Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Fernando Nélson Jesus Vieira Alves | ||
Date of birth | 5 November 1971 | ||
Place of birth | Porto, Portugal | ||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Playing position | Right back | ||
Youth career | |||
1983–1986 | Porto | ||
1987 | Rio Tinto | ||
1987–1990 | Salgueiros | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1990–1991 | Salgueiros | 23 | (0) |
1991–1996 | Sporting CP | 115 | (2) |
1996–1998 | Aston Villa | 60 | (0) |
1998–2002 | Porto | 32 | (0) |
1999–2002 | Porto B | 13 | (1) |
2002–2004 | Vitória Setúbal | 32 | (1) |
2004–2006 | Rio Tinto | ||
Total | 275 | (4) | |
National team | |||
1991 | Portugal U20 | 4 | (0) |
1992–1994 | Portugal U21 | 22 | (0) |
1995–2001 | Portugal | 10 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Fernando Nélson Jesus Vieira Alves (born 5 November 1971), known as Nélson, is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a right back.
Best known for his spell at Sporting, he also played for Porto in his country, having a two-year stint at Aston Villa in England as well.
Over the course of ten seasons, Nélson amassed Primeira Liga totals of 202 games and three goals.
Nélson was born in Porto. After starting professionally at local S.C. Salgueiros, he moved to fellow Primeira Liga club Sporting Clube de Portugal immediately after having helped the Portugal under-20s win the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, played in the country.
At the Lisbon-based side, Nélson won the 1995 Taça de Portugal. After producing three final solid seasons, where he amassed nearly 100 league appearances and scored two goals, he joined Aston Villa in the 1996 summer, under manager Brian Little.
After two productive Premier League campaigns in the Midlands and 75 games across all competitions, in July 1998 Nélson signed with FC Porto – his first youth club – winning his first national championship in his debut season. During the following three years, he would be used irregularly (playing as much as 20 matches and as little as none) and moved in 2002 to Vitória F.C. also in the top division.