Nené (footballer, born 1979)

Portuguese-born Cape Verdean footballer

NenéPersonal information

Full name|  Adriano Barbosa Miranda da Luz[1]
Date of birth|  (1979-08-24) 24 August 1979 (age 45)[1]
Place of birth|  Lisbon, Portugal[1]
Height|  1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s)|  Midfielder
Youth career
1989–1991|  Águias da Póvoa
1991–1994|  Ponte Frielas
1994–1997|  Odivelas
1997–1998|  Boavista
Senior career*
Years|  Team|  Apps|  (Gls)
1998–1999|  Marco|  25|  (2)
1999–2000|  Vilafranquense|  35|  (2)
2000–2002|  Gondomar|  45|  (5)
2002|  Braga B|  11|  (2)
2002–2005|  Braga|  38|  (0)
2004|  → Çaykur Rizespor (loan)|  5|  (0)
2004–2005|  → Aves (loan)|  31|  (3)
2005–2006|  União Leiria|  5|  (0)
2006|  → Aves (loan)|  13|  (3)
2006–2007|  Aves|  18|  (1)
2007|  Al Arabi|  |
2008|  Enosis Neon|  12|  (0)
2009|  Pontevedra|  18|  (0)
2009–2010|  Braşov|  9|  (0)
2010–2012|  Arouca|  49|  (0)
2012–2013|  Covilhã|  47|  (1)
2014|  Famalicão|  14|  (2)
2014–2019|  Vilaverdense|  159|  (20)
Total|  |  534|  (41)
International career
2004–2008|  Cape Verde|  14|  (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Adriano Barbosa Miranda da Luz (born 24 August 1979), commonly known as Nené, is a Cape Verdean former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.

## Club career

[edit]

Born in the capital Lisbon, Nené spent most of his professional career in Portugal. After starting out in the lower leagues, he signed in early 2002 with Primeira Liga club S.C. Braga from Gondomar SC,[2] 31 of his 38 league games with the Minho team coming in the 2002–03 season, in a 14th-place finish.[3]

After definitively leaving Braga (which also loaned him twice during his spell), Nené signed with U.D. Leiria which in turn loaned him to C.D. Aves, with the latter side promoting to the top division at the end of 2005–06. The move was subsequently made permanent, and the player was relatively used the following campaign – 1,131 minutes, one goal in a 2–1 away loss against Boavista FC,[4] whom he had represented as a youth – which ended in immediate relegation.

Nené rarely settled in the following years, playing in Kuwait, Cyprus, Spain and Romania. In 2010–11, aged 31, he returned to his birth nation and joined F.C. Arouca, promoted for the first time ever to the second tier. On 12 July 2012, he switched to S.C. Covilhã of the same league.[5]

In the summer of 2014, following a brief spell with F.C. Famalicão, Nené moved to the lower leagues with Vilaverdense FC, going on to retire well past his 30s.[6][7]

## International career

[edit]

Nené was part of the Cape Verde squad which progressed to the second stage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, appearing in six out of 12 possible matches. The national team finished second bottom in their group, failing to qualify for both the competition in Germany and the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Nené" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
2. ^ "Nené promete disputar lugar com Glauber" [Nené promises to fight for a place with Glauber]. Record (in Portuguese). 22 August 2002. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
3. ^ "Jesualdo regressa a uma casa que ajudou a crescer" [Jesualdo returns to a home he helped grow]. Record (in Portuguese). 6 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
4. ^ "Boavista-Aves, 2–1 (Ricardo Silva 74, Linz 90+2; Nené 9)". Record (in Portuguese). 4 November 2006. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
5. ^ "Nené chegou a acordo por uma época" [Nené agreed to one season] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
6. ^ Nogueira, Carlos (12 December 2017). "Vilaverdense em Alvalade para "continuar a fazer história"" [Vilaverdense at Alvalade to "keep making history"]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 5 April 2020.
7. ^ Sepúlveda, António (20 June 2018). "Nené continua no Vilaverdense FC" [Nené continues in Vilaverdense FC]. Desportivo Vale do Homem (in Portuguese). Retrieved 5 April 2020.
8. ^ Nené – FIFA competition record (archived)

## External links

[edit]

* Nené at ForaDeJogo (archived)
* Nené at BDFutbol
* Nené at National-Football-Teams.com
* Nené at Soccerway

*[Apps]: League appearances
*[Gls]: League goals