Manuel António Couto Guimarães (born 25 August 1967), commonly known as Nelo, is a retired Portuguese footballer. On the left side of the field, he could appear as either a defender or a midfielder.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel António Couto Guimarães | ||
| Date of birth | 25 August 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Porto, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left back / Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1986 | Boavista | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1986–1994 | Boavista | 122 | (7) |
| 1986–1987 | → Felgueiras (loan) | ||
| 1987–1988 | → Farense (loan) | 25 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | → Farense (loan) | 26 | (2) |
| 1994–1995 | Benfica | 23 | (0) |
| 1995–1997 | Boavista | 43 | (1) |
| 1997–1999 | Rio Ave | 24 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | Fafe | 48 | (4) |
| 2000 | → Moreirense (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2001–2005 | Lousada | 75 | (17) |
| 2004 | → Vizela (loan) | 12 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | Maria Fonte | ||
| 2006–2007 | Tirsense | ||
| Total | 405 | (33) | |
| International career | |||
| 1987 | Portugal U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 1990–1995 | Portugal | 11 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Football career
editBorn in Porto, Nelo grew in local Boavista FC's youth system, then went on to mainly represent its first team as a professional. After an unassuming season at Primeira Liga side S.L. Benfica, he returned to his first club in the 1995 summer, then represented another three teams in quick succession.
Nelo retired in 2007 in amateur football, at the age of almost 40. He earned 11 caps for Portugal, but did not attend any major international tournament – the nation did not qualify for either UEFA Euro 1992 and the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
External links
edit- Nelo at ForaDeJogo (archived)
- Nelo national team profile at the Portuguese Football Federation (in Portuguese)
- Nelo at National-Football-Teams.com
