José Dominguez
Encyclopedia
José Manuel Martins Dominguez (born 16 February 1974) is a Portuguese
former professional footballer who played as a winger.
A diminutive player with above-average technical skills and speed, he surprisingly started playing professional football not in his own country but in England with Birmingham City
; he also had spells abroad in Germany, Qatar
and Brazil.
Dominguez is reported to be the shortest player to have ever played in the Premier League.
, Dominguez had an unassuming youth spell at hometown's S.L. Benfica, then played for a year, also in the area, with amateurs S.U. Sintrense. After a few months at A.D. Fafe
, he had his first taste of professional football, joining English second tier
club Birmingham City
in March 1994, with the club being relegated
in his first season.
Following Luís Figo
's departure to FC Barcelona
, Sporting Clube de Portugal chose Dominguez as his replacement; he played two solid seasons at the club, albeit with no silverware. Tottenham Hotspur
, coached by Gerry Francis
, returned the player to England in August 1997, for £
1.6m.
He made his Spurs debut in the Premier League against Derby County
at the end of August, winning a penalty
after coming on as a second-half substitute.
Despite being at White Hart Lane
for over three years, his appearances for the first team were limited: he started regularly under Francis, but came more regularly off the bench during Christian Gross
's tenure as manager. He won the League Cup
with the Spurs in 1999, as an unused substitute, before falling out of favour during the following season under George Graham
, being demoted to the reserves (in 1999–2000, he only appeared in two League games for the first team, both as substitute).
Dominguez eventually left Tottenham and signed for Germany's 1. FC Kaiserslautern
in November 2000, for £250,000; he scored in only his second match, a 2–4 loss at Bayer Leverkusen, but his performances were also irregular. In his last season, he scored once in 26 matches, but the club finished just one place above relegation.
After a brief spell in Qatar
with Al-Ahly Doha, Dominguez moved in 2005 to Brazilian outfit CR Vasco da Gama. Not being able to receive his playing licence from the Portuguese Football Association, he officially retired from the game in August, aged 31.
for Portugal
.
In a more important role, he helped the Olympic team finish fourth
at the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta; that team also included four other Sporting graduates – Emílio Peixe
, Luís Andrade
, Hugo Porfírio
and Dani.
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...
former professional footballer who played as a winger.
A diminutive player with above-average technical skills and speed, he surprisingly started playing professional football not in his own country but in England with Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
; he also had spells abroad in Germany, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
and Brazil.
Dominguez is reported to be the shortest player to have ever played in the Premier League.
Club career
Born in 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...
, Dominguez had an unassuming youth spell at hometown's S.L. Benfica, then played for a year, also in the area, with amateurs S.U. Sintrense. After a few months at A.D. Fafe
A.D. Fafe
Associação Desportiva de Fafe is a Portuguese football club from Fafe, northern Portugal. Founded in 1958, it currently plays in the Portuguese Fourth Division, holding home games at Parque Municipal dos Desportos de Fafe, with a capacity of 8,000....
, he had his first taste of professional football, joining English second tier
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
club Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in March 1994, with the club being relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
in his first season.
Following Luís Figo
Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009...
's departure to FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, Sporting Clube de Portugal chose Dominguez as his replacement; he played two solid seasons at the club, albeit with no silverware. Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, coached by Gerry Francis
Gerry Francis
Gerald Charles James Francis is an English former footballer and manager, now working as First Team coach at Stoke City.-Playing career:Francis made his debut for Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool in March 1969...
, returned the player to England in August 1997, for £
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...
1.6m.
He made his Spurs debut in the Premier League against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
at the end of August, winning a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
after coming on as a second-half substitute.
Despite being at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
for over three years, his appearances for the first team were limited: he started regularly under Francis, but came more regularly off the bench during Christian Gross
Christian Gross
Christian Gross is a professional football coach and former player who currently manages Young Boys Bern. Before that he managed VfB Stuttgart until his dismissal in October 2010. He was manager of FC Basel from 1 July 1999 to 27 May 2009.-Playing career:Gross began his playing career at...
's tenure as manager. He won the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
with the Spurs in 1999, as an unused substitute, before falling out of favour during the following season under George Graham
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
, being demoted to the reserves (in 1999–2000, he only appeared in two League games for the first team, both as substitute).
Dominguez eventually left Tottenham and signed for Germany's 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
in November 2000, for £250,000; he scored in only his second match, a 2–4 loss at Bayer Leverkusen, but his performances were also irregular. In his last season, he scored once in 26 matches, but the club finished just one place above relegation.
After a brief spell in Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
with Al-Ahly Doha, Dominguez moved in 2005 to Brazilian outfit CR Vasco da Gama. Not being able to receive his playing licence from the Portuguese Football Association, he officially retired from the game in August, aged 31.
International career
Whilst at Sporting, Dominguez gained three capsCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
.
In a more important role, he helped the Olympic team finish fourth
Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics
The association football competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics was held in Birmingham, Alabama; Washington, D.C; Orlando, Florida; Miami, Florida; and Athens, Georgia....
at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta; that team also included four other Sporting graduates – Emílio Peixe
Emílio Peixe
Emílio Manuel Delgado Peixe is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mainly as a defensive midfielder.A member of the dubbed Golden Generation who hailed from the Portugal youth teams, Peixe was one of the few to have represented all three major clubs in the country, namely Sporting.-Football...
, Luís Andrade
Luís Andrade
Luís Filipe Andrade de Oliveira , known as Andrade, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Grupo Sportivo Loures....
, Hugo Porfírio
Hugo Porfírio
Hugo Cardoso Porfírio is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mostly as a winger.-Football career:Porfírio graduated from Sporting Clube de Portugal's famed youth academy, joining the professionals for the 1992–93 season, alongside midfielder Emílio Peixe...
and Dani.