Gustavo Manduca

Gustavo Manduca

Personal information
Full name	Gustavo Manduca
Date of birth	June 8, 1980 (1980-06-08)
Place of birth	Urussanga, Brazil
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	APOEL
Number	21
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997	Grêmio	?	(?)
1998–1999	HJK	2	(0)
1998	→ Atlantis (loan)	10	(2)
1999	Felgueiras	14	(2)
2000	Esposende	18	(7)
2000–2003	Chaves	69	(22)
2003–2004	Paços Ferreira	29	(3)
2004–2005	Marítimo	46	(11)
2006–2007	Benfica	16	(1)
2006–2007	→ AEK (loan)	23	(5)
2007–2010	AEK	82	(13)
2010–	APOEL	33	(10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals).

Gustavo Manduca (born 8 June 1980 in Urussanga, Criciúma, Santa Catarina) is a Brazilian footballer who plays for APOEL F.C. in Cyprus, mainly as a left winger.

He also holds an Italian passport, and played professionally in five different countries, mainly in Portugal – where he had a very brief spell with Benfica.

Club career

After a brief spell with Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Manduca moved in 1998 to Finland, with HJK Helsinki. After only two matches, he was loaned to Atlantis FC of the second division, for the remainder of the season.

Manduca moved to Portugal in 1999, successively representing F.C. Felgueiras, G.D. Esposende and G.D. Chaves, all in the second level. In the 2003–04 season he made his top flight debuts, joining F.C. Paços de Ferreira.

Manduca blossomed into a top division player with C.S. Marítimo, where he scored in a 2004–05 UEFA Cup first round penalty shootout exit against Rangers, moving to Sport Lisboa e Benfica in January 2006, on a four 1/2-year contract. He would appear in 16 league contests, scoring in a 1–3 loss at União de Leiria on 4 February.

In August 2006, Manduca signed a one-year loan deal with the option for a permanent move with AEK Athens FC, as he was deemed surplus to requirements by new Benfica boss Fernando Santos. He made three appearances in the season's UEFA Champions League, and helped the capital club to the second place in the domestic league; on 16 May 2007, he signed a permanent three-year contract.

After three years (his on-loan season notwithstanding) of regular use at AEK, 30-year old Manduca signed a three-year contract with APOEL FC, from neighbouring Cyprus. In his first season with the club, he won the national championship (the first in his career), scoring ten goals and providing as many assists.

On 13 September 2011, in a home game against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg for the season's UEFA Champions League, Manduca scored the equaliser in the 73rd minute and, two minutes later, assisted compatriot Aílton for the final 2–1 win, in APOEL's first ever win in that stage of the competition. On 1 November, he netted in the last minute against F.C. Porto (same competition, venue and result).

Honours

HJK

• Finnish Cup: 1998
• Finnish League Cup: 1998

AEK Athens

• Greek Cup: Runner-up 2008–09

APOEL

• Cypriot League: 2010–11
• Cypriot Super Cup: 2011

External links

• Brazilian FA database (Portuguese)
• SambaFoot profile
• Stats and profile at Zerozero
• Stats at ForaDeJogo (Portuguese)
• AEK profile (Greek)