Simão Sabrosa
Simão Sabrosa
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Simão Sabrosa

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Simão Sabrosa

Simão Pedro da Fonseca Sabrosa OIH (born 31 October 1979), known mononymously as Simão (Portuguese pronunciation: [siˈmɐ̃w]), is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played mainly as a left winger, with dribbling and set piece skills as primary attributes.

Having played in his country for two of the three biggest teams in the nation, Benfica and Sporting, he also spent several years of his professional career in Spain, notably with Atlético Madrid. He won the 2004–05 national championship with the first club and the 2010 Europa League with the third, amongst other accolades; he amassed Primeira Liga totals of 225 games and 87 goals over nine seasons, adding 219 La Liga matches and 26 goals in service of Barcelona, Atlético and Espanyol.

Over a 12-year span, Simão represented Portugal in two World Cups and as many European Championships, helping it finish second at Euro 2004 and reach the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup.

Born in Vila Real, Simão started his career at Sporting CP, whose youth system had just produced Luís Figo.

During his two-year spell he played 62 competitive games with the first team, his first goal coming in his debut at only 17 in a 3–0 away win against S.C. Salgueiros.

Simão moved to FC Barcelona in the 1999 off-season on a £10 million transfer, partnering with Figo in his first year as they finished second in La Liga to Deportivo de La Coruña. On 21 October 2000, in a match remembered for his compatriot's treatment by Barça fans on his return to the Camp Nou in the colours of new team Real Madrid, he scored in a 2–0 El Clásico win.

In 2001, after a comparatively low-key tenure at the Spanish club under manager Louis van Gaal, Simão spoke of his desire for a move back to Sporting. However, he signed with city rivals S.L. Benfica for €12 million.

Simão instantly became a fan-favorite as his new team, quickly acquiring the status of captain. Also, during his six-year stint, he always finished as their top scorer, also ranking high in the global domestic charts, notably in the 2002–03 season as he scored a Primeira Liga and career-best 18 goals.

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