
Almeida at Werder Bremen in 2006

Almeida served another loan stint in 2006–07, with a solid first year at the Bundesliga's Werder Bremen,[6] where he rejoined former Porto teammate Diego. He totalled ten goals in 41 appearances (in all competitions), including one in a 1–2 home loss against Espanyol in the season's UEFA Cup semi-finals, his shot floating over the goalkeeper and into the net in an eventual 2–4 aggregate defeat;[7] after seeing his chances at Porto definitely cut down with the arrival of strikers Edgar and Ernesto Farías in August 2007, he decided to accept Bremen's offer for a permanent switch, penning a four-year deal worth €4 million.[8]

With the departure of Miroslav Klose, who signed for Bayern Munich,[9] Almeida's chances of first-team action improved dramatically, and he started the 2007–08 campaign in scoring fashion, netting seven times in his first 12 league games, including two goals in a 4–1 win over defending champions VfB Stuttgart.[10] He would finish the season with 16 goals in all competitions – 11 in the league, as his club finished second behind Bayern – only surpassed in the team by Diego's 17.

Almeida in action for Bremen in 2009

In 2008–09, another solid season, Almeida scored nine goals in the league, adding four in just five matches for the eventual DFB-Pokal winners – his first Bremen honour. His cup tally included a hat-trick against amateurs Eintracht Nordhorn, in a 9–3 away rout.[11] In the Champions League, he netted two more, being named the "Fans' Player of the match" in the 2–2 draw away to Anorthosis Famagusta.[12] As Werder Bremen was "demoted" to the UEFA Cup, he contributed with one goal in eight games as the team went all the way to the final but, after receiving a yellow card in the 3–2 win at Hamburger SV in the semi-finals (3–3 aggregate win), he missed the decisive match against Shakhtar Donetsk.[13]

Alternating starts with appearances from the bench, Almeida once again scored in double digits in the 2009–10 campaign, netting seven goals in the domestic league for a total of 11, as Bremen finished third and qualified to the Champions League play-off round, with the player assisting Claudio Pizarro in the third goal of the clash against Sampdoria (3–1 home win in the first leg, eventual 3–2 aggregate win).[14]

Almeida started 2010–11 netting six times in the first ten league games. On 28 November 2010 he took his total to nine, after scoring three in a home win against FC St. Pauli (3–0) – in the dying minutes of the fixture, he was sent off after elbowing an opponent.[15]

Beşiktaş
Almeida at Beşiktaş in 2014

On Christmas Eve 2010, after scoring 11 goals in 21 official games for Bremen during the season, Almeida joined Beşiktaş in the Süper Lig, having agreed to a three-and-a-half-year contract for €2 million.[16][17] On 11 May 2011, he converted his penalty in the shootout as the Istanbul team won the Turkish Cup against İstanbul Başakşehir (4–3, 2–2 after extra time).[18]

During his time in Istanbul, Almeida was part of a Portuguese contingent including manager Carlos Carvalhal and five teammates including fellow internationals Manuel Fernandes, Simão Sabrosa and Ricardo Quaresma.[19]

Later years

On 7 October 2014, free agent Almeida signed for Serie A newcomers Cesena.[20] However, he struggled at his new club, managing only seven starts and terminating his contract by mutual consent on 20 January 2015.[21] A week later, he joined Russia's Kuban Krasnodar.[22]

Almeida with Kuban in March 2015

On 8 July 2015, Almeida moved to Anzhi Makhachkala who had just returned to the Russian Premier League.[23] After just six months, both parties parted ways by mutual consent.[24]

On 16 January 2016, Almeida returned to Germany and signed for Hannover 96 until summer 2017, reuniting with former Werder Bremen boss Thomas Schaaf in the process.[25] He scored in his first appearance seven days later, but in a 1–2 home loss against Darmstadt 98.[26] In February, he received a retrospective three-match ban for an elbow on FC Augsburg's Dominik Kohr,[27] as the season ended with relegation.

