Abel Ferreira
Encyclopedia
Abel Fernando Moreira Ferreira, simply Abel (born 22 December 1978 in Penafiel
), is a retired Portuguese
footballer who played as a right defender.
In January 2006, Abel transferred to Sporting Clube de Portugal, in a two-way loan deal involving Wender
, a Brazil
ian winger, who already had represented the northern side. The move was made permanent before the 2006–07 season.
On 27 November 2007, Abel scored a spectacular goal against Manchester United
, in a UEFA Champions League
group stage 1–2 away loss. During that season, he was also called-up for the national team
, but did not make his debut.
From 2008–09 onwards, Abel began having stiff competition from Brazilian Pedro Silva
, a situation which was aggravated with the January 2010 purchase of Braga's João Pereira.
Veteran Abel was still relatively used by Sporting in the following seasons, as Pereira featured regularly as a midfielder
. On 24 October 2010, he scored his first league goal for the Lisbon
outfit, netting in the 90th minute
to defeat Rio Ave F.C. at home (1–0). He retired at the end of 2010–11 at the age of 32, amassing top division totals of 234 games and three goals.
Penafiel, Portugal
The city of Penafiel had, as of 2001, a population of 9,343. It is located in Penafiel Municipality, that has 71,801 inhabitants....
), is a retired Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
footballer who played as a right defender.
Football career
After emerging through hometown side F.C. Penafiel's youth ranks, Abel developed while at Vitória de Guimarães, making his top level debuts, then switched to another Minho side in 2004–05, Sporting de Braga.In January 2006, Abel transferred to Sporting Clube de Portugal, in a two-way loan deal involving Wender
Wenderson Arruda Said
Wenderson de Arruda Said, aka Wender , is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for Ethnikos Achna.-Football career:...
, a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian winger, who already had represented the northern side. The move was made permanent before the 2006–07 season.
On 27 November 2007, Abel scored a spectacular goal against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, in a UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
group stage 1–2 away loss. During that season, he was also called-up for the national team
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
, but did not make his debut.
From 2008–09 onwards, Abel began having stiff competition from Brazilian Pedro Silva
Pedro Alves da Silva
Pedro Alves da Silva is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Portimonense S.C. on loan from Sporting Clube de Portugal, as a right defender.-Football career:...
, a situation which was aggravated with the January 2010 purchase of Braga's João Pereira.
Veteran Abel was still relatively used by Sporting in the following seasons, as Pereira featured regularly as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. On 24 October 2010, he scored his first league goal for the Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
outfit, netting in the 90th minute
Last-minute goal
The term "last-minute goal" is used in sport, primarily association football, to describe a goal scored very late in a game. It may not necessarily refer to a goal scored in the actual final minute...
to defeat Rio Ave F.C. at home (1–0). He retired at the end of 2010–11 at the age of 32, amassing top division totals of 234 games and three goals.