| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nélson Alexandre Gomes Pereira | ||
| Date of birth | 20 October 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Torres Vedras, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1986–1994 | Torreense | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1997 | Torreense | 61 | (0) |
| 1997–2006 | Sporting CP | 66 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Vitória Setúbal | 8 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Estrela Amadora | 53 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Belenenses | 13 | (0) |
| Total | 201 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 2002 | Portugal | 3 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Nélson Alexandre Gomes Pereira, known simply as Nélson[1] (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈnɛɫsɔ̃], born 20 October 1975), is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Club career
Nélson was born in Torres Vedras, Lisbon. He started his football career with hometown club S.C.U. Torreense, and was primarily used as a backup at Sporting CP, first to Peter Schmeichel then to Ricardo, for nearly a decade. His best output for the Lions came in the 2002–03 season after both had left the Estádio José Alvalade, playing 19 Primeira Liga matches in an eventual third-place finish, 27 points behind champions FC Porto.
After 2005–06, Nélson moved to Vitória FC, but due to unpaid wages – a recurring problem in the club for the past seasons prior to his arrival – he left the sadinos, being out of work for almost six months before joining another Lisbon side, C.F. Estrela da Amadora, in July 2007.
Estrela would be relegated at the end of the 2008–09 campaign after continuing financial problems, even though it finished in mid-table, and Nélson subsequently moved to neighbours C.F. Os Belenenses. He suffered an injury in training in December 2009,[2] and never played again as the Estádio do Restelo side finished second from bottom and dropped down a division; aged nearly 35, he chose to retire, but returned to his main club Sporting the following year as goalkeeping coach.[3]
International career
Nélson was capped three times for Portugal, all in 2002, making his debut on 27 March in a 1–4 friendly loss to Finland in Porto; he came on as a half-time substitute and conceded the last goal.[4] After Quim was sent home for failing a drugs test, he was picked as third-choice for that year's FIFA World Cup.[5]
Honours
Sporting
- Primeira Liga: 1999–2000, 2001–02
- Taça de Portugal: 2001–02
References
- ^ "Biografia" [Biography] (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
- ^ "Belenenses vai criar dificuldades, garante Nélson" [Belenenses will pose problems, Nélson assures] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ "Nelson treinador de guarda-redes – renova até 2018" [Goalkeeper coach Nelson – renews until 2018] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ "Portugal frente à Finlândia: Com a leveza da camisola nova" [Portugal against Finland: As light as the new shirt]. Record (in Portuguese). 28 March 2002. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ "Nelson". BBC Sport. 15 May 2002. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
External links
- Nélson Pereira at ForaDeJogo
- Nélson Pereira at National-Football-Teams.com
