José Semedo (footballer, born 1985)

For other people named José Semedo, see José Semedo (disambiguation).
In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Moreira and the second or paternal family name is Semedo.

José Semedo
Semedo with Sheffield Wednesday in 2015
Personal information
Full name José Vítor Moreira Semedo[1]
Date of birth (1985-01-11) 11 January 1985 (age 39)[1]
Place of birth Setúbal, Portugal[1]
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1994–1995 Pelezinhos
1995–1998 Sporting CP
1998–1999 Pontes
1999–2004 Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003 Sporting CP B 3 (0)
2004–2007 Sporting CP 0 (0)
2004–2005 → Casa Pia (loan) 33 (2)
2005–2006 → Feirense (loan) 16 (0)
2006–2007 → Cagliari (loan) 3 (0)
2007–2011 Charlton Athletic 135 (2)
2011–2017 Sheffield Wednesday 144 (1)
2017–2023 Vitória Setúbal 132 (7)
Total 466 (12)
International career
2001–2002 Portugal U17 11 (0)
2002–2003 Portugal U18 6 (0)
2003–2004 Portugal U19 7 (0)
2004–2005 Portugal U20 3 (0)
2005–2007 Portugal U21 13 (1)
2006 Portugal B 2 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

José Vítor Moreira Semedo (born 11 January 1985) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

He spent most of his career in England, playing for a whole decade with Charlton Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday of the Football League.

Club career

Sporting CP

A product of Sporting CP's youth system, Semedo was born in Setúbal and made his professional debut with modest Casa Pia AC, in the Lisbon area.[2] In the 2005–06 season he served another loan stint, now with C.D. Feirense of the Segunda Liga.[3]

Semedo was loaned again for the 2006–07 campaign, moving to Serie A's Cagliari Calcio.[4] He made his competitive debut in the Coppa Italia, but would only appear three times in the league, the first as a late substitute in a 3–1 away loss against AC Milan on 21 April 2007.[5] He was sent off in his last match, a 2–1 defeat at Ascoli Calcio 1898, with the Sardinians barely avoiding relegation.[6]

England

In 2007, Semedo signed a four-year contract with Charlton Athletic on a free transfer.[7] Although touted as a central defender when he signed, he played mainly as a defensive midfielder for the Football League Championship side, and scored his first goal in a 4–0 win over Tranmere Rovers on 29 August 2009, with the team now in League One.[8]

Semedo was crowned Charlton's Player of the Year in May 2011, picking up 43% of the votes in what was the club's worst season for a number of decades.[9] However, manager Chris Powell could not offer him assurances that he would be a key member in the following season, as he aimed to create a more fluid midfield, and so, on 7 July, the player joined Sheffield Wednesday also of the English third tier, again as a free agent.[10]

In his first season with the Owls, which ended in promotion to the Championship after finishing second behind Charlton, Semedo was voted Player of the Year and League One PFA Fans' Player of the Year.[11] From 2013 to 2016, he was given one-year extensions to his contract.[12][13][14][15]

Starting in 2015, Semedo played less often for the Hillsborough club, due to the acquisitions of Ross Wallace, Barry Bannan and Álex López. The first of those players reflected in April that "Semedo trains like an animal every day and doesn’t slacken off, even though he is not playing or in the squad".[16]

In 2023, a mural by local artist Pete McKee inspired by Semedo's celebration of Chris O’Grady's winning goal in the 2012 victory over city rivals Sheffield United was unveiled close to Wednesday's ground.[17]

Vitória Setúbal

On 25 May 2017, aged 32, Semedo was released.[18] On 24 August he returned to his country after 11 years, on a two-year deal with Vitória de Setúbal.[19] He made his Primeira Liga debut on 10 September, replacing João Amaral for the last 19 minutes of the 2–0 home victory over S.C. Braga.[20]

Having played 55 games and scored twice for his hometown club, Semedo signed a new two-year contract in June 2019.[21] On 23 January 2023, the 38-year-old announced his retirement from professional football.[22]

International career

Of Cape Verdean descent,[23] Semedo represented the Portugal under-21 team during the 2006 UEFA European Championship. In the only match he played he was sent off due to an aggressive foul, and the country lost against Serbia and Montenegro and failed to qualify from its group.[24]

Personal life

During his formative years at Sporting, Semedo became a close friend of Cristiano Ronaldo, later of Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus FC and Portugal fame. The former cited the latter as a major factor for his life not having taken a turn for the worse, if he had been dismissed from the youth academy.[25][26]

Semedo's wife Soraia died in September 2021, having been hospitalised due to an infection.[27]

