Luís Loureiro

Luís Loureiro

Personal information
Full name	Luis Fernando da Graça Loureiro
Date of birth	(1976-12-04) 4 December 1976
Place of birth	Sintra, Portugal
Height
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1990–1992	Mucifalense
1992–1995	Sintrense
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1999	Sintrense	56	(14)
1999–2000	Portimonense	31	(3)
2000–2001	Nacional	30	(7)
2001–2004	Gil Vicente	85	(10)
2004	Braga	17	(1)
2005	Dynamo Moscow	4	(0)
2005–2007	Sporting CP	9	(1)
2006–2007	→ Estrela Amadora (loan)	18	(2)
2007	Anorthosis	2	(0)
2008	Boavista	13	(1)
2008–2009	Portimonense	14	(1)
2010–2011	Sintrense	16	(5)
Total		295	(45)
International career
2003	Portugal	6	(0)
Managerial career
2011–2012	Sintrense
2012–2013	Fátima
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Luis Fernando da Graça Loureiro (born 4 December 1976 in Sintra, Lisbon) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and a coach.

He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 142 games and 15 goals over the course of seven seasons, representing mainly in the competition Gil Vicente.

Club career

Having started his footballing career with hometown's Sport União Sintrense, Loureiro went on to represent Portimonense SC, C.D. Nacional, Gil Vicente FC (making his first division debuts in the 2001–02 season), S.C. Braga, Sporting Clube de Portugal and C.F. Estrela da Amadora, also serving uneventful abroad stints with FC Dynamo Moscow in Russia (February–July 2005) and Cyprus's Anorthosis Famagusta FC (August–December 2007).

Arguably, his biggest career moment came with Sporting: a spectacular goal, topping a great game in a 2–1 home win against S.L. Benfica during the 2005–06 campaign. However, he was never more than a utility player there, collecting only 14 appearances all competitions comprised.

On 1 November 2007, Anorthosis coach Temuri Ketsbaia called him lazy and said that he was 'still on vacation', implying that the midfielder had not yet displayed the calibre of football he was brought to the club for. Eventually, in January 2008, Loureiro and Anorthosis parted ways, and the player returned to Portugal, signing until the end of the season with northern Boavista FC.

In July 2008, after Boavista's top flight relegation, Loureiro also dropped down a level, returning to Algarve's Portimonense and being released at the end of the campaign. After one year out of football he re-joined first professional team Sintrense, in the fourth division.

International career

Loureiro gained six caps for Portugal, all in 2003 and as a Gil Vicente player. His first came in the 0–2 loss to Italy on 12 February in a friendly match, and he last played in a 4–0 win over Bolivia on 10 June, in another exhibition game.

External links

• Luís Loureiro at footballzz.co.uk
• Luís Loureiro profile at ForaDeJogo
• Luís Loureiro at National-Football-Teams.com

• Sidney settles for Braga; UEFA.com, 8 July 2005
• A hora de Loureiro (Loureiro's time); Record, 24 March 2006 (Portuguese)
• Portugal frente à Itália: Muito tempo a ver jogar (Portugal against Italy: Too much time watching others play); Record, 13 February 2003 (Portuguese)
• Portugal frente à Bolívia: Cabeças no ar arrasaram (Portugal against Bolivia: Heads in the air the destroyers); Record, 11 June 2003 (Portuguese)