From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nélson |
|
Personal information |
| Full name |
Nélson Augusto Tomar Marcos |
| Date of birth |
June 10, 1983 (1983-06-10) (age 26) |
| Place of birth |
Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde |
| Height |
1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Playing position |
Right back |
| Club information |
| Current club |
Betis |
| Number |
22 |
| Senior
career1 |
| Years |
Club |
App (Gls)* |
2002–2003
2003–2004
2004–2005
2005–2008
2008– |
Vilanovense
Salgueiros
Boavista
Benfica
Betis |
32 (0)
27 (2)
23 (1)
72 (0)
35 (0) |
|
National team2 |
2006
2009– |
Portugal
U21
Portugal |
03
(0)
01
(0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 31 May 2009.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 31 May 2009.
* Appearances (Goals)
|
Nélson Augusto Tomar Marcos (born 10 June 1983
in Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde), simply Nélson,
is a Portuguese footballer of Cape Verdean descent who
currently plays for Real
Betis, as a right defender.
Club
career
Nélson started his professional career with Vilanovense
FC. He began making a name in the Portuguese first division with Boavista FC, having
joined from soon-to-be-extinct side of S.C. Salgueiros, also in Porto.
In May 2005, he was involved in a car crash along with fellow
Portuguese footballer and former Boavista player José Bosingwa.
Bosingwa, behind the wheel of his jeep at the time of the accident, was travelling
too quickly and due to wet conditions he crashed the car into an embankment which was
followed by the car bursting into flames. One passenger required
his foot to be amputated; the other three were unharmed.
Nélson joined S.L.
Benfica from Boavista for €1.5
million in 2005, on a five-year contract.[1] He made
the right-back spot his own upon his arrival, making twenty-five
appearances during his first season. In the 2006–07 season he was equally
impressive.
In the 2006–07 UEFA Champions
League, after having faced Manchester United in the same
competition and stage the season before
(Benfica won its home game, and the English finished bottom, eliminated from
European competition as the encarnados reached the last
eight), Nélson scored a fantastic goal with a long-range shot into
Edwin van
der Sar's top-right hand corner at Old Trafford; eventually the game was lost
3-1 and the Portuguese had to settle for the third UEFA
Cup spot.[2]
Nélson joined Real
Betis for €6 million in late August 2008, on a five-year
contract,[3] where
he quickly became an automatic first-choice, as the Andalusia outfit was eventually
relegated.
International career
Nélson was granted Portuguese citizenship in December 2005, and
played in the 2006 UEFA
European Under-21 Football Championship.[4]
Nélson received his first call-up to Portugal in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
against Kazakhstan, on
November 15, 2006. He did not leave the bench.
On March 31, 2009, he finally made his full debut, appearing in
a 2–0 friendly win against South Africa, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
References
- ^
"Miguel makes switch to
Mestalla". UEFA.com. 19 August 2005. http://www.uefa.com/competitions/intertotocup/news/kind=1/newsid=327738.html.
- ^
United heading into last
16; UEFA.com, 6 December 2006
- ^
"Nélson a Betis player". Betis official website.
26 August 2008. http://www.realbetisbalompie.es/.
(Spanish)
- ^
Nélson pride at Portugal
call; UEFA.com, 23 February 2006
External
links