Paulo Duarte (footballer)

Paulo Duarte

Personal information
Full name	Paulo Jorge Rebelo Duarte
Date of birth	(1969-04-06) 6 April 1969
Place of birth	Massarelos, Portugal
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Centre back
Team information
Current team	Burkina Faso (coach)
Youth career
1982–1987	Boavista
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1987–1988	União Coimbra
1988–1991	União Leiria	60	(6)
1991–1993	Salgueiros	42	(2)
1993–1995	Marítimo	42	(2)
1995–2004	União Leiria	156	(4)
Total		300	(14)
Managerial career
2004–2006	União Leiria (assistant)
2006–2007	União Leiria
2008–2012	Burkina Faso
2009	Le Mans
2012–2013	Gabon
2015	Sfaxien
2015–	Burkina Faso
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Paulo Jorge Rebelo Duarte (born 6 April 1969) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a central defender, and the current coach of Burkina Faso.

During a 17-year senior career, he amassed Primeira Liga totals of 238 games and eight goals over the course of 12 seasons, representing mainly União de Leiria. In 2006, he became a manager, also working with the club.

Playing career

Duarte was born in Massarelos, Porto District. After playing youth football for local Boavista F.C. and starting out as a senior at C.F. União de Coimbra, he signed for U.D. Leiria in 1988, also in the second division.

Duarte then played two seasons apiece for S.C. Salgueiros and C.S. Marítimo, making his Primeira Liga debuts with the former and appearing in a total of 84 league games the two teams combined. Subsequently, he returned to Leiria who now competed in the Portuguese top flight, retiring after almost one decade at the age of 34 and acting as first-choice in four of those campaigns (in 2001–02, as the club qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup, he was managed by young José Mourinho).

Coaching career

After his retirement, Duarte immediately began his managerial career, staying with his last club Leiria as assistant. In the tenth round of 2006–07's top division he was named coach of the first team, eventually helping them finish seventh.

In late 2007, Duarte left Leiria and, a couple of months later, was appointed manager of Burkina Faso. On 2 June of the following year, however, he was signed by France's Le Mans Union Club 72 on a two-year contract, while still working with the national side.

Duarte was fired by Le Mans on 8 December 2009, becoming the first Ligue 1 manager casualty in the season, but still was on the bench for Burkina Faso's 2010 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, exiting in the group stage after one draw and one loss (the team was in Togo's group). On 17 February 2012, following three games and as many losses at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, he was fired.

On 29 April 2012, Duarte was appointed interim coach of the Gabon national team. He was sacked on 23 September of the following year, after failing to qualify the country for both the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

In late December 2015, after a brief club spell with Tunisia's CS Sfaxien, Duarte was again named manager of Burkina Faso. He led the latter to the third place at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, after a 1–0 win against Ghana in Port-Gentil.

Player eligibility controversy

Duarte selected players to play for the Burkina Faso national team who he believed were eligible to play for the nation after they married Burkinabé women. Namibia complained about the fielding of Herve Xavier Zengue in two 2012 CAN qualifying games, stating that the player was not eligible under FIFA's statutes.

Duarte also chose to play Zengue after the complaint was received by CAF, fielding him alongside Ghanaian-born Nii Plange in a 0–3 loss with South Africa in an August 2011 friendly.

External links

• Template:TheFinalBall
• Paulo Duarte at ForaDeJogo (archived)
• Paulo Duarte manager stats at ForaDeJogo (archived)
• Paulo Duarte at fussballdaten.de (in German)