Russell Latapy

Portugal

In 1990, aged 22, after playing in his country and in Jamaica, Latapy moved to Portugal and signed for Académica de Coimbra, playing four years in the second division. During his spell in Coimbra, he appeared in nearly 150 official games, and scored eighteen goals in his last two seasons combined, but the club failed to win promotion. He also credited coach Vítor Manuel as one of the coaches he admired the most. Latapy's performances with Académica saw him signed by FC Porto. Under Bobby Robson, he helped the club to back-to-back national championships, being used regularly in his second year (twenty-six games, five goals). Also, he earned the distinction of being the first Trinidadian to play in the UEFA Champions League. In summer of 1996, Latapy signed with city neighbours Boavista FC. On 29 October, he scored twice in a 5–0 home win against FC Dinamo Tbilisi in that season's UEFA Europa League (5–1 on aggregate), and was also part of the squad that won the campaign's Portuguese Cup, even though he did not play in the final against S.L. Benfica (3–2).

Scotland

In the 1998 off-season, Latapy was recruited by manager Alex McLeish to join Scottish First Division side Hibernian. He quickly became a fan favourite at his new club and earned numerous team accolades, including two Player of the Year awards and a Scottish Division 1 Player of the Year award; he also contributed with six goals in twenty-three games in an eventual promotion to the Premier…

Latapy's debut for Trinidad and Tobago was on 30 October 1988, in a 0–0 home draw against Honduras for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He was part of the squad known as the Strike Squad whom, needing only one point in its last game to qualify for the finals in Italy, was defeated 1–0 at home by the United States. In 2005, after four years without one single appearance, Latapy returned to the national team following the intervention of his friend Yorke – who had done the same the previous year – and FIFA vice-president Austin "Jack" Warner. His first match in his second spell was a 3–2 home win over Guatemala in which he scored, and he took part in a further five contests in the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, including both games in the decisive playoffs against Bahrain, with the Soca Warriors qualifying to the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history. Latapy's input in the finals in Germany consisted of 25 minutes in the 2–0 loss against Paraguay, in an eventual group stage exit. The national team returned to a hero's welcome at Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and, in recognition of their achievements, each member of the team was awarded Trinidad and Tobago's second highest honour, the Chaconia Medal in gold, and TT$1,000,000 (roughly US$160,000 at the time).

Trinidad & Tobago

Latapy became assistant to Trinidad and Tobago manager Francisco Maturana and, following the Colombian's resignation in April 2009, was appointed his successor. In his first game on 6 June, the team lost 3–2 at home to Costa Rica in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, thereby falling to last in the group. On 13 January 2011, it was confirmed by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association that Latapy would cease his duties as national manager, as the team failed to qualify to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup after being eliminated before the semi-final stage of the 2010 Caribbean Cup. In his 23 games in charge, he recorded nine wins, three draws and eleven losses.

Assistant

In January 2014, Latapy was working as an assistant coach for former club Boavista. He then linked up again with John Hughes, becoming his assistant at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Latapy helped Inverness win the 2014–15 Scottish Cup. He left the club in July 2015, as he sought to become a manager in his own right. On 2 January 2017, Latapy became an assistant coach of the Soca Warriors where he worked along with its head coach Tom Saintfiet at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Barbados

On 1 April 2019, Latapy became manager of the Barbados national team on a two-year contract. His team won promotion from the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League C on goal difference after a 3–0 final-day win over the Cayman Islands, but fell 8–1 to Bermuda in the ensuing 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup…

Born in Port of Spain, Latapy was first noted playing organised football at under-10 level. As a youth he played in the Trinidad and Tobago Secondary School's Football League, and was called up to the national under-16 and under-19 teams. When he was 19 years old, Latapy had an opportunity to attend Florida International University, but he chose to continue with his football career. This decision was supported by his mother despite the fact that in the 1980s very few Trinidadians were noted to have had careers in the sport that allowed them to earn a decent living.