José Moreira

For other people named José Moreira, see José Moreira (disambiguation).

José Moreira

File:Moreira, Benfica vs. Stuttgart.JPG Moreira training with Benfica in 2011
Personal information
Full name	José Filipe da Silva Moreira
Date of birth	(1982-03-20) 20 March 1982
Place of birth	Massarelos, Portugal
Height
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Olhanense
Number	31
Youth career
1991–1999	Salgueiros
1999	Benfica
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2001	Benfica B	31	(0)
2001–2011	Benfica	112	(0)
2011–2012	Swansea City	0	(0)
2013–2015	Omonia	62	(0)
2015–	Olhanense	16	(0)
International career
2001–2002	Portugal U20	13	(0)
2002–2004	Portugal U21	22	(0)
2009	Portugal	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 December 2015

José Filipe da Silva Moreira, OIH (born 20 March 1982), is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for S.C. Olhanense as a goalkeeper.

He played most of his career with Benfica, appearing in nearly 200 official games and making his professional debuts at only 19.

Moreira gained 79 caps for Portugal all youth categories comprised, and represented the senior team at Euro 2004.

Club career

Early years

Born in Massarelos, Porto District, Moreira preferred to play as an attacking midfielder in his early years but, following the advice of father José, soon changed his playing position and took trials for S.C. Salgueiros.

In 1997, at only 15 years of age, Moreira caught the eye of the biggest Portuguese teams — Sporting Clube de Portugal, F.C. Porto, Boavista F.C. and S.L. Benfica. The latter made the best bid to Salgueiros and won the race to sign the youngster but, due to his young age, decided it was best to keep him at the club for two more years; when he arrived to the Estádio da Luz he was called for a mini-tour with the main squad in the Azores, going on to make his unofficial senior debut.

Benfica

In 1999, Moreira was selected by the Portuguese under–18 coach Agostinho Oliveira for the UEFA European Championship in Sweden, with the national team winning the title. Subsequently he returned to Benfica, being called by team manager Jupp Heynckes to join the pre-season tour in Austria. At the time, two of the three senior goalkeepers were not available (Carlos Bossio was in Argentina and Nuno Santos was injured, leaving Robert Enke as the only available keeper); without competition for the substitutes bench he was called to sit in for several matches during August and December 1999 (he was just 17), but would only play two years later in a home game against Vitória de Guimarães, replacing the injured Enke after 24 minutes and delivering a clean sheet on his professional debut (0–0 draw).

Moreira had also time to conquer the junior national championship in 2000, adding the Toulon Tournament with the under-20s after beating Colombia in the final. He started on 9 March 2002 in a 2–0 success at Gil Vicente F.C. and, when German Enke left at the end of the season to sign with Spain's FC Barcelona, he became the number one choice from then on.

During 2003–04 Moreira made his debut in European competitions, playing in the UEFA Cup against Molde FK (at home, in a 3–0 win). The season ended with Benfica, led by José Antonio Camacho, winning the Portuguese Cup after beating Porto managed by José Mourinho; towards the campaign's closure he renewed his link until 2010 and, in the summer, he was called to join the under-21 squad for the Vale do Tejo International Tournament, winning the tournament and being chosen the best goalkeeper in the competition.

With the arrival of Quim from S.C. Braga in August 2004, Moreira began suffering stiff competition for the starting job. He contributed with 15 games as Benfica won the league title after 11 years but, on 18 October 2005, underwent surgery to his right knee, which caused him to miss most of 2005–06.

Upon his return to competition, Moreira found himself having to compete for backup goalkeeper duties with recently signed Brazilian Marcelo Moretto, the same happening in the 2006–07 season. Moretto was then loaned to Greece's AEK Athens F.C. in August 2007.

The 2007–08 campaign brought a new challenge to Moreira, as the club signed 33-year-old Hans-Jörg Butt, known for taking free kicks and penalties. When it seemed he was set to become Benfica's first-choice again, he suffered another injury, this time on his left knee, which forced him to again undergo surgery in July 2007, with this translating into four months off the pitch.

