Pedro Emanuel

Pedro Emanuel

File:Pedroemmanual.jpg
Personal information
Full name	Pedro Emanuel dos Santos Martins Silva
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Central Defender
Team information
Current team	FC Porto
Number	4

Pedro Emanuel dos Santos Martins Silva (born February 11, 1975 in Angola), known as Pedro Emanuel, is a professional footballer, who plays for FC Porto.

After three seasons as a professional in Portugal's secondary leagues, with FC Marco in 93-94, AD Ovarense in 94-95 and FC Penafiel in 95-96, his performances caught the eye of scouts from the Porto side Boavista FC. During his six-year stay in the team, Emanuel played a large part in the defensive wall (with captain and central defender Litos, wingbacks Nuno Frechaut and Erivan and goalkeeper Ricardo) that led Boavista to the historical Superliga title in 2000-2001. After Litos left for Málaga CF, Emanuel captained the team for one season, but a move to a larger club was close. SL Benfica seemed closer to clinching a deal, but it was FC Porto, under the guidance of José Mourinho, who signed the player. Part of a strong defense that included Jorge Costa, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Nuno Valente, his always effective style earned him the confidence of Mourinho during the high-pressure time when the team had to deal with constant bombings in the area.

He played in both the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals won by Porto between 2003 and 2004.

In the season following the departure of Mourinho, Pedro Emanuel still managed to appear in the spotlight, as in the 2004 European/South American Cup final victory against Once Caldas, where he scored the decisive penalty, becoming the last player to touch the ball in the competition's history.

In the 2005-06 season, following the decision of Dutch coach Co Adriaanse not wanting a goalkeeper captain (Vítor Baía) and sidelining Jorge Costa, Emanuel was chosen as the side's new captain.

International career

Emanuel is Angolan-born, but has never represented the national team Palancas Negras internationally. Some interpret this as a desire to keep alive the possibility of playing for Portugal, because he represented Portugal at junior levels. In 2006 FIFA World Cup, he accepted a call-up from the Angola national football team, but FIFA confirmed that he (and Carlos Chainho) could not represent other teams than Portugal, because of a new law set-up in 2004 which considers playing for junior sides at international level. [1]

Personal Life

Unlike most players, Pedro Emanuel not only finished secondary school, but also graduated in Agriculture.

Honours

• Portuguese Championship: 2000/01, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2005/06
• Portuguese Cup: 1996/97, 2002/03, 2005/06
• SuperCup Cândido de Oliveira: 2003/04
• UEFA Cup: 2002/03
• UEFA Champions League: 2003/04
• Intercontinental Cup: 2004/05