On 18 July 2016, Almeida joined AEK Athens from the Superleague Greece on a two-year contract.[28] He scored twice in the first 15 minutes of his debut, a 4–1 home win over Xanthi on 11 September.[29]

On 26 April 2017, in the return leg of the semi-finals of the Greek Football Cup against Olympiacos, Almeida played as an emergency goalkeeper for the first time in his career, after Giannis Anestis was sent off in the closing minutes of the game. His team eventually advanced to the final on away goals, after a 2–2 aggregate draw.[30]

On 30 August 2017, Almeida's contract was terminated by mutual consent.[31] The following day he signed a one-year deal with Hajduk Split from the Croatian First Football League, with the option for a further season.[32]

Almeida returned to Portugal after an absence of 12 years in July 2018, at the age of 34. Citing family reasons, he agreed to a two-year contract at Académica de Coimbra.[33] He made his LigaPro debut on 18 August, playing 36 minutes in a 0–1 home defeat against Paços de Ferreira and eventually acting as a goalkeeper after Peterson Peçanha was sent off.[34]

On 6 February 2020, Almeida announced his retirement. He went instantly into coaching Académica's under-23 team.[35]

International career
Almeida playing for Portugal in 2011

Almeida played at every level in international competitions, from the under-15 to the main Portuguese national team. He made his full debut in a friendly match against England on 18 February 2004, in a 1–1 tie,[36] and was also part of the squad that won the 2003 Toulon Tournament, also appearing at the 2004 and 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals.[37]

Almeida was called for Portugal's final three UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers, starting against Azerbaijan and scoring his first international goal.[38] He also netted in the follow-up, a 1–0 win over Armenia,[39] and these goals eventually proved vital, as the nation clinched a tournament spot.

In Carlos Queiroz's second stint as national side coach, Almeida scored in a 4–0 triumph in Malta on 6 September 2008, in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.[40] His importance diminished in late 2009, after the naturalization of Sporting Clube de Portugal's Liédson.

Almeida was picked for the finals in South Africa. After the first match, a 0–0 against Ivory Coast, he replaced Liédson in the starting XI for the following match, with both players finding the net in the 7–0 routing of North Korea on 21 June 2010, in Cape Town.[41]

Almeida was selected by new manager Paulo Bento for his Euro 2012 squad, initially as third-choice after Hélder Postiga and Nélson Oliveira. After the former injured himself in the first half of the quarter-finals against Czech Republic, he replaced him,[42] going on to start in the penalty shootout loss to Spain (0–0 after 120 minutes).[43]

After being included in the list for the 2014 World Cup,[44] Almeida started in the first group stage match against Germany, but was injured after just 28 minutes of play in an eventual 0–4 loss.[45] He went on to miss the second game against the United States[46] with Postiga, who was also stretchered off after only 17 minutes, replacing him in the starting XI.[47]

On 31 March 2015, Almeida captained Portugal for the first time in his final appearance, a 0–2 friendly loss to Cape Verde in Estoril.[48]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Europe Other Total Ref.
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Porto B 2001–02 Portuguese Second Division 20———20 [49]
2002–03 1516———1516 [49]
2003–04 41———41 [49]
2004–05 43———43 [49]
Total 25180000002518 –
Porto 2002–03 Primeira Liga 0010000010 [49]
2003–04 3020200070 [49]
2004–05 3000200050 [49]
2005–06 274406100375 [49]
Total 3347010100505 –
União Leiria (loan) 2002–03 Primeira Liga 13321—00154 [49]
União Leiria (loan) 2003–04 Primeira Liga 14210—00152 [49]
Boavista (loan) 2004–05 Primeira Liga 14320—00163 [49]
Werder Bremen (loan) 2006–07 Bundesliga 2851012400419 [50]
Werder Bremen 2007–08 Bundesliga 231121114003616 [50]
2008–09 27954113004316 [50]
2009–10 2674163003611 [50]
2010–11 1392161002111 [50]
Total 893613734110013654 –
Beşiktaş 2010–11 Süper Lig 1246420—208 [51]
2011–12 221010933[lower-alpha 1]13514 [51]
2012–13 20921——2210 [51]
2013–14 31130022—3315 [51]
Total 8536851353110947 –
Cesena 2014–15 Serie A 10000——100 [51]
Kuban 2014–15 Russian Premier League 10231——133 [51]
Anzhi Makhachkala 2015–16 Russian Premier League 12222——144 [51]
Hannover 96 2015–16 Bundesliga 7100——71 [50]
AEK Athens 2016–17 Superleague Greece 2145010—274 [51]
2017–18 110020—31 [51]
Total 225503000305 –
Hajduk Split 2017–18 Prva HNL 14320——163 [51]
Académica 2018–19 LigaPro 231000—002310 [49]
2019–20 10120—2[lower-alpha 2]0151 [49]
Total 33112000203811 –
Career total 4091314916722151535169 –
  1. Three appearances in Süper Lig playoffs
  2. Two appearances in Taça da Liga

