Name Jose Semedo Career start 2004 1998–2004 Sporting CP Weight 80 kg | Number 6 Height 1.81 m Role Footballer | |
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Full name Jose Vitor Moreira Semedo Date of birth (1985-01-11) 11 January 1985 (age 30) Current team Sheffield Wednesday F.C. (#6 / Midfielder) | ||
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José Vítor Moreira Semedo (born 11 January 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for English club Sheffield Wednesday.
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He spent most of his professional career in England, starting out at Charlton Athletic in 2007.
Club career
A product of Sporting Clube de Portugal's youth system, Semedo was born in Setúbal and made his professional debuts with modest Casa Pia AC, in the Lisbon area. In the 2005–06 season he served another loan stint, now with C.D. Feirense in the second division.
For the 2006–07 campaign Semedo was loaned again, moving to Serie A's Cagliari Calcio. He made his club debut in the Coppa Italia, but would only appear three times in the league, the first as a late substitute in a 1–3 away loss against A.C. Milan on 21 April 2007; he was sent off in his last match, a 1–2 defeat at Ascoli Calcio 1898, with the Sardinians barely avoiding relegation.
In 2007, Semedo signed a four-year deal with Charlton Athletic on a free transfer. Although touted as a central defender when he signed, he played mainly as a defensive midfielder for the Football League Championship club, and scored his first goal for the side in a 4–0 win over Tranmere Rovers on 29 August 2009, with Charlton now in League One.
In May 2011 Semedo was crowned Charlton's Player of the Year, picking up 43% of the votes in what was the club's worst season for a number of decades. 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 moved to another club in the English third-tier, Sheffield Wednesday, again as a free agent.
In his first season with the Owls, which ended in promotion to the Championship after finishing second behind Charlton Athletic, Semedo was voted Player of the Year and League One PFA Fans' Player of the Year. On 10 July 2013, he signed a new contract extension.
International career
Semedo represented the Portuguese 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.
Personal life
During his formative years at Sporting, Semedo was a close friend of Cristiano Ronaldo, later of Manchester United, Real Madrid 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.
Club statistics
As of 15 September 2016colspan="2"|Total