Luís Vidigal
Personal information
Full name José Luís da Cruz Vidigal[1]
Date of birth (1973-03-15) 15 March 1973[1]
Place of birth Sá da Bandeira, Angola
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1984–1992 O Elvas
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1994 O Elvas 60 (3)
1994–1995 Estoril 27 (0)
1995–2000 Sporting CP 110 (5)
2000–2004 Napoli 86 (8)
2004–2005 Livorno 30 (3)
2005–2006 Udinese 23 (1)
2006–2008 Livorno 35 (1)
2008–2009 Estrela Amadora 15 (3)
Total 369 (23)
International career
1995–1996 Portugal U21 7 (1)
1996 Portugal U23 7 (0)
2000–2002 Portugal 15 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Portugal
UEFA European Championship
Bronze medal – third place2000 Belgium-Netherlands
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

José Luís da Cruz Vidigal (born 15 March 1973) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

During his extensive professional career, the no-nonsense midfield battler spent more years abroad (Italy, eight) than in his country of adoption (seven), where he represented mainly Sporting CP.[2][3]

A Portugal international for two years, Vidigal appeared with the national team at Euro 2000, helping them to third place.

Club career

Early career and Sporting CP

Born in Sá da Bandeira, Portuguese Angola,[4] Vidigal moved to Portugal at an early age, and started his footballing career with amateurs O Elvas CAD, joining Segunda Liga club G.D. Estoril-Praia in summer 1994.[5]

The following year, Vidigal signed with another team from the Lisbon area, Sporting CP of the Primeira Liga. After tentative beginnings, he became an essential defensive unit, contributing a career-best (in Portugal) 32 games in the 1999–2000 season as the Lions won their first title in 18 years, his only career trophy.[6][7]

Italian spell

At 27, Vidigal moved to Italy, where he would remain the following eight years. He started out at SSC Napoli after signing along Sporting teammates Facundo Quiroga and Abdelilah Saber,[8] but only played four Serie A matches in his first year and the team was also relegated. His best individual year – 33 appearances, five goals in the 2002–03 campaign – was incidentally spent in the Serie B, but they narrowly avoided another relegation after ending 16th.[9][10]

Napoli finished higher in 2003–04, but were finally relegated off the pitch. Upon this, Vidigal moved to fellow top-flight side AS Livorno Calcio, starting throughout most of the season and helping to a comfortable ninth position.[11]

Vidigal was irregularly used in his final three years, often from the bench, representing Udinese Calcio (one year) and returning to Livorno where he played until 2008.[12]

Return to Portugal

Vidigal returned to his country aged 35, joining modest C.F. Estrela da Amadora where his older brother Lito was coach.[13] In his first game, on 28 September 2008, he scored twice to help beat C.D. Nacional 2–1;[14] however, he missed most of the season due to injury as the capital-based club was also immerse in a severe financial crisis – eventually being relegated from the top flight to the third tier;[15] he retired shortly after.

International career

Vidigal earned 15 caps for Portugal,[16] his first being on 23 February 2000 in a 1–1 friendly draw with Belgium at Charleroi. Selected for UEFA Euro 2000,[7] he had to battle for position with Paulo Bento and Costinha (Paulo Sousa was also called, but was injured), but managed to take part in four games for the national team, including the semi-final loss against France.[17][18]

Vidigal's last appearance was on 12 October 2002 in the 1–1 draw with Tunisia played in Lisbon, in another friendly. He also represented the nation at the 1996 Summer Olympics, playing all the matches en route to fourth place.[19]

Personal life

Vidigal was the second of 13 children, four of his brothers also being footballers: Beto, Lito (whom represented Angola internationally), Toni and Jorge.[20][21][22][23] His nephew, André, was also involved in the sport professionally.[24][25]

