Nélson Semedo facts for kids
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Semedo with Portugal at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Nélson Cabral Semedo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 November 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Right-back, right wing-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Sintrense | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Sintrense | 26 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Benfica B | 63 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | → Fátima (loan) | 29 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Benfica | 43 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Barcelona | 82 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2025 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 165 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Portugal U23 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015– | Portugal | 44 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:07, 25 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:42, 8 June 2025 (UTC) |
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Nélson Cabral Semedo (born on November 16, 1993) is a professional football player from Portugal. He plays as a right-back or right wing-back. He has played for the Portugal national team. Currently, he is a free agent, meaning he is not signed to a club.
Semedo started his football journey at Sintrense. He then joined Benfica in 2012. After a loan spell at Fátima, he played for Benfica's B team. He made his debut for Benfica's main team in 2015. With Benfica, he won two Primeira Liga titles in a row. In July 2017, he moved to Barcelona, where he won La Liga twice. In September 2020, Semedo joined Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He first played for the Portugal national team in October 2015. He has represented his country in major tournaments. These include the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals, UEFA Euro 2020, and UEFA Euro 2024.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Sintrense and Benfica
Nélson Semedo was born in Lisbon, Portugal. He grew up playing football in the youth system at Sintrense. He made his first team debut there when he was 17 years old. On January 12, 2012, he signed a five-year contract with Benfica. This contract started on July 1, 2012. He then spent one season on loan at Fátima. Fátima was a team in the third division of Portuguese football.
Semedo returned to Benfica in 2013. He was assigned to the B-team in the Segunda Liga. He made his professional debut on August 10 in a 0–0 draw against Trofense. After playing nearly 60 games for the reserve team, people saw him as a future star for Benfica's main team.
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Making a Mark at Benfica
After a key player left, Semedo extended his contract until 2021. He joined the first team for their pre-season tour in North America in July 2015. On August 9, 2015, he played his first game for the main squad. This was a 0–1 loss against Sporting CP in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. One week later, he scored his first goal for Benfica. It was against Estoril in the Primeira Liga, in a 4–0 home win.
Semedo became a regular starter for Benfica. However, he got injured in October 2015 while playing for Portugal. He needed surgery on his right knee and was out for about two months. He came back in January but struggled to find his best form. He ended up playing for the reserve team again that season.
In the 2016–17 season, Semedo regained his starting spot. He was one of Benfica's most played footballers. Benfica won their fourth league title in a row that season. He scored one league goal in a 2–1 away win against Arouca. He also scored in the UEFA Champions League in a 3–3 draw against Beşiktaş.
In the Taça de Portugal final on May 28, 2017, Semedo helped set up the second goal. Benfica won the trophy by beating Vitória de Guimarães 2–1. Because of his great performances, he won the Breakthrough Player of the Year award. This award is given by the Portuguese Football League.
Moving to Barcelona
On July 13, 2017, Barcelona announced they had agreed to sign Semedo. He signed a five-year contract the next day. Benfica received €30.5 million for the transfer. He made his debut for Barcelona on August 16. This was in the Supercopa de España against Real Madrid, which Barcelona lost 0–2.
Semedo played his first Champions League game for Barcelona on September 13, 2017. He was praised for his performance in a 3–0 win over Juventus. He scored his first goal for Barcelona in La Liga on January 27, 2019. This was in a 2–0 away win against Girona. His second goal came against Alavés in a 5–0 win, in the last match of that season.
Time at Wolverhampton Wanderers
On September 23, 2020, Semedo moved to the English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. He signed a three-year contract. The transfer fee was about €30 million.
Semedo made his debut for Wolves and his first appearance in the Premier League on September 27, 2020. This was in a 4–0 loss away to West Ham United. He played his first game at Molineux, Wolves' home ground, on October 4, 2020. This was a 1–0 victory over Fulham. He scored his first goal for Wolves on May 23, 2021. This was in the last game of the 2020–21 Premier League season, a 1–2 home loss to Manchester United.
Semedo got a hamstring injury in a game against Arsenal on February 24, 2022. This injury kept him out of action for several weeks. He had played in 23 of Wolves' 25 Premier League games that season before his injury. Semedo returned to play on April 24, 2022, in a Premier League game at Burnley.
On May 19, 2023, Wolves announced they had extended Semedo's contract for two more years. This means he will stay at the club until 2025.
On January 16, 2024, Semedo scored his first goal for Wolves in two years. This was in a 3–2 F.A. Cup Third Round replay win against Brentford. His previous goal for the club was also in the FA Cup, in January 2022. On December 13, 2024, Semedo was named the club captain, taking over from Mario Lemina.
International Career
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Nélson Semedo has roots in Cape Verde. He was called up to play for the Portugal national team on October 2, 2015. This was for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches. He earned his first cap (played his first game) in a 2–1 win against Serbia.
Semedo was chosen for Portugal's 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup team. He played in the last group stage match, a 4–0 win against New Zealand. He also played in the third-place game against Mexico. He was sent off in that game, but his team still won the bronze medal.
Semedo was included in Portugal's first 35-player squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, he was not chosen for the final 23-player squad. In October 2022, he was named in Portugal's preliminary squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Playing Style
Semedo is known for his speed and how well he controls the ball. He is also good at dribbling and keeping the ball close to him.
Honours and Awards
Team Honours
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2015–16, 2016–17
- Taça de Portugal: 2016–17
- Taça da Liga: 2015–16
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2016
Barcelona
- La Liga: 2017–18, 2018–19
- Copa del Rey: 2017–18
- Supercopa de España: 2018
Portugal
- UEFA Nations League: 2018–19, 2024–25
- FIFA Confederations Cup: Third place 2017
Individual Awards
- SJPF Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2016, 2017
- LPFP Primeira Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2016–17
- UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2017
- UEFA Nations League Finals Team of the Tournament: 2019
Personal Life
Nélson Semedo has two children, a daughter and a son. He enjoys chocolate chip ice cream.
See also
In Spanish: Nélson Semedo para niños
