Introduction
Simão Pedro Fonseca Sabrosa, OIH (born 31 October 1979), known mononymously as Simão (Portuguese pronunciation: [siˈmɐ̃w̃]), is a former Portuguese footballer who played mainly as a left winger, with dribbling and set piece skills as primary attributes.
Having played in his country for two of the three biggest teams in the nation, Benfica and Sporting, he also spent several years of his professional career in Spain, notably with Atlético Madrid. He won the 2004–05 national championship with the first club and the 2010 Europa League with the third, amongst other accolades.
Over a 12-year span, Simão represented Portugal in two World Cups and as many European Championships, helping it finish second at Euro 2004 and reach the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup.
Club career
Sporting
Born in the village of Constantim in Vila Real, Simão started his career at Sporting Clube de Portugal, whose youth system had just produced Luís Figo – and later Cristiano Ronaldo.
During his two-year spell he played in more than 60 official games with the first team, his first goal coming in his debut at only 17 in a 3–0 away win against Gil Vicente FC.
Barcelona
Simão moved to FC Barcelona in the summer of 1999 on a £10 million transfer, partnering with Figo in his first year as they finished second in La Liga to Deportivo de La Coruña. On 21 October 2000, in a match remembered for his compatriot's treatment by Barça fans on his return to the Camp Nou in the colours of new team Real Madrid, he scored in a 2–0 El Clásico win.
In 2001, after a comparatively low-key tenure at the Spanish club under manager Louis van Gaal, Simão spoke of his desire for a move back to Sporting. However, he signed with city rivals S.L. Benfica for €12 million.
Benfica
Simão instantly became a fan-favorite as his new team, quickly acquiring the status of captain. Also, during his six-year stint, he always finished as the club's top scorer, also ranking high in the global domestic charts, notably in the 2002–03 season as he scored a Primeira Liga and career-best 18 goals.
In the following campaign, Simão scored Benfica's second goal in a 2–1 extra-time victory over FC Porto in the final of the Taça de Portugal, ending the club's eight-year silverware drought. In 2004–05, as the side won the national championship after an 11-year wait, he played in all the matches and minutes, netting 15 times. They also reached the domestic cup final in a 1–2 loss against Vitória de Setúbal, with him scoring the losing side's goal through a fourth-minute penalty; in the campaign's UEFA Cup he also appeared in all the matches, netting four times including twice against Dukla Banská Bystrica in a 3–0 away triumph, with his team eventually reaching the round-of-32.
The 2005 summer transfer window saw Simão targeted by Liverpool in an offer worth approximately £12 million, though negotiations reportedly failed over Benfica's increase in asking price. He continued his excellent form into 2005–06, helping his side in the UEFA Champions League campaign, where they made it to the quarter-finals.
Simão played in eight of Benfica's ten matches in the tournament, including the 1–2 loss at Manchester United in the group stage, firing his team level shortly before the hour with an exquisite free-kick, after he himself had been fouled by Alan Smith. In the knockout stages he helped stun title holders Liverpool, unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top left-hand corner of Pepe Reina's goal, as the Portuguese won 2–0 at Anfield and 3–0 overall.
The following year several clubs, such as Manchester United and again Liverpool also revealed interest in Simão, but he decided to stay at Benfica.
Atlético Madrid
Finally, on 26 July 2007, Atlético Madrid reached an agreement to sign Simão from Benfica for a fee of €20 million. During his first two seasons, in which he was an undisputed starter, he scored seven goals apiece, as the club finished fourth in the top division on both occasions.
On 12 April 2009 Simão entered in the hundred-year history of the capital club, by scoring its 4,000th goal in the league with a left-footed diagonal shot against Deportivo. In the 2009 summer he became one of Atlético's captains for the new campaign, receiving that role from coach Abel Resino after a reshuffle; as the Colchoneros underachieved overall, he scored in the Champions League at APOEL FC in a 1–1 away draw, a goal that secured the club's place in the season's UEFA Europa League.
On 14 January 2010, Simão scored twice to lead Atlético to a 5–1 home victory over Recreativo de Huelva and into the Copa del Rey's last-eight (5–4 aggregate win), including a late goal that decided the tie from a superbly taken freekick. He also grabbed an important goal in the Europa League against Galatasaray SK as the team eventually won the competition, with the player appearing in the final against Fulham.
