Paulo Sousa
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| Paulo Sousa | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paulo Manuel Carvalho Sousa | |
| Date of birth | 30 August 1970 | |
| Place of birth | Viseu, Portugal | |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 91⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Swansea City (manager) | |
| Youth career | ||
| Benfica | ||
| Senior career1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1989–1993 1993–1994 1994–1996 1996–1997 1998–1999 2000 2000–2001 2002 |
Benfica Sporting CP Juventus Borussia Dortmund Internazionale Parma Panathinaikos Espanyol |
87 (1) 31 (2) 54 (1) 27 (1) 31 (0) 8 (0) 10 (0) 9 (0) |
| National team | ||
| 1991–2002 | Portugal | 51 (0) |
| Teams managed | ||
| 2008–2009 2009– |
Queens Park Rangers Swansea City |
|
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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- For another Portuguese footballer, see José Paulo Sousa da Silva.
Paulo Manuel Carvalho Sousa, CavIH (born 30 August 1970 in Viseu; Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpaulu ˈso(u)zɐ]) is a former Portuguese football defensive midfielder and football manager, currently managing Swansea City.
Sousa is widely acknowledged as one of the most celebrated and highly-regarded Portuguese footballers in the modern game. A member of the “Portuguese Golden Generation”, he was a classic defensive midfielder, hunting down every ball and possessing the ability to provide precision passes to his teammates anywhere on the field.[1]
Injuries prematurely ended his illustrious career, but not before he claimed a hatful of titles.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Club career
Sousa started playing professionally for Benfica, being a starter from an early age, winning the national league in 1991 and the domestic cup two seasons later, playing alongside the likes of Rui Costa, João Vieira Pinto and Paulo Futre. He played an influential role in the Benfica's midfield, recovering the ball, setting the pace and launching precise long-range passes. During the 1992–93 season, in an away match against Boavista, and after Benfica's goalkeeper was sent off and all substitutions had been used, Sousa assumed the goalkeeper's place. Although he conceded a goal in the penalty kick that was the result of this red card, he went on to make a couple of heroic saves in the game which Benfica eventually won 3–2.
Later that summer, Sousa signed, together with teammate António Pacheco (left winger), for Lisbon neighbours Sporting. After a single season partnering the midfield with Luís Figo and Bulgarian Krassimir Balakov, he moved to Juventus.
He played for the Turin side for two seasons, leading it to the 1996 UEFA Champions League title. He also won the 1995 Italian League and Cup, the Italian Super Cup, and finishing runner-up in the 1995 UEFA Cup.
Sousa then moved to Germany to play for BV Borussia Dortmund, where he repeated the Champions League triumph the following season. The final was incidentally against his former side, Juventus.
Although he appeared in that game, Sousa's Dortmund spell was plagued with injuries, which followed him the remainder of his career. Sousa retired just short of his 32nd birthday, after a series of short, unassuming stints with Inter Milan, Parma, Panathinaikos and Espanol.
[edit] International career
A member of the Portugal squad that won the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, Sousa went on to earn 51 caps for the senior national team, his international debut coming on 16 January 1991, in a friendly match with Spain (1–1).
He played for his country at Euro 96 and Euro 2000, and was a squad member at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but did not play a game. His last appearance came before the latter competition, a friendly 2–0 win over China.
[edit] Coaching and managerial career
[edit] Portuguese national team
Sousa began his coaching career by joining the coaching staff of the Portuguese national team, taking the helm of the under-15s, and in the summer of 2008 was appointed assistant to first-team coach Carlos Queiroz.
[edit] Queens Park Rangers
On 19 November 2008, he was appointed head coach of Championship team Queens Park Rangers.[3] However, on 9 April 2009, Sousa was sacked, as the club claimed he had divulged sensitive information without permission from the club hierarchy, namely Dexter Blackstock's loan move to Nottingham Forest having been agreed without his knowledge.[4]
[edit] Swansea City
Following Roberto Martínez's move to Premier League team Wigan Athletic, Sousa was offered the role as Swansea City manager on 18 June 2009 and had verbally accepted the deal.[5] He was appointed as manager on 23 June on a 3 year contract.[6]
[edit] Statistics
[edit] Manager
- As of 23 June 2009.
| Team | Nation | From | To | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queens Park Rangers |  England |
19 November 2008 | 9 April 2009 | 26 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 26.9 |
| Swansea City |  Wales |
23 June 2009 | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Total | 26 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 26.9 | |||
[edit] References
- ^ "QPR happy to gamble on Sousa". ESPN Soccernet. 20 November 2008. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=594430&sec=england&cc=5739&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos1.
- ^ "2002 World Cup profile". BBC Sport. 15 May 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/hi/team_pages/portugal/squad/newsid_1943000/1943934.stm. Retrieved on 18 February 2009.
- ^ "Sousa is new QPR first team coach". BBC Sport. 19 November 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/7736118.stm. Retrieved on 18 February 2009.
- ^ "QPR axe Sousa after just 26 games". BBC Sport. 4 April 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/7993079.stm.
- ^ "Sousa to be named Swans manager". South Wales Evening Post. 18 June 2009. http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Sousa-named-Swans-manager/article-1089373-detail/article.html. Retrieved on 18 June 2009.
- ^ "Swansea unveil new manager Sousa". BBC Sport. 23 June 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/swansea_city/8112525.stm. Retrieved on 23 June 2009.
[edit] External links
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