Fernando Nélson
Encyclopedia
Fernando Nélson Jesus Vieira Alves (born 5 November 1971 in Porto
), known as Nélson, is a retired Portuguese
footballer who played as a right defender.
Best known for his spell at Sporting, he also played for Porto in his country, having a two-year stint at Aston Villa
in England
as well.
's win the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, played in the country.
At the Lisbon
-based outfit, Nélson won the 1995 Portuguese Cup
; after producing three final solid seasons, where he amassed nearly 100 league matches and scored one goal apiece, he joined Premier League club Aston Villa
in the 1996 summer, under manager Brian Little
.
After two solid seasons with the Midlands
club, Nélson did not appear at all in the first half of the third, and returned home in 1999 January transfer window as he signed with F.C. Porto - his first youth club - where he won his first league championship, in his debut season.
During the following three years, Nélson would be used irregularly at Porto (playing as much as 20 matches and as little as none), and moved in 2002 to Vitória de Setúbal
. After another year with amateurs S.C. Rio Tinto, he retired from football, becoming president of the latter team.
brother, Albertino, was also a footballer and a defender. He too started his career - which spanned more than two decades, with teams in all levels of Portuguese football - with Porto (youth) and Salgueiros, and amassed top division totals of 204 games and one goal, mainly with C.S. Marítimo (seven seasons, 169/1).
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
), known as Nélson, 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.
Best known for his spell at Sporting, he also played for Porto in his country, having a two-year stint at Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as well.
Football career
After starting professionally at local S.C. Salgueiros, Nélson moved to first division giants Sporting Clube de Portugal, immediately after having helped the national U-20Portugal national under-20 football team
The Portugal national under-20 football team is the national under-20 football team of Portugal and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal....
's win the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, played in the country.
At 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...
-based outfit, Nélson won the 1995 Portuguese Cup
Taça de Portugal
The Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
; after producing three final solid seasons, where he amassed nearly 100 league matches and scored one goal apiece, he joined Premier League club Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in the 1996 summer, under manager Brian Little
Brian Little (footballer)
Brian Little is an English former football player and manager who is currently without a job after being relieved of his duties as manager of Gainsborough Trinity on 22 August 2011. Little has previously managed Darlington, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City,...
.
After two solid seasons with the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
club, Nélson did not appear at all in the first half of the third, and returned home in 1999 January transfer window as he signed with F.C. Porto - his first youth club - where he won his first league championship, in his debut season.
During the following three years, Nélson would be used irregularly at Porto (playing as much as 20 matches and as little as none), and moved in 2002 to Vitória de Setúbal
Vitória F.C.
Vitória Futebol Clube is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Setúbal. Popularly known as Vitória de Setúbal with the motto "A Vitória será nossa" .- Domestic :*Portuguese Liga: Runners-up 1971–72...
. After another year with amateurs S.C. Rio Tinto, he retired from football, becoming president of the latter team.
Personal
Nélson's twinTwin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
brother, Albertino, was also a footballer and a defender. He too started his career - which spanned more than two decades, with teams in all levels of Portuguese football - with Porto (youth) and Salgueiros, and amassed top division totals of 204 games and one goal, mainly with C.S. Marítimo (seven seasons, 169/1).