Adriano Barbosa Miranda da Luz
Encyclopedia
Adriano Barbosa Miranda da Luz (born 24 August 1979 in Lisbon
, Portugal
), aka Nené, is a Cape Verde
an footballer who plays for F.C. Arouca
as a central midfielder.
. After starting out with three modest clubs, he signed in early 2002 with top level side Sporting de Braga, from Gondomar SC
, 31 of his 38 league games with the Minho outfit coming in the 2002–03 season, with his team finishing in 14th position.
After definitively leaving Braga (which also loaned him twice during his spell), Nené signed with União de Leiria, which in turn loaned him to Desportivo das Aves, with the latter team promoting to the first division at the end of the 2005–06 campaign; the move was subsequently made permanent, and the player was relatively used in the following season - 1,138 minutes, one goal in a 1–2 away loss against Boavista FC, a team he had represented as a youth - which ended in immediate relegation back.
In the following years, Nené rarely settled in one team or country, playing in Kuwait
, Cyprus
, Spain
and Romania
. In 2010–11
, aged 31, he returned to his birth nation and joined F.C. Arouca
, promoted for the first time ever to the second division
.
squad which progressed to the second stage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup
qualifiers
, appearing in six out of 12 possible matches. The national team finished second last in its group, failing to qualify for both the competition in Germany
and the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.
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...
, Portugal
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...
), aka Nené, is a Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
an footballer who plays for F.C. Arouca
F.C. Arouca
Futebol Clube de Arouca is a Portuguese football club based in Arouca, Aveiro District. Founded on 25 December 1951, it currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estádio Municipal de Arouca, with a 2,500-seat capacity.-History:...
as a central midfielder.
Club career
Nené spent most of his professional career in PortugalPortugal
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...
. After starting out with three modest clubs, he signed in early 2002 with top level side Sporting de Braga, from Gondomar SC
Gondomar S.C.
Gondomar Sport Clube is a Portuguese football club based in Gondomar, Porto District. Founded on 1 May 1921, it currently plays in the Portuguese third division, holding home games at Estádio de São Miguel, with a capacity of 5,000 spectators.-History:...
, 31 of his 38 league games with the Minho outfit coming in the 2002–03 season, with his team finishing in 14th position.
After definitively leaving Braga (which also loaned him twice during his spell), Nené signed with União de Leiria, which in turn loaned him to Desportivo das Aves, with the latter team promoting to the first division at the end of the 2005–06 campaign; the move was subsequently made permanent, and the player was relatively used in the following season - 1,138 minutes, one goal in a 1–2 away loss against Boavista FC, a team he had represented as a youth - which ended in immediate relegation back.
In the following years, Nené rarely settled in one team or country, playing in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. In 2010–11
2010–11 Liga de Honra
Teams relegated from 2010–11 Liga de Honra* 15th Place: Belenenses* 16th Place: LeixõesTeams promoted to 2010–11 Portuguese Liga* Champions: Beira-Mar* Runners-up: PortimonenseTeams promoted from 2009–10 Portuguese Second Division...
, aged 31, he returned to his birth nation and joined F.C. Arouca
F.C. Arouca
Futebol Clube de Arouca is a Portuguese football club based in Arouca, Aveiro District. Founded on 25 December 1951, it currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estádio Municipal de Arouca, with a 2,500-seat capacity.-History:...
, promoted for the first time ever to the second division
Liga de Honra
The Liga de Honra , known for sponsorship reasons as the Liga Orangina, is the Portuguese second level football league. It was formerly called Segunda Divisão and Segunda Divisão de Honra . When the LPFP took control of the two nationwide levels, it was renamed Segunda Liga, before renaming it...
.
International career
Nené was part of the Cape VerdeCape Verde national football team
The Cape Verde national football team, nicknamed either the Tubarões Azuis or Crioulos , is the national team of Cape Verde and is controlled by the Federação Caboverdiana de Futebol.-Overview:...
squad which progressed to the second stage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
qualifiers
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for Africa. 51 teams took part , competing for 5 World Cup places.The qualification was composed of two Rounds...
, appearing in six out of 12 possible matches. The national team finished second last in its group, failing to qualify for both the competition in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.