After a disappointing previous campaign, Simão began the 2010–11 season on a high note, scoring three goals in the first seven games – notably in a 1–1 draw at Valencia CF on 22 September 2010 – and starting in 15 out of the 16 matches he appeared in. He also captained the side more frequently due to the absence of Antonio López, most notably in the UEFA Super Cup's 2–0 defeat of Inter Milan, where he set up a goal for Sergio Agüero.
Beşiktaş
On 22 December 2010, aged 31, Sabrosa signed with Süper Lig team Beşiktaş JK for €900,000, reuniting with Portugal teammates Hugo Almeida and Ricardo Quaresma. On 11 May 2011, he scored the decisive penalty in the shootout as Beşiktaş won the Turkish Cup against İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor (4–3, 2–2 after extra time).
Simão faced his previous team in the 2011–12 Europa League round-of-16, scoring in a 1–3 loss at the Vicente Calderón Stadium (1–6 on aggregate).
Espanyol
Simão joined RCD Espanyol on a free transfer on 17 August 2012, signing a two-year contract. He scored his first goal with his new club on 7 December, featuring as a second-half substitute for Rui Fonte and heading in from a corner kick in an eventual 2–2 home draw against Sevilla FC.
Simão was released by Espanyol on 22 May 2014, alongside Joan Capdevila. In April 2015, having been inactive for ten months, he said that he was finding it difficult to attract a new club at the age of 35, and was considering the possibility of entering management.
NorthEast United
On 25 June 2015, Indian Super League club NorthEast United FC announced they had signed Simão as a marquee player. He captained the team in his debut match on 9 September, also scoring in the friendly with AmaZulu FC.
Initially sidelined by injury, Simão made his competitive debut on 20 October against Chennaiyin FC at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, replacing Francis Dadzie after 74 minutes and winning a last-minute penalty which he converted to open a 2–0 win which gave the team their first points of the season. On 3 November, immediately after replacing compatriot Silas, he scored a free kick which earned his team a 1–1 draw at Delhi Dynamos FC; four days later from the penalty spot, he decided an away win at Atlético de Kolkata.
Post-retirement
Simão returned to Benfica on 14 September 2017, being appointed head of international relations after longtime club and international teammate Nuno Gomes, who had just left his post as director of the Caixa Futebol Campus academy in Seixal, rejected the offer.
International career
Simão's path to the Portugal national team began when he won the UEFA European Under-16 Championship in 1996. The following year he began playing for the under-18s, being a regular in the under-21 side two years later.
Simão made his full debut for Portugal at only 19 years of age, scoring on 18 November 1998 against Israel, but was not included in the squad for UEFA Euro 2000. He also did not make the list for the 2002 FIFA World Cup due to injury, but he did participate at Euro 2004, where hosts Portugal finished in second place. In this tournament he played in three of his country's six matches, his most notable appearance coming against England in the quarter-finals: he came on as a second-half substitute and seized on Frank Lampard's wayward pass and crossed for Hélder Postiga, who headed in unmarked scoring the equalizing goal in the late minutes of the game, bringing it to extra time and an eventual successful penalty shootout, where he scored on his attempt.
Simão was also selected for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, finishing fourth overall. He played in all of the matches in the tournament, scoring only one goal on the 24th minute against Mexico, in a 2–1 group stage win; on 1 July, in the quarter-finals, Portugal and England met again in a penalty shootout (0–0 after 120 minutes) and he helped to another victory, netting his attempt for the final 3–1 win.
In Euro 2008, Simão played in three of Portugal's matches and did not find the net, as the nation was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Germany. While many looked at Ronaldo as the star of the national side, it was Simão who proved to be the matchwinner in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, finishing as team top scorer with four goals including two in a 3–0 home win against Hungary.
Simão was selected for the finals in South Africa: a starter from the second group stage match he scored precisely in that game, through a right-footed low shot in a 7–0 routing of North Korea on 21 June 2010. On 27 August he stepped down from the national squad, citing personal reasons, and earned 85 caps during his 12-year spell, netting 22 goals.
Outside football
Personal life
Simão was married to Filipa Valente for ten years, before their divorce in August 2011. The couple had a daughter and a son together. In 2014, he fathered a son who was also given his name, born to Vanessa Rebelo, the ex-wife of his former Benfica teammate Bruno Aguiar.
