Silvestre Varela
Encyclopedia
Silvestre Manuel Gonçalves Varela (born 2 February 1985 in Almada
) is a Portuguese
footballer who plays for F.C. Porto in the Portuguese first division, as a winger.
and Vitória Futebol Clube
in his early years as a professional. Despite being a regular with the Portuguese under-21s
and having enjoyed a decent form in various tournaments, he was not able to secure a place in Sporting's first team, only managing two substitute appearances in the 2005–06 season.
In 2007–08 Varela, alongside two former Sporting players, Beto
and Carlos Martins, played for Recreativo de Huelva
in Spain
(Varela on loan again). After a disappointing season despite having received playing time in La Liga
, he returned to Sporting in July 2008, only to be immediately sold to C.F. Estrela da Amadora.
Before the season was over, in March 2009, courtesy of his solid performances at Estrela, only relegated from the top division off the field, Varela signed a four-year agreement with champions F.C. Porto, on a free transfer, starting in July.
In his first season at Porto, Varela ranked second in overall goals in the team, only behind Colombia
n striker Radamel Falcao
. In March 2010, however, he broke his fibula in training, being lost for the remainder of the campaign, as Porto finished third.
for Portugal on 3 March 2010, appearing in the second half of the 2–0 friendly win with China, in a match played in Coimbra
.
His first goal came on 26 March 2011, in a 1–1 friendly draw against Chile
in Leiria
.
Almada
Almada is a municipality in Portugal, covering an area of 70.2 km² located on the southern margin of the Tagus River. Its municipal population in 2008 was 164,844 inhabitants; the urbanized center had a population of 102,357.The seat is the city of Almada....
) is a 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 plays for F.C. Porto in the Portuguese first division, as a winger.
Club career
A product of Sporting Clube de Portugal's youth system, Varela was loaned to Casa Pia A.C.Casa Pia A.C.
Casa Pia Atlético Clube is a sports association founded in 1920 and based in Lisbon, Portugal. The club is named after Casa Pia, a Portuguese children's charity, and many of its athletes come from that institution...
and Vitória Futebol Clube
Vitória F.C.
Vitória Futebol Clube is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Setúbal. Popularly known as Vitória de Setúbal with the motto "A Vitória será nossa" .- Domestic :*Portuguese Liga: Runners-up 1971–72...
in his early years as a professional. Despite being a regular with the Portuguese under-21s
Portugal national under-21 football team
The Portugal national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Portugal and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation . They are nicknamed "Esperanças." Esperança means hope, thus they are Portugal's hopes for the future...
and having enjoyed a decent form in various tournaments, he was not able to secure a place in Sporting's first team, only managing two substitute appearances in the 2005–06 season.
In 2007–08 Varela, alongside two former Sporting players, Beto
Beto (Portuguese footballer born 1976)
Roberto Luís Gaspar de Deus Severo, OIH , aka Beto , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played mainly as a central defender....
and Carlos Martins, played for Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(Varela on loan again). After a disappointing season despite having received playing time in 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...
, he returned to Sporting in July 2008, only to be immediately sold to C.F. Estrela da Amadora.
Before the season was over, in March 2009, courtesy of his solid performances at Estrela, only relegated from the top division off the field, Varela signed a four-year agreement with champions F.C. Porto, on a free transfer, starting in July.
In his first season at Porto, Varela ranked second in overall goals in the team, only behind Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n striker Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao García Zárate , commonly known simply as Falcao, is a Colombian football striker who currently plays for Atlético Madrid....
. In March 2010, however, he broke his fibula in training, being lost for the remainder of the campaign, as Porto finished third.
International career
Courtesy of his Porto performances, Varela gained his first full capPortugal 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...
for Portugal on 3 March 2010, appearing in the second half of the 2–0 friendly win with China, in a match played in Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
.
His first goal came on 26 March 2011, in a 1–1 friendly draw against Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
in Leiria
Leiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
.
Honours
Porto- UEFA Europa League: 2010–11
- Portuguese League: 2010–11
- Portuguese CupTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
: 2009–102009–10 Taça de PortugalThe 2009–10 Taça de Portugal was the 70th season of the Taça de Portugal. The competition began on 30 August 2009, with the first round matches, and concluded with the final, held on 16 May at the Estádio Nacional, in Oeiras, between defending champions Porto and then Liga de Honra team Chaves...
, 2010–112010–11 Taça de PortugalThe 2010–11 Taça de Portugal, also known as Taça de Portugal Millennium for sponsorship reasons, is the 71st season of the Taça de Portugal. A total of 172 clubs from all four tiers of Portuguese football took part in this tournament... - Portuguese Supercup: 2009, 20102010 Supertaça Cândido de OliveiraThe 2010 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira is the 32nd Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Portuguese Liga and Portuguese Cup competitions. Played at Estádio Municipal de Aveiro, Aveiro, on 7 August 2010, and contested by league...
, 20112011 Supertaça Cândido de OliveiraThe 2011 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira was the 33rd edition of the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, the annual Portuguese football season-opening match contested by the winners of the previous season's top league and cup competitions... - UEFA Super Cup: Runner-up 20112011 UEFA Super Cup-External links:*, UEFA.com...
- Portuguese League Cup: Runner-up 2009–10