International
Source:[52]
Portugal
YearAppsGoals
200410
200500
200610
200742
2008111
200963
2010106
201163
201271
201371
201432
201510
Total5719
Hugo Almeida: International goals
GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition

[52]

113 October 2007Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan0–20–2Euro 2008 qualifying
217 November 2007Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal Armenia1–01–0Euro 2008 qualifying
36 September 2008Ta'Qali Stadium, Ta'Qali, Malta Malta0–20–42010 World Cup qualification
46 June 2009Qemal Stafa stadium, Tirana, Albania Albania0–11–22010 World Cup qualification
512 August 2009Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein Liechtenstein0–10–3Friendly
612 August 2009Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein Liechtenstein0–30–3Friendly
73 March 2010Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal China PR1–02–0Friendly
88 June 2010Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa Mozambique2–03–0Friendly
98 June 2010Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa Mozambique3–03–0Friendly
1021 June 2010Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa North Korea3–07–02010 FIFA World Cup
113 September 2010Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal Cyprus1–14–4Euro 2012 qualifying
1217 November 2010Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal Spain4–04–0Friendly
1310 August 2011Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal Luxembourg4–05–0Friendly
1410 August 2011Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal Luxembourg5–05–0Friendly
152 September 2011GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus0–30–4Euro 2012 qualifying
1614 November 2012Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville, Gabon Gabon1–22–2Friendly
1726 March 2013Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan0–20–22014 World Cup qualification
1810 June 2014MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, United States Republic of Ireland1–05–1Friendly
1910 June 2014MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, United States Republic of Ireland3–05–1Friendly