Career statistics

As of 10 May 2017[28][29]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sporting CP 2004–05 Primeira Liga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2005–06 Primeira Liga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Casa Pia 2004–05 Segunda Divisão 33 2 1 0 0 0 — — 34 2
Total 33 2 1 0 0 0 — — 34 2
Feirense 2005–06 Segunda Liga 16 0 0 0 0 0 — — 16 0
Total 16 0 0 0 0 0 — — 16 0
Cagliari 2006–07 Serie A 3 0 1 0 0 0 — — 4 0
Total 3 0 1 0 0 0 — — 4 0
Charlton Athletic 2007–08 Championship 37 0 0 0 2 0 — — 39 0
2008–09 Championship 18 0 1 0 1 0 — — 20 0
2009–10 League One 38 1 1 0 1 0 — 2 0 42 1
2010–11 League One 42 1 3 0 0 0 — 4 0 49 1
Total 135 2 5 0 4 0 — 6 0 150 2
Sheffield Wednesday 2011–12 League One 46 1 4 0 0 0 — 1 0 51 1
2012–13 Championship 26 0 2 0 3 0 — — 31 0
2013–14 Championship 22 0 2 0 0 0 — — 24 0
2014–15 Championship 30 0 1 0 2 0 — — 33 0
2015–16 Championship 10 0 2 0 3 1 — — 15 1
2016–17 Championship 10 0 0 0 1 0 — — 11 0
Total 144 1 11 0 9 1 — 1 0 165 2
Career total 331 5 18 0 13 1 0 0 7 0 369 6

Honours

Sheffield Wednesday

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c d "José Semedo" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Semedo cedido ao Casa Pia" [Semedo loaned to Casa Pia]. Record (in Portuguese). 19 July 2004. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Semedo prefere equipa da Liga" [Semedo prefers League team]. Record (in Portuguese). 5 January 2006. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Josè Vitor Moreira Semedo è del Cagliari" [Josè Vitor Moreira Semedo is a Cagliari player] (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 14 July 2006. Archived from the original on 5 July 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  5. ^ "Aspettando Manchester il Milan va – Ronaldo doppietta, poi magia di Pirlo" [There goes Milan waiting for Manchester – Ronaldo brace, then Pirlo magic]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 21 April 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  6. ^ "L'Ascoli batte il Cagliari ed evita l'ultimo posto" [Ascoli beat Cagliari and avoid last place]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 27 May 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Charlton sign Portuguese defender". BBC Sport. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  8. ^ "Tranmere 0–4 Charlton". BBC Sport. 29 August 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
  9. ^ "Semedo crowned player of the year". Charlton Athletic F.C. 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  10. ^ "Owls complete Semedo swoop". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 7 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  11. ^ a b "Owls ace wins PFA award". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 15 July 2012. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  12. ^ "Breaking: Jose Semedo signs contract extension with the Owls #swfcpreseason". Twitter. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  13. ^ "Transfer news: Jose Semedo signs new deal at Sheffield Wednesday". Sky Sports. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Jose Semedo agrees Sheffield Wednesday contract extension". Sky Sports. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  15. ^ Labellarte, Giuseppe (8 June 2016). "Jose Semedo pens Sheffield Wednesday contract extension". Sports Mole. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Video: Sheffield Wednesday's strength in depth ensures the '˜fear factor' '" Ross Wallace". The Yorkshire Post. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  17. ^ Crann, Joe (22 August 2023). "'It's a celebration' – New Pete McKee Sheffield Wednesday mural explained as Jose Semedo goes up in Hillsborough". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Owls confirm out of contract players". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  19. ^ "Futebol | Vitória FC apresentou José Semedo e Yannick Djaló" [Football | Vitória FC presented José Semedo and Yannick Djaló] (in Portuguese). Vitória F.C. 24 August 2017. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  20. ^ Gouveia, Ricardo (10 September 2017). "V. Setúbal-Sp. Braga, 2–0 (destaques)" [V. Setúbal-Sp. Braga, 2–0 (highlights)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  21. ^ "OFICIAL: V. Setúbal renova com José Semedo" [OFFICIAL: V. Setúbal renew with José Semedo] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  22. ^ Miller, Alex (23 January 2023). "Sheffield Wednesday icon José Semedo announces retirement in emotional press conference". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  23. ^ Moura, Bruno (26 January 2016). "José Semedo, o luso cabo-verdiano que cresceu com Cristiano Ronaldo" [José Semedo, the Portuguese-Cape Verdean who grew up with Cristiano Ronaldo] (in Portuguese). DTudo1Pouco. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  24. ^ Harrold, Michael (25 May 2006). "Ivanović caps Portugal misery". UEFA. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  25. ^ Murtagh, Jacob (1 December 2015). "Real Madrid megastar Cristiano Ronaldo saved my life, says best friend Jose Semedo". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  26. ^ "José Semedo: "Cristiano está escribiendo una historia inolvidable en el mundo del fútbol"" [José Semedo: "Cristiano is writing an unforgettable history in the world of football"]. Marca (in Spanish). 25 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  27. ^ "Morreu a mulher de José Semedo, capitão do V. Setúbal" [Wife of José Semedo, captain of V. Setúbal, died]. Record (in Portuguese). 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  28. ^ "José Semedo". Soccerway. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  29. ^ José Semedo at Soccerbase
  30. ^ "Sheffield Wed 2–0 Wycombe". BBC Sport. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  31. ^ Sagar, Sunaadh (1 December 2015). "Cristiano Ronaldo saved best friend Jose Semedo's life". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  32. ^ "PFA Fans Player of the Year winners". Sport.co.uk. 15 June 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.