Pizzi

Footballer

▸ Source: Wikidata

Pizzi is a Portuguese association football player born in 1989.

Luis Miguel Afonso Fernandes, known as Pizzi, primarily played as a central midfielder.

Pizzi began his career with GD Bragança in the third tier of Portuguese football in 2007.

Based on: Wikidata, Wikipedia

Biography

Early Life

Luis Miguel Afonso Fernandes, known as Pizzi, was born in 1989 in Bragança, Portugal. His nickname originated from his childhood, where he played in a replica Barcelona jersey, inspired by the club's striker Juan Antonio Pizzi. He began his football journey with his hometown club, GD Bragança, in 2007, marking the start of his professional career.

Career Development

Pizzi's career took off when he joined S.C. Braga in 2008, although he spent much of his early years on loan to various clubs, including S.C. Covilhã and F.C. Paços de Ferreira. His time at Paços de Ferreira was particularly notable; he scored seven league goals in the 2010-11 season and made headlines with a hat-trick against Porto. In 2011, he moved to Atlético Madrid, where he made his La Liga debut and contributed to their UEFA Europa League victory in 2012.

After a brief stint at RCD Espanyol, Pizzi joined S.L. Benfica in 2013, where he enjoyed significant success, winning multiple Primeira Liga titles and domestic cups. He also represented the Portugal national team, making his debut in 2012 and participating in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Legacy

Pizzi's contributions to football have been recognized through numerous individual accolades, including being named the Primeira Liga Player of the Year for the 2016-17 season. His impressive statistics and performances have solidified his reputation as a talented midfielder in Portuguese football, leaving a lasting impact on the clubs he has played for and the national team.

Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed

Wikidata Instagram

Gallery

Career & Clubs

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pizzi goal.

▸ Source: Wikipedia

Club career

Early years

Born in Bragança, Pizzi earned his nickname from playing as a child in a replica Barcelona jersey when Juan Antonio Pizzi was the Spanish club's striker. He began his career with hometown club Bragança in the third tier in 2007. A year later, he joined Primeira Liga club Braga, spending most of his time out on loan and making his first professional appearances with Covilhã of the Segunda Liga in 2009. On 10 January 2010, he joined top-flight club Paços de Ferreira. In 2010–11, Pizzi scored seven league goals for Paços, only missing three league matches. On 8 May 2011, he netted a hat-trick in a 3–3 draw at Porto, which turned out to be the only home league game that the eventual champions failed to win during the season. He scored twice on 3 March in a 4–3 win at Nacional to qualify the team for the 2011 Taça da Liga Final.

Spain

On 30 August 2011, Pizzi moved to Spanish team Atlético Madrid, on loan until the end of the year, after which the Colchoneros had an option to buy the player permanently for €13.5 million, which they did in October of the following year. He made his La Liga debut on 18 September 2011, replacing also newly signed Radamel Falcao midway through the second half of a 4–0 home win against Racing de Santander. He scored his only Atlético goal to open a 3–2 win over Levante also at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on 20 November, totalling 15 appearances of which three were in the victorious UEFA Europa League campaign. Along…

▸ Source: Wikipedia

International career

Pizzi made his debut for Portugal on 14 November 2012 in a friendly with Gabon, scoring through a penalty in an eventual 2–2 draw in Libreville. He was selected for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, playing two matches as the Portuguese finished third.

▸ Source: Wikipedia

Club: Deportivo de A Coruña (2012–2013)
Club: S.C. Braga (2008–2012)
Club: S.L. Benfica (2013–)
Club: RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (2013–2014)
Club: GD Bragança (2007–2007)
Club: G.D. Ribeirão (2008–2009)
Club: S.C. Covilhã (2009–2009)
Club: F.C. Paços de Ferreira (2010–2011)
Club: Atlético Madrid (2011–2012)
Club: Atlético Madrid (2012–2013)
Club: Portugal national under-19 football team (2008–2008)
Club: Portugal national under-21 football team (2010–2011)
Club: Portugal men's national football team (2012–)
Club: Udinese Calcio
National team: Portugal

Legacy

Honours

Paços de Ferreira

Taça da Liga runner-up: 2010–11 Atlético Madrid

UEFA Europa League: 2011–12 Benfica

Primeira Liga: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19 Taça de Portugal: 2016–17; runner-up: 2020–21 Taça da Liga: 2014–15, 2015–16 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2016, 2017, 2019 Braga

Taça da Liga: 2023–24 Portugal

UEFA Nations League: 2018–19 FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2017 Individual

Primeira Liga Midfielder of the Month: August 2018, October/November 2019, December 2019 Primeira Liga Player of the Month: October/November 2016, December 2016, August 2018, August 2019, December 2019 SJPF Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2016, 2017 LPFP Primeira Liga Player of the Year: 2016–17 UEFA Primeira Liga Best Player: 2018–19, 2019–20 Primeira Liga top scorer: 2019–20 Primeira Liga top assist provider: 2016–17, 2018–19, 2019–20 UEFA Europa League top scorer: 2020–21 (joint – 7 goals)

▸ Source: Wikipedia

Clubs

Played together with

Discussion

Opinions of fans — not verified facts.

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