Honours

Porto

Werder Bremen

Beşiktaş

AEK Athens

Individual

References
  1. "Portugal – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  2. "FC Porto-Benfica, 2–0 (Derlei 30, Argel [NPB] 53)" [FC Porto-Benfica, 2–0 (Derlei 30, Argel [OG] 53)]. Record (in Portuguese). 21 September 2003. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  3. "Mercado de Leiria abastece o campeão" [Leiria market provides for the champions]. Record (in Portuguese). 7 February 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  4. "Hugo Almeida é do Boavista" [Hugo Almeida belongs to Boavista]. Record (in Portuguese). 8 January 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  5. "Cruz control revives Inter". UEFA. 2 November 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  6. "Almeida made for Bremen". UEFA. 12 July 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  7. "Sevilha e Espanyol na final" [Sevilla and Espanyol in the final]. Record (in Portuguese). 3 May 2007. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  8. "Hugo Almeida earns Bremen deal". UEFA. 21 May 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  9. "Klose heeds Bayern call at last". UEFA. 26 June 2007. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  10. "Werder Bremen 4–1 VfB Stuttgart". ESPN Soccernet. 22 September 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  11. "Hugo Almeida marca 3 golos em massacre do Bremen" [Hugo Almeida scores 3 goals in Bremen's massacre]. Record (in Portuguese). 9 August 2009. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  12. "Almeida brings Anorthosis back to earth". UEFA. 26 November 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  13. "Bremen, Shakhtar advance to UEFA Cup final". Sports Illustrated. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  14. "Pazzini takes gloss off Bremen win". UEFA. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  15. "Werder Bremen 3–0 St Pauli". ESPN Soccernet. 28 November 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  16. "Besiktas make Almeida swoop". Sky Sports. 24 December 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
  17. "Hugo Almeida Beşiktaş'ta" [Hugo Almeida a Beşiktaş player] (in Turkish). Beşiktaş JK. 24 December 2010. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
  18. "Simão marca penalti decisivo" [Simão scores decisive penalty] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  19. "Braga welcome Carvalhal home with Beşiktaş". UEFA. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  20. "Almeida a Villa Silvia" [Almeida to Villa Silvia] (in Italian). Cesena Calcio. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
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  24. Анжи и Алмейда расторгли контракт [Аnzhi and Almeida terminate contract] (in Russian). FC Anzhi. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  25. "Hannover 96 verpflichtet Hugo Almeida" [Hannover 96 acquire Hugo Almeida] (in German). Hannover 96. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  26. "Hannover 96 rutscht bei Schaafs Premiere auf letzten Platz" [Hannover 96 slip in Schaaf's debut in last place] (in German). Stern. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  27. "Hannover's Hugo Almeida banned three matches for elbow". ESPN FC. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  28. "AEK signs Hugo Almeida". AEK Athens. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  29. "Welcome to AEK Hugo Almeida". Agona Sport. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  30. "Ο... τερματοφύλακας Αλμέιδα (pics/video)" [The... goalkeeper Almeida (pics/video)] (in Greek). Sport FM. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  31. Οριστικό: Τέλος από την ΑΕΚ ο Αλμέιδα [The end: Almeida leaves AEK] (in Greek). Sport 24. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  32. Propadalo, Karlo (31 August 2017). "SLUŽBENO: Hugo Almeida novi napadač Hajduka" [OFFICIAL: Hugo Almeida is new Hajduk forward] (in Croatian). Nogomet Plus. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  33. "Hugo Almeida tinha propostas da Liga mas preferiu Académica" [Hugo Almeida had League offers but preferred Académica] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  34. "Académica-P. Ferreira, 0–1: Hugo Almeida com estreia... na baliza" [Académica-P. Ferreira, 0–1: Hugo Almeida with debut... in goal]. Record (in Portuguese). 18 August 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  35. "Hugo Almeida anuncia o final da carreira de futebolista" [Hugo Almeida announces end of footballing career] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  36. "Scolari gives youth a chance". UEFA. 12 November 2004. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  37. "Pride of Porto and Portugal". UEFA. 23 May 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  38. "Azerbaijão-Portugal, 0–2 (Bruno Alves 11; Hugo Almeida 45+1)" [Azerbaijan-Portugal, 0–2 (Bruno Alves 11; Hugo Almeida 45+1)]. Record (in Portuguese). 13 October 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  39. "Almeida takes Portugal to the brink". UEFA. 17 November 2007. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  40. "Portugal vence Malta e avança no apuramento para o Mundial 2010" [Portugal beat Malta and move forward in 2010 World Cup qualification]. Público (in Portuguese). 6 September 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  41. "Portugal pours it on in second half". The New York Times. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  42. "Ronaldo heads Portugal into last four". UEFA. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  43. "Spain survive test of nerve to reach final". UEFA. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  44. "Paulo Bento announces Portugal's 23-man World Cup squad". PortuGOAL. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  45. "Muller-inspired Germany thrash ten-man Portugal". FIFA. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  46. "Portugal lose Fabio Coentrão and Hugo Almeida for rest of group stage". The Guardian. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  47. "Varela strikes to save Portugal". FIFA. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  48. "A festa foi dos tubarões" [The party was for the sharks] (in Portuguese). TVI 24. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  49. "Hugo Almeida (Hugo Miguel Pereira de Almeida)". Fora de Jogo. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  50. "Hugo Almeida". Worldfootball. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  51. "Hugo Almeida". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  52. "Hugo Almeida". European Football. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  53. "FC Porto-Trofense, 2–0: Ser sério e ganhar cedo em dia de falhar golos" [FC Porto-Trofense, 2–0: Serious display and early win on day of missed goals]. Record (in Portuguese). 25 November 2002. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
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