In a turbulent 2008–09, where all three goalkeepers went from first to third-choice in a matter of weeks, Moreira appeared in 14 league matches, as Benfica finished third. Following the arrival of another Brazilian, Júlio César, signed from C.F. Os Belenenses in the next off-season alongside manager Jorge Jesus, he was demoted to third-choice. In June 2010, as his contract was not renewed, it looked like he would leave the club after an 11-year link, with speculation arising that he would join Lisbon neighbours Sporting; however, after Quim was released from the club, later rejoining Braga, he eventually put pen to paper a new three-year contract.

Moreira was again third-choice in 2010–11, behind César and newly signed Roberto. He did appear in several Portuguese League Cup games, including the final against F.C. Paços de Ferreira, where he stopped a Manuel José penalty in an eventual 2–1 win, Benfica's third consecutive in the tournament.

Late career

On 8 July 2011, after 12 years with Benfica, Moreira joined newly promoted Premier League club Swansea City, for an undisclosed fee. However, he only made one official appearance during the season, against Shrewsbury Town for the Football League Cup (1–3 away loss), and his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 17 May 2012.

In late January 2013, Moreira moved to AC Omonia in Cyprus. He returned to Portugal in the 2015 summer at the age of 33, joining S.C. Olhanense. He made his debut on 12 September, in a 0–0 Segunda Liga home draw against C.D. Aves.

International career

Internationally Moreira represented Portugal at under-17, under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels, also appearing for the B-side. He was picked by senior team manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, alongside Ricardo and Quim, for UEFA Euro 2004 which was contested on home soil, but did not take any part in the tournament.

In a one-and-half-month period in the summer of 2004, Moreira represented Portugal at the European Under-21 Championship in Germany and acted as backup at Euro 2004, before a trip to Athens for the Summer Olympics, where he started.

On 12 August 2009, five years after his Euro 2004 selection, Moreira finally made his full squad debut, playing 30 minutes in a friendly win in Liechtenstein (3–0).

Club statistics

As of 18 January 2015

Club	Season	League			Cup		League Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Benfica	2001–02	Primeira Liga	10	0	0	0	—		0	0	0	0	10	0
	2002–03	Primeira Liga	31	0	0	0	—		0	0	0	0	31	0
	2003–04	Primeira Liga	33	0	3	0	—		10	0	—		46	0
	2004–05	Primeira Liga	15	0	3	0	—		5	0	—		23	0
	2005–06	Primeira Liga	6	0	0	0	—		2	0	—		8	0
	2006–07	Primeira Liga	1	0	0	0	—		0	0	—		1	0
	2007–08	Primeira Liga	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	—		0	0
	2008–09	Primeira Liga	14	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	—		17	0
	2009–10	Primeira Liga	0	0	2	0	1	0	2	0	—		5	0
	2010–11	Primeira Liga	2	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	—		6	0
	Total		112	0	10	0	5	0	20	0	—		147	0
Swansea City	2011–12	Premier League	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		1	0
Omonia	2012–13	Cypriot First Division	11	0	3	0	—		—		—		14	0
	2013–14	Cypriot First Division	36	0	3	0	—		2	0	—		41	0
	2014–15	Cypriot First Division	12	0	0	0	—		6	0	—		18	0
	Total		59	0	6	0	—		8	0	—		73	0
Career total			171	0	16	0	6	0	28	0	—		221	0

Honours

Club

• Primeira Liga: 2004–05
• Taça de Portugal: 2003–04
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2005
• Taça da Liga: 2009–10, 2010–11

Portugal

• UEFA European Under-18 Championship: 1999
• Toulon Tournament: 2000
• UEFA European Championship: Runner-up 2004

External links

• José Moreira at footballzz.co.uk
• José Moreira profile at ForaDeJogo
• José Moreira at Soccerway
• José Moreira at National-Football-Teams.com