Emílio Manuel Delgado Peixe (born 16 January 1973) is a Portuguese former footballer who played mainly as a defensive midfielder, currently manager of the Kuwait under-23 team.
A member of the dubbed Golden Generation who hailed from the Portugal youth teams,[2] he was one of the few to have represented all three major clubs in the country, Sporting CP, Porto and Benfica.[3]
Over the course of 14 seasons, Peixe amassed Primeira Liga totals of 172 games and four goals. In 2008, he started working as a manager.
Born in Nazaré, Peixe emerged from Sporting CP's prolific youth ranks, making his first-team debut shortly after another club great, Luís Figo. In the summer of 1991, already firmly established in the starting XI, he was essential in helping the Portuguese under-20s to win the FIFA World Cup in Lisbon, where he also received the Golden Ball.[4]
After helping Sporting, with Figo, to conquer the 1995 Taça de Portugal,[5] Peixe moved abroad to Sevilla FC, accompanying coach Toni. However, grossly unsettled, he left in the immediate winter transfer window, returning to the Lions but never regaining his previous form.[6]
Peixe then played five seasons at FC Porto,[7][8] with a six-month loan spell with F.C. Alverca in between. He retired in June 2004, after unassuming one-season stints with S.L. Benfica and U.D. Leiria.[9]
Also internationally, Peixe earned 12 caps with the full side, all between 18 and 20 years old.[10] He also helped Portugal to a fourth-place finish at the 1996 Summer Olympics.[11]
Peixe returned to the national team in 2008, being charged with coaching the under-16s. In the following years he worked with several of its youth sides, as both head and assistant manager.[12][13]
Both Peixe and Rui Bento left the Portuguese Football Federation set-up in August 2022, to take the helm at Kuwait's Olympic and senior teams, respectively.[14]
Sporting CP
Porto
Portugal
Individual
