Place of birth Luanda, Angola 1988–1989 Estoril Name Helder Cristovao Height 1.81 m Date joined 1989 | Current team Benfica B (head coach) Years Team Role Footballer | |
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Full name Helder Marino Rodrigues Cristovao Date of birth (1971-03-21) 21 March 1971 (age 44) | ||
Santotirsodigital comentario de helder cristovao aves 3 3 benfica b
Hélder Marino Rodrigues Cristóvão (born 21 March 1971), known simply as Hélder as a player, is a former Portuguese footballer who played as a central defender, and the current manager of S.L. Benfica B.
Contents
- Santotirsodigital comentario de helder cristovao aves 3 3 benfica b
- Club
- International
- Coaching career
- Managerial statistics
- Honours
- References
He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 197 games and 16 goals during eight seasons, mostly with Benfica. He also competed professionally in Spain, England, France and Greece, representing mainly Deportivo.
Hélder appeared for Portugal at Euro 1996. In 2009, he started working as a manager, going on to spend several years with Benfica's reserves.
Club
Born in Luanda, Portuguese Angola, Hélder first attracted attention as a G.D. Estoril Praia player, moving to S.L. Benfica for the 1992–93 season where he would stay the following four-and-a-half years, mainly as a starter. In December 1996 he signed for Deportivo de La Coruña, playing 22 La Liga matches in only six months as the club finished in third position.
In November 1999, Hélder joined Newcastle United in the Premier League on loan, making 12 official appearances and scoring against in a 2–2 away draw against Sunderland in the Tyne–Wear derby the following 6 February. In that season, the Spaniards went on to conquer their first league title, with the player failing to contribute in that competition; he returned to Depor subsequently, appearing very rarely in his last year, which ended in conquest of the Copa del Rey.
For the 2002–03 campaign, aged 31, Hélder returned to Benfica, playing there for two more years (being used in average of 20 league matches and winning one Portuguese Cup) and joining Paris Saint-Germain F.C. the following season, where he teamed up with compatriot Pauleta. He played his last year for AEL 1964 FC in 2005–06, appearing rarely in the Superleague Greece and retiring at the end of the season.
International
Hélder appeared 35 times for the Portugal national team, scoring three goals. His first game was on 12 February 1992 in a 2–0 win over the Netherlands in an exhibition game, and his last a 0–4 loss to France in Paris on 25 April 2001, in another friendly.
Hélder represented the nation at UEFA Euro 1996, appearing in all four matches for the quarter-finalists as he started alongside Fernando Couto.
Coaching career
In the 2009 summer Cristóvão began a coaching career, precisely with his first club Estoril (in the second division). On 28 September, merely two months after being appointed, he was fired.
On 3 July 2013, Cristóvão returned to Benfica as manager of the reserve team, replacing Luís Norton de Matos. In the 2014–15 season, he led them to their second best position in the second level, a sixth place (fifth in 2013–14), as the highest scoring team with 81 goals.
Benfica B only managed to stave off relegation in the 2015–16 campaign in the last matchday, defeating S.C. Freamunde 5–0 at home and also benefitting from a 1–1 draw between C.D. Mafra and C.D. Aves. Cristóvão's team collected more losses (21) than wins (15), conceding 64 times whilst scoring 59; additionally, on 15 March 2016, he was suspended for 30 days after being sent off against S.C. Covilhã, which ended with a 2–2 home draw.