In March 2009, Simão took leave from Atlético to aid in the search for Diogo, the four-year-old son of his elder brother Serafim, who was reported missing when playing in the sea off Matosinhos. It was later confirmed that he had drowned.
Other ventures
Simão launched a DVD named "Como Se Faz um Campeão" ("How To Make A Champion"), where he teaches children how to play football. There, he addresses the basic technical elements of football: passing, receiving, free crossings or shootouts are explained in detail using elaborate technical effects of television, in a production unprecedented in national DVD history.
Additionally, Sabrosa was the protagonist of a new campaign for the Sport TV HD, a high-definition channel offered by ZON Multimédia. It was shot on the outskirts of Lisbon, at Estádio Nacional, and the player is seen in the dressing room being painted before a football game. The objective is to disguise dark circles and other imperfections that become visible in transmissions in HD.
Simão, alongside Lampard, is also on the cover of the Portuguese edition of FIFA 10, available for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and Wii. He said: "It's an honor to be part of the EA Sports FIFA. Being on the cover of this fantastic video game with such a rich history it's truly a great achievement for me".
In 2010, Simão appeared in an advertisement for the budget menu at McDonald's, offering a trip to that year's World Cup. In June 2016, he began working at Sport TV as pundit and interviewer.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sporting | 1996–97 | Primeira Liga | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1997–98 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 1 | ||
| 1998–99 | 30 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 10 | ||
| Total | 53 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 58 | 12 | ||
| Barcelona | 1999–2000 | La Liga | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| 2000–01 | 25 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 38 | 3 | ||
| Total | 46 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 70 | 4 | ||
| Benfica | 2001–02 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 11 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 11 | |
| 2002–03 | 33 | 18 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 18 | |||
| 2003–04 | 31 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 45 | 15 | ||
| 2004–05 | 34 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 48 | 23 | ||
| 2005–06 | 24 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 35 | 12 | ||
| 2006–07 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 33 | 14 | ||
| Total | 172 | 75 | 15 | 8 | 34 | 9 | 221 | 92 | ||
| Atlético Madrid | 2007–08 | La Liga | 30 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 41 | 10 |
| 2008–09 | 33 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 44 | 9 | ||
| 2009–10 | 34 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 2 | 59 | 7 | ||
| 2010–11 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 24 | 6 | ||
| Total | 113 | 20 | 15 | 4 | 40 | 8 | 168 | 32 | ||
| Beşiktaş | 2010–11 | Süper Lig | 15 | 5 | 5 | 3 | — | 20 | 8 | |
| 2011–12 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 42 | 5 | ||
| Total | 46 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 62 | 13 | ||
| Espanyol | 2012–13 | La Liga | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 3 | |
| 2013–14 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 36 | 2 | |||
| Total | 60 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 63 | 5 | |||
| NorthEast United | 2015 | Indian Super League | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 491 | 122 | 49 | 18 | 103 | 19 | 643 | 159 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 1998 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2006 | 12 | 5 | |
| 2007 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2009 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 85 | 22 | |
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 18 November 1998 | Bonfim, Setúbal, Portugal |  Israel |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 30 April 2003 | Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands |  Netherlands |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 3. | 20 August 2003 | Estádio Municipal, Chaves, Portugal |  Kazakhstan |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 4. | 11 October 2003 | Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal |  Albania |
2–2 | 5–3 | Friendly |
| 5. | 13 October 2004 | José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal |  Russia |
5–1 | 7–1 | 2006 World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 3 September 2005 | Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal |  Luxembourg |
5–0 | 6–0 | 2006 World Cup qualification |
| 7. | 3 September 2005 | Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal | Luxembourg |
6–0 | 6–0 | 2006 World Cup qualification |
| 8. | 3 June 2006 | Saint-Symphorien, Metz, France | Luxembourg |
0–1 | 0–3 | Friendly |
| 9. | 3 June 2006 | Saint-Symphorien, Metz, France | Luxembourg |
0–2 | 0–3 | Friendly |
| 10. | 21 June 2006 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany |  Mexico |
2–0 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 11. | 15 November 2006 | Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal | Kazakhstan |
1–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 12. | 15 November 2006 | Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal | Kazakhstan |
3–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 13. | 6 February 2007 | Emirates Stadium, London, England |  Brazil |
0–1 | 0–2 | Friendly |
| 