Pedro Emanuel

Pedro Emanuel was born in Luanda, Portuguese Angola. After three seasons as a professional in Portugal's secondary leagues, with Marco, Ovarense and Penafiel, his performances caught the eye of scouts from Porto club Boavista, where he had already played as a youth. During his six-year stay in the team he played a large part in the defensive wall – with fellow stopper Litos, fullbacks Nuno Frechaut and Erivan and goalkeeper Ricardo – that led them to the historical Primeira Liga title in 2001; after Litos left for Málaga, he captained the team. Prior to the start of the 2002–03 campaign, Benfica seemed closer to clinching a deal, but it was Porto, under the guidance of José Mourinho, who signed Pedro Emanuel. Part of a strong defense that included Jorge Costa, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Nuno Valente, his always effective style earned him the confidence of his manager, and he played in both the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals won between 2003 and 2004. In the season following the departure of Mourinho, Pedro Emanuel still managed to appear in the spotlight, as in the 2004 Intercontinental Cup win against Once Caldas, where he scored the decisive penalty, becoming the last player to touch the ball in the competition's history. In 2005–06, following the decision of Dutch coach Co Adriaanse not wanting a goalkeeper captain (Vítor Baía) and sidelining Costa, Pedro Emanuel was chosen as new captain. He missed the entire following season due to injury, but…

Although Angolan-born, Pedro Emanuel never appeared for its national team. This was viewed as a desire to keep alive the possibility of playing for Portugal, whom he represented as a youth. Prior to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Pedro Emanuel accepted a call-up from Angola but FIFA confirmed that he and Carlos Chaínho could not represent other teams than Portugal, because of a new law set-up in 2004 which considered playing for junior sides at international level.

Youth and assistant

After only five matches in 2008–09, in a fourth consecutive league accolade, Pedro Emanuel retired on 16 June 2009. He immediately became Porto's under-17 head coach, guiding them to the national championship after defeating Sporting CP. In July 2010, Pedro Emanuel returned to Porto's main squad, being named assistant manager to newly appointed André Villas-Boas.

Primeira Liga and Cyprus

In June 2011, Pedro Emanuel had his first head coach experience, being appointed at Académica de Coimbra. In his first season with the Students, Pedro Emanuel narrowly avoided relegation from the top flight. He also led the side to their first Taça de Portugal since 1939, notably defeating former club Porto 3–0 at home in the fourth round and Sporting in the final (1–0). Pedro Emanuel took over at recently promoted Arouca on 6 June 2013. After helping evade top-tier relegation by five points, he left the club on 25 May 2015. On 10 June 2015, Pedro Emanuel moved abroad for the first time in his career, taking over at Apollon Limassol of the Cypriot First Division; his team already included three compatriots. He won the cup and supercup in his first season, but was sacked on 11 December 2016. Pedro Emanuel went back to his country and signed as manager of Estoril on 8 March 2017. On 21 October of that year, as the side ranked last in the league and had already been ousted from the domestic cup by lowly Farense, he was relieved of his duties.

Middle…

Player

Boavista

Primeira Liga: 2000–01 Taça de Portugal: 1996–97 Porto

Primeira Liga: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09 Taça de Portugal: 2002–03, 2005–06, 2008–09 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2003, 2004 UEFA Champions League: 2003–04 UEFA Cup: 2002–03 Intercontinental Cup: 2004

Manager

Académica

Taça de Portugal: 2011–12 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira runner-up: 2012 Apollon

Cypriot Cup: 2015–16 Cypriot Super Cup: 2016 Al Taawoun

King's Cup: 2019 Individual

Saudi Pro League Manager of the Month: January 2023