Honours

Sporting CP

References

  1. 1 2 3 José Luís Vidigal at WorldFootball.net
  2. ↑ "Keegan focusing on England's strengths". BBC Sport. 11 June 2000. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  3. ↑ Aleixo, Mário (18 October 2017). "Luís Vidigal: "Sporting joga uma final em Turim"" [Luís Vidigal: "Sporting play a final in Turin"] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  4. ↑ Ramires, Laura (9 April 2019). "Irmãos separados pelo futebol. Um hino com séculos" [Brothers separated by football. A century-old anthem]. Sol (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "Vidigal: «Íamos vender pardais à tasca e dava um dinheirinho bom»" [Vidigal: "We would go sell sparrows to the joint and it made for some good money"] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  6. 1 2 Cunha, Pedro Jorge (14 May 2020). "Sporting, 20 anos de um título: onde andam os campeões de 2000?" [Sporting, 20th anniversary of a title: where are the 2000 champions?] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  7. 1 2 Candeias, Pedro (19 March 2014). ""O Edmundo berrava com toda gente. Comigo, não. Eu era 'O Português'"" ["Edmundo would yell at everybody. Not me. I was 'The Portuguese'"]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Azzi, Marco (10 July 2000). "Napoli, preso Vidigal" [Napoli, Vidigal acquired]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  9. ↑ "Quiosque: Sporting quer Vidigal (O Jogo)" [Newsstand: Sporting want Vidigal (O Jogo)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 20 June 2001. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Maglia away Napoli ML Vidigal 4 2002/2003" [Away shirt Napoli ML Vidigal 4 2002/2003] (in Italian). Le Sette Sorelle. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  11. ↑ D'Amato, Claudio (15 March 2023). "Vidigal, dal Portogallo con furore: sosta a Napoli, Udine e Livorno" [Vidigal, from Portugal with fury: spells at Napoli, Udine and Livorno] (in Italian). Goal. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "Vidigal volta ao Livorno" [Vidigal returns to Livorno]. Record (in Portuguese). 21 July 2006. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  13. ↑ Tavares-Teles, Alexandra (3 October 2008). ""O meu irmão nunca me beneficiará"" ["My brother will never favour me"]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  14. ↑ "Nacional perde e não aproveita para fugir na liderança" [Nacional lose and waste chance to be further first]. Público (in Portuguese). 29 September 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  15. ↑ Cabral, Afonso; Cunha, Pedro Jorge (27 August 2020). "Os antecessores do V. Setúbal em descidas na secretaria" [Who came before V. Setúbal in administrative relegations] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "Lista completa dos internacionais portugueses" [Complete list of Portuguese internationals] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 18 February 2004. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "Portugal-Turquia, 2–0: Um domínio asfixiante e uma goleada falhada" [Portugal-Turkey, 2–0: Overwhelming domination and missed rout]. Record (in Portuguese). 25 June 2000. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "Vidigal relembra "fatídico golo" de 2000 e espera duelo tático com Gales" [Vidigal recalls "fateful goal" of 2000 and expects tactical clash with Wales]. Record (in Portuguese). 4 July 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "Portugal-Brasil: o pesadelo das Olimpíadas de 96 segundo Ronaldo e Bebeto" [Portugal-Brazil: the nightmare of the 96 Olympics according to Ronaldo and Bebeto] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 27 March 2003. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  20. ↑ Ferreira, Victor (13 October 2008). "Irmãos Vidigal ignoram os genes para manterem o Estrela da Amadora no topo" [Brothers Vidigal ignore genes to leave Estrela on top]. Público (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  21. ↑ "One family, two nations: Brothers who have played for different international teams". Daily Mirror. 22 June 2010. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  22. ↑ "Luís Vidigal: "O Sporting é paixão, é acreditar"" [Luís Vidigal: "Sporting is about passion, believing"] (in Portuguese). Sporting CP. 26 December 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  23. ↑ "Jose Luis Vidigal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  24. ↑ "Sobrinho de Luís e Lito Vidigal comprado pelo Fortuna Sittard" [Nephew of Luís and Lito Vidigal bought by Fortuna Sittard] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  25. ↑ "André Vidigal" (in Dutch). Jupiler League. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
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