José Marcelo Ferreira
Encyclopedia
José Marcelo Ferreira, aka Zé Maria (born July 25, 1973 in Oeiras, Piauí
), is a former professional association footballer and a current manager.
Known for his pin-point crosses, he could play either as a right defender or midfielder
, and played the vast majority of his professional career, other than in his country, in Italy
's Serie A
, where he represented three teams, namely Perugia Calcio
.
in 1991, being loaned two times for the duration of his link. In 1996, he signed for Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
.
In the summer, Maria moved to Italy
after signing with Serie A
side Parma FC
, playing regularly for two seasons. Subsequently, he stayed in the country, joining lowly Perugia Calcio
.
With the Umbria
side, he had a shaky start, being loaned three times back to his country, but eventually established himself in the starting XI, helping the club finish 10th in his third full season, whilst contributing with six goals; via the UEFA Intertoto Cup
, he helped his team reach the third round of the subsequent UEFA Cup, but also suffered domestic relegation.
After two average seasons with giants F.C. Internazionale Milano
– only eight appearances in his second (with Inter winning the Scudetto courtesy of the Calciocaos affair), 49 official ones overall – Zé Maria was released and joined La Liga
side Levante UD
on a free transfer. Starting the season as first-choice right-back, the 33-year old lost the position and finished with 14 league appearances, with Levante barely avoiding relegation.
Released again, Maria entailed unsuccessful negotiations with several clubs, reportedly Sheffield United
and Queens Park Rangers
in England, thus returning to Brazil and Portuguesa in January 2008. On August, after having rescinded his contract, he surprisingly accepted an offer from A.S.D. Città di Castello, an Eccellenza
side (amateur level) in Italy.
Zé Maria settled in Italy after his retirement from football, at the age of 36. He subsequently founded a football school in Perugia
.
On March 15, 2010, Zé Maria took his first head coaching job, accepting Serie D
club S.S.D. Group Città di Castello
's offer. He was then appointed manager of fourth division club F.C. Catanzaro
for the 2010–11 season, being however removed from his post after a few months.
for Brazil
over a period of five years. He was not selected for any FIFA World Cup
, but did participate in two FIFA Confederations Cup
s – including the original
in Saudi Arabia, which the national team won, and one Copa América
(also ended in win, in Bolivia
).
In 1996
, Maria helped the Olympic team
win bronze at the 1996 Summer Olympics
, in Sydney, appearing in all six matches.
Oeiras, Piauí
Oeiras is a municipality in the Microregion of Picos of the Brazilian State of Piauí. According to the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística , its population was 34,538 inhabitants in 2003. The municipality covers an area of 2720 km².Oeiras grew up around a church founded in 1695...
), is a former professional association footballer and a current manager.
Known for his pin-point crosses, he could play either as a right defender or midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
, and played the vast majority of his professional career, other than in his country, in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, where he represented three teams, namely Perugia Calcio
Perugia Calcio
Associazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Perugia, Umbria, direct heir of the old Perugia Calcio and A.C. Perugia, excluded from Italian football because of financial troubles....
.
Club career
Zé Maria started his professional career with Associação Portuguesa de DesportosAssociação Portuguesa de Desportos
Associação Portuguesa de Desportos, usually called Portuguesa or Lusa, is a sports club, and a Brazilian football team from São Paulo in São Paulo state, founded on August 14, 1920 by the Portuguese population of the city.-History:...
in 1991, being loaned two times for the duration of his link. In 1996, he signed for Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo , also known as Flamengo and familiarly as Mengão, is a Brazilian sports club based in the Flamengo bairro, Zona Sul, Rio de Janeiro, best known for its professional football team...
.
In the summer, Maria moved to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
after signing with Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
side Parma FC
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
, playing regularly for two seasons. Subsequently, he stayed in the country, joining lowly Perugia Calcio
Perugia Calcio
Associazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Perugia, Umbria, direct heir of the old Perugia Calcio and A.C. Perugia, excluded from Italian football because of financial troubles....
.
With the Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
side, he had a shaky start, being loaned three times back to his country, but eventually established himself in the starting XI, helping the club finish 10th in his third full season, whilst contributing with six goals; via the UEFA Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
, he helped his team reach the third round of the subsequent UEFA Cup, but also suffered domestic relegation.
After two average seasons with giants F.C. Internazionale Milano
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
– only eight appearances in his second (with Inter winning the Scudetto courtesy of the Calciocaos affair), 49 official ones overall – Zé Maria was released and joined La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
side Levante UD
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:...
on a free transfer. Starting the season as first-choice right-back, the 33-year old lost the position and finished with 14 league appearances, with Levante barely avoiding relegation.
Released again, Maria entailed unsuccessful negotiations with several clubs, reportedly Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
and Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
in England, thus returning to Brazil and Portuguesa in January 2008. On August, after having rescinded his contract, he surprisingly accepted an offer from A.S.D. Città di Castello, an Eccellenza
Eccellenza
Eccellenza is the sixth level of Italian football. It is a regional league, composed of 28 divisions divided geographically. All 20 regions are represented by at least one division except for Piedmont and Aosta Valley which share 2 divisions...
side (amateur level) in Italy.
Zé Maria settled in Italy after his retirement from football, at the age of 36. He subsequently founded a football school in Perugia
Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
.
On March 15, 2010, Zé Maria took his first head coaching job, accepting Serie D
Serie D
Serie D is the top level of the Italian non-professional football association called Lega Nazionale Dilettanti. The association represents over a million football players and thousands of football teams across Italy. Serie D ranks just below Lega Pro Seconda Divisione , and is thus considered the...
club S.S.D. Group Città di Castello
S.S.D. Group Città di Castello
Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Group Città di Castello is an Italian association football club, based in Città di Castello, Umbria. The club was founded in 1998. Group Castello currently plays in Serie D...
's offer. He was then appointed manager of fourth division club F.C. Catanzaro
F.C. Catanzaro
Catanzaro Calcio 2011 is an Italian football club based in Catanzaro, Calabria.The club were founded in 1929 as Catanzarese, then changed their denomnation to Unione Sportiva Catanzaro in 1946, shortly after the end of the World War II and in 2006 to Football Club Catanzaro...
for the 2010–11 season, being however removed from his post after a few months.
International career
Zé Maria gained 25 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 Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
over a period of five years. He was not selected for any FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, but did participate in two FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
s – including the original
1997 FIFA Confederations Cup
-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:7 goals Romário5 goals Vladimír Šmicer4 goals Ronaldo-References:...
in Saudi Arabia, which the national team won, and one Copa América
Copa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
(also ended in win, in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
).
In 1996
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....
, Maria helped the Olympic team
Brazil Olympic football team
Brazil Olympic football team represents Brazil in international football competitions in Olympic Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three overage players. The team is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation...
win bronze 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 Sydney, appearing in all six matches.