Jordão (footballer born 1971)
Encyclopedia
Adelino José Martins Batista (born 30 August 1971 in Malanje
, Portuguese Angola
, Portuguese Empire
), aka Jordão, is a retired Angola
n-Portuguese
footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
-based C.F. Estrela da Amadora, but it took several years for him to become an important first-team member, also being loaned twice, to S.C. Campomaiorense
and Leça FC
, both in the second division
(he also did not manage to appear regularly for the former).
After two solid seasons at Estrela, Jordão joined Portuguese Liga
powerhouse S.L. Benfica, but was soon deemed surplus to requirements, following the arrival of Graeme Souness
at the club's bench, and moved to fellow league side Sporting de Braga in January 1998, where he would spend an additional two full seasons.
In August 2000, having already played one league match for Braga, Jordão joined English
side West Bromwich Albion
, for a transfer fee
of £
350,000, and made his debut in the same month, against Barnsley
. In 2001–02 he scored one of his five league goals (a career-best) in the Black Country derby
win against Wolverhampton Wanderers
at Molineux
, helping Albion to achieve automatic promotion to the Premier League.
After 71 appearances – only three in the English topflight – and eight goals for WBA, Jordão was released in the summer of 2003, re-joining Estrela da Amadora in January of the following year, playing sparingly until his retirement three years later.
Malanje
Malanje is the capital city of Malanje Province in Angola with a population of approximately 222,000. Nearby is the spectacular Calandula waterfalls, 85 km from the city. These falls are 105 metres high and their great width makes them the main tourist attraction in the region. It is a...
, Portuguese Angola
Angola (Portugal)
Angola is the common name by which the Portuguese colony in southwestern Africa was known across different periods of time...
, Portuguese Empire
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
), aka Jordão, is a retired Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
n-Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Football career
Jordão made his professional debuts in 1990 for LisbonLisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
-based C.F. Estrela da Amadora, but it took several years for him to become an important first-team member, also being loaned twice, to S.C. Campomaiorense
S.C. Campomaiorense
Sporting Clube Campomaiorense is a Portuguese football club, founded in 1926, and based in Campo Maior.The club had a professional football section that played five seasons at the top level of Portuguese football and reached the Cup of Portugal final in 1999.Campomaiorense was first promoted to the...
and Leça FC
Leça F.C.
Leça Futebol Clube, better known as Leça FC or simply Leça, is a Portuguese football club located in the town of Leça da Palmeira, Matosinhos. Founded in 1912, they currently play in the Portuguese Second Division and, in the previous season of 2007-08, they finished 10th in the division...
, both in the second division
Liga de Honra
The Liga de Honra , known for sponsorship reasons as the Liga Orangina, is the Portuguese second level football league. It was formerly called Segunda Divisão and Segunda Divisão de Honra . When the LPFP took control of the two nationwide levels, it was renamed Segunda Liga, before renaming it...
(he also did not manage to appear regularly for the former).
After two solid seasons at Estrela, Jordão joined Portuguese Liga
Portuguese Liga
The Primeira Liga , formerly called Primeira Divisão, currently named Liga ZON Sagres after their main sponsors, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system...
powerhouse S.L. Benfica, but was soon deemed surplus to requirements, following the arrival of Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
at the club's bench, and moved to fellow league side Sporting de Braga in January 1998, where he would spend an additional two full seasons.
In August 2000, having already played one league match for Braga, Jordão joined English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
side West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, for a transfer fee
Transfer (football)
In professional association football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between professional clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one professional association football club to another. In general, the players can only be...
of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
350,000, and made his debut in the same month, against Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
. In 2001–02 he scored one of his five league goals (a career-best) in the Black Country derby
Black Country derby
The Black Country derby is most commonly the local derby between the English football teams West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The term 'Black Country derby' can also be given to a match between either of these teams and Walsall F.C., though such matches are less common as a result...
win against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
at Molineux
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
, helping Albion to achieve automatic promotion to the Premier League.
After 71 appearances – only three in the English topflight – and eight goals for WBA, Jordão was released in the summer of 2003, re-joining Estrela da Amadora in January of the following year, playing sparingly until his retirement three years later.