José Bosingwa

Early life and career

Born in Mbandaka, Zaire to a Portuguese father and a Congolese mother, Bosingwa moved with his parents at a very young age to Seia in the Portuguese hinterland, in the Guarda District. He was the youngest of the couple's ten children. Bosingwa was picked as a youth to play for Boavista FC, making his professional debut on loan to S.C. Freamunde in the Segunda Liga and appearing sparingly as the northern club finished last. He started his career as a midfielder.

Porto

After two full seasons with Boavista, Bosingwa signed with neighbouring FC Porto – coached by José Mourinho – for 2003–04. He was used sparingly in his first year, playing in only 13 Primeira Liga games; he made his UEFA Champions League debut on 16 September 2003 in a 1–1 away draw against FK Partizan, appearing in a further seven matches in the club's victorious campaign. Fully established as a right-back and Porto's first-choice since 2004–05, after the departures of Paulo Ferreira and veteran Carlos Secretário, Bosingwa was a vital element in the team's conquest of another three league titles in four years. The campaign ended on a sour note as, in May, he was at the wheel of his jeep when excess speed and wet road conditions led to a serious accident, with the vehicle skidding off the motorway and rolling down an embankment before bursting into flames. Four other footballers travelled alongside him, including Boavista player Nélson. All escaped alive, but one of them,…

An attacking full-back, Bosingwa's pace and ability to get up and down the flanks created problems for the opposition.

Club

International

Due to his consistent performances at club level, Bosingwa received his first call-up to the Portugal national team in May 2007, for a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier away to Belgium, replacing Miguel in the second half of the 2–1 win on 2 June. Having overtaken the Valencia CF player as first-choice, he started all four matches in the final stages in Austria and Switzerland as the country exited in the quarter-finals, being included in the team of the tournament. Bosingwa also represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Although he played for the country at under-21 level, he was also eligible to represent the Democratic Republic of Congo if he made an application to apply in 2004; subsequently, he was invited by the African nation to appear for them in the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign. On 8 November 2011, Bosingwa withdrew himself from international football until the removal of manager Paulo Bento. The latter claimed that the player was left out of the Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina due to questions about his attitude and mentality; the Portuguese Football Federation criticized the player for his decision and the timing of his statement. After more than three years of absence, on 7 November 2014, Bosingwa was called up by new manager Fernando Santos for a Euro 2016 qualifier against Armenia and a friendly with Argentina.