Born in Pemba (then called Porto Amélia), Portuguese Mozambique, Cadete began his footballing career with Associação Académica de Santarém at age 15, scoring an impressive 43 goals in just 18 games.[2] His exploits alerted Primeira Liga giants Sporting CP and Benfica, with the former winning the race to sign the promising youngster.[3]
Cadete broke into the senior team in 1987–88, starting in four of his six appearances and subsequently being sent on loan to fellow top-division club Vitória de Setúbal for the following season, helping his side to fifth place. He thus returned to Lisbon, where he remained the next five years, and in the 1992–93 campaign he was the national championship's top scorer with 18 goals.[2]
By early 1996, especially after the sacking of manager Bobby Robson and the arrival of Carlos Queiroz, Cadete was completely out of favour at Sporting and made no more appearances for them. He amassed competitive totals for the club of 203 games and 81 goals.[2]
Celtic
On 24 February 1996, Cadete was introduced at Celtic Park, Glasgow to supporters before Celtic's league match against Partick Thistle.[7] However, due to lengthy negotiations between Celtic and Sporting and issues with registering the player, his transfer was not finalised until April, and turned out to be controversial: despite being signed prior to the transfer deadline, the Scottish Football Association delayed processing his registration in time for the Scottish Cup semi-finals against Rangers at Hampden Park, and following a complaint from Celtic chairman Fergus McCann, SFA chief Jim Farry was eventually relieved of his duties after being found guilty of deliberately holding back the player's registration.[8][9] His eventual debut came at home against Aberdeen as he came off the bench to score his team's fifth goal in a 5–0 win, thus becoming an instant hit;[10] the loud roar generated by the fans celebrating his goal blew out BBC Radio 5's microphones, who had been covering the game UK wide on radio, and they went off air for a short time until it was repaired.[11]
Cadete's only full season in Scotland was arguably the greatest of his career, with the player finishing the year as the country's top scorer with 38 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions, without the aid of penalty kicks.[12] Despite this, his team lost the league championship to arch-rivals Rangers, and he played his last match against Dundee United, bowing to the fans before kissing the turf.[13]
Along with Pierre van Hooijdonk and Paolo Di Canio, Cadete became embroiled in contractual disputes with the club, and was labelled as one of the "Three Amigos" by McCann. He remained a Celtic player over the summer, but fled back to Portugal citing mental health issues and a failure to adjust to life in Scotland without his family; his requests for a transfer were eventually granted.[14]
To Spain and beyond
After failing to show for pre-season training, Cadete was transferred to Celta of La Liga for a fee of around £3,500,000.[3] He spent one season with the Galicians, and scored on his debut on 27 September 1997 in a 3–3 draw away to Atlético Madrid.[15] He moved to Benfica alongside former Celtic teammate van Hooijdonk in January 1999, and a year later he returned to the United Kingdom, joining newly promoted Premier League side Bradford City on loan until the end of the campaign; he made his debut as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Aston Villa at Valley Parade, and was described as having an "instant impact" in that game.[16]
For 2000–01, Cadete was loaned to the Lisbon-based Estrela da Amadora.[17] As newly promoted Scots St Mirren looked for a striker to bolster their chances of top-flight survival, he almost made a return to the country, but the proposed January switch fell through and he remained in Estrela, subsequently seeing out his Benfica contract after claiming unpaid wages.[18]
Retirement, return to football and Scotland
Following his release from Benfica, Cadete found himself unemployed. After failing to find a new team he announced his retirement, going on to make an appearance on the celebrity version of the Big Brother reality TV show.[19]
At the start of 2003–04 season, aged 35, Cadete decided to return to football. He returned to Scotland to make a guest appearance on Tam Cowan's Scottish football show Offside, where he spoke of his love for Celtic and how he regretted leaving; he also invited manager Martin O'Neill to give him a trial at his former club.
Cadete's return to the public eye in Scotland prompted rookie co-managers Gerry Britton and Derek Whyte to take a gamble on the striker. He signed a short-term contract for top-tier relegation battlers Partick Thistle in late January 2004, ending his 18-month exile from the game;[20] the move was controversial however, as he had already agreed to join Raith Rovers, even being photographed in the team shirt by the media.[21][22]
Cadete made his debut for the Jags on 22 February against Celtic, and received a mixed reception, with jeers from some opposing fans as he came off the bench due to the manner of his departure six years earlier.[23] Shortly after, he returned to old ways when he reported back for training 24 hours late, and was subsequently disciplined by the club;[24] he did not manage to score for Thistle in four months, and was not offered an extension.[25]
The following two years, Cadete played amateur football in the Beja region, with FC São Marcos in São Marcos da Ataboeira, Castro Verde, being rejoined by some former professionals in the country, including Benfica and Farense's Hassan Nader. After retiring, he faced severe economic problems.[27][13]
Cadete won 33 caps for the Portugal national team scoring five goals, 22 while at Sporting, nine while at Celtic and two as a Celta player.[29] His first game came on 29 August 1990, in a 1–1 friendly draw with Germany.
