Paulo Sousa
Portuguese football manager and former player (born 1970)
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Key Takeaways
- Paulo Manuel Carvalho de Sousa ( Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpawlu ˈsozɐ] ; born 30 August 1970) is a Portuguese football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder.
- Starting his career at Benfica, he also represented Sporting CP in his country, where he amassed Primeira Liga totals of 117 matches and three goals in five years.
- Injuries severely hampered his later career.
- He took up coaching in the late 2000s, managing clubs in several countries and winning national championships with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Basel and Shabab Al Ahli.
- Club career Born in Viseu, Sousa began playing professionally for Benfica and was a starter from an early age.
Paulo Manuel Carvalho de Sousa (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpawlu ˈsozɐ]; born 30 August 1970) is a Portuguese football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the current manager of UAE Pro League club Shabab Al Ahli.
Starting his career at Benfica, he also represented Sporting CP in his country, where he amassed Primeira Liga totals of 117 matches and three goals in five years. From there onwards, he competed mainly in Italy and Germany, winning the Champions League with Juventus and Borussia Dortmund and the Intercontinental Cup with the latter side. Injuries severely hampered his later career.
Sousa was a member of Portugal's "Golden Generation", and appeared with the national team at the 2002 World Cup and two European Championships. He took up coaching in the late 2000s, managing clubs in several countries and winning national championships with Maccabi Tel Aviv, Basel and Shabab Al Ahli. He was also in charge of Poland at Euro 2020.
Club career
Born in Viseu, Sousa began playing professionally for Benfica and was a starter from an early age. He won the Primeira Liga championship in 1990–91, and the Taça de Portugal two years later. On 10 April 1993, in a league match at Boavista, he was forced to play in goal after Neno was sent off and his team had no more substitutions left, in an eventual 3–2 win.
In the summer of 1993, Sousa signed for Lisbon neighbours Sporting CP together with his teammate António Pacheco. In his only season, he partnered Luís Figo and Krasimir Balakov in midfield and the Lions did not win any silverware.
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