Introduction
André Filipe Alves Monteiro (born 16 March 1988), known as Ukra, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Fateh SC mainly as a forward.
Club career
Born in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Braga District, Ukra began playing football for hometown's F.C. Famalicão, moving at age 13 to FC Porto to complete his formation. In the 2007–08 campaign he got his first taste of first-team football, spending one season on loan to another northern club, Varzim S.C. in the second division.
In the following two years, Ukra continued in the same predicament, now south with S.C. Olhanense: he scored six goals in 30 matches in his debut season, helping the Algarve team return to the Primeira Liga after 34 years. In November 2009, it was reported that the player was being scouted by Newcastle United of the Football League Championship after an under-21 match against England at Wembley in which he played the full 90 minutes.
In January 2011, Ukra was loaned to S.C. Braga, contributing solidly as the Minho side finished fourth and qualified to the UEFA Europa League by netting twice, notably in a 3–1 home win against Vitória de Guimarães in a local derby. He did not participate in the club's Europa League runner-up campaign, being cup-tied after having appeared in the competition for Porto.
Ukra was again loaned to Braga for 2011–12, spending however the better part of the season on the sidelines due to injury.
International career
In mid-2009, courtesy of his solid Olhanense displays, Ukra was summoned for the Portuguese under-21s. He represented the nation at the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, and also took part in the unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the 2007 European Under-21 Championship.
Ukra made his debut for the full side on 31 March 2015, coming on as a 46th minute substitute for João Mário in a 0–2 friendly defeat against Cape Verde in Estoril.
Personal life
Ukra's nickname derives from his youth, when his thin-blond hair led to him being called "Ukrainian" ("Ucraniano" in Portuguese), which was then shortened to "Ukra".
Club statistics
- As of 30 January 2012
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Varzim | 2007–08 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 |
| Total | 21 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
| Olhanense | 2008–09 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 7 |
| 2009–10 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |
| Total | 58 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 8 | |
| Porto | 2010–11 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| Braga | 2010–11 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| 2011–12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | |
| Career total | 93 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 112 | 12 | |