Cédric Soares

Sporting

Born in Singen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany to Portuguese parents, Cédric returned to Portugal at the age of two. He joined Sporting CP's youth system in 1998, aged seven. Cédric made his Primeira Liga debut with the first team on 8 May 2011, starting in a 0–1 home loss against Vitória de Setúbal. For 2011–12 he, alongside teammate Adrien Silva, was loaned to fellow top division club Académica, where he played regularly and won that season's Taça de Portugal, playing the full 90 minutes in the 1–0 triumph against Sporting. Subsequently, Cédric returned to the Lisbon side, being first-choice in the following years under several managers. He scored his first goal in the Portuguese top division on 15 December 2012, netting with his left foot from 30 metres in a 1–1 draw away to Nacional. In the domestic cup final on 31 May 2015, against Braga, Cédric was sent off in the 14th minute after conceding a penalty with a foul on Djavan, but Sporting eventually won in a shoot-out.

Southampton

On 18 June 2015, Cédric was announced as the second summer signing for Southampton on a four-year contract, with the English club paying up to €6.5 million (£4.7 million) for his services. He made his debut on 30 July, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 home win over Vitesse for the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. Ten days later, he first appeared in the Premier League, assisting the opening goal for Graziano Pellè in a 2–2 draw away to Newcastle…

Cédric was part of the Portuguese under-20 team called up for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia, eventually finishing the tournament in second place. He played ten times with the Portuguese under-21s, his debut occurring on 1 September 2011 in a 2–0 win in Moldova for the 2013 UEFA European Championship qualifiers. His maiden appearance with the senior team was on 11 October 2014, as he started in a 1–2 friendly defeat to France in Paris. Cédric was selected by manager Fernando Santos for his UEFA Euro 2016 squad. His first game in the tournament took place on 25 June, when he started alongside Southampton teammate José Fonte in the round-of-16 clash against Croatia (1–0 win after extra time). He went on to retain his position until the final, won at the expense of hosts France. He scored his first goal for his country on 17 June 2017, netting in the 86th minute of an eventual 2–2 group stage draw to Mexico at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup at the Kazan Arena in Russia. In May 2018, he was named in Portugal's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In March 2021, Cédric was recalled to the national team for the first time since 2019, for the World Cup qualifying games. On 27 March, he started and provided an assist in a 2–2 draw against Serbia; this was his first game for Portugal since October 2018. In October 2022, he was named in Portugal's preliminary 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Club

As of match played 27 July 2025

International

As of match played 27 March 2021

As of match played 27 March 2021. Portugal score listed first, score column indicates score after each Cédric goal.

Académica

Taça de Portugal: 2011–12 Sporting

Taça de Portugal: 2014–15 Southampton

EFL Cup runner-up: 2016–17 Arsenal

FA Community Shield: 2020 Portugal U20

FIFA U-20 World Cup runner-up: 2011 Portugal

UEFA European Championship: 2016 Orders

Knight of the Order of Prince Henry Commander of the Order of Merit