Manucho

Early career

Manucho began his football career at Flaminguinhos, a small youth football club from Terra Nova, Luanda, where he lived. Under the guidance of his coach and father, Alberto Gonçalves, Manucho plied his trade as a left winger, becoming one of the club's top stars. Upon turning professional, Manucho signed for Benfica de Luanda, a mid-table club in the Angolan league. He then moved to Luanda-based side Petro Atlético, where he initially struggled to break into the team due to the presence of striker Flávio Amado. After Flávio joined Egyptian side Al Ahly, Manucho began to establish himself in the side, scoring 16 goals in 2006 and 15 in 2007.

Manchester United, loans at Panathinaikos and Hull City

On 21 December 2007, it was announced that Manucho had agreed to sign for English Premier League champions Manchester United. He joined the club in January 2008 on a three-year contract. Prior to the announcement, Manucho had been on a three-week trial with the Manchester club, during which he managed to impress United manager Alex Ferguson enough to earn himself a contract. On 31 January 2008, it was reported that Manucho was due to head out on loan to Greek team Panathinaikos for the remainder of the 2007–08 season, due to complications obtaining a work permit, with a view to him gaining valuable first team experience. Ferguson announced on 1 February that Manucho had indeed been loaned out to Panathinaikos until the end of the season. The loan period…

Manucho plays international football for Angola. He was a member of the Angolan squad during his nation's successful qualification campaign for the 2008 African Cup of Nations. In January 2008, he was named in the Angolan squad for the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana. He scored the opening goal in Angola's first game against South Africa, and struck a further two goals in their second match against Senegal in a 3–1 win. On 4 February, Manucho scored Angola's only goal in a 2–1 loss to Egypt. Although the result meant Angola were knocked out of the tournament, Manucho's 25-yard effort was described as "the goal of the tournament so far". At the end of the tournament, Manucho was included in the "Best XI", a team of the best players in each position. In the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, he scored from the penalty spot in the opening game for Angola in the 4–4 draw with Mali. In the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, he scored a long-range effort against Burkina Faso. In Angola's next match, Manucho scored a brace in a 2–2 draw against Sudan. In Angola's next match against Ivory Coast, Manucho couldn't save the team to go to the Quarter Final of African Cup Of Nations as Ivory Coast beat Angola 2–0. Despite Angola's elimination in the group stage, Manucho's three goals meant he finished as the tournament's joint-top scorer, along with Houssine Kharja of Morocco, Christopher Katongo and Emmanuel Mayuka of Zambia, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon, Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast and…

Rayo Vallecano

Segunda División: 2017–18 Angola

COSAFA Cup runner-up: 2006 Individual

Girabola Top Scorer: 2006, 2007 African Cup of Nations top goal scorer: 2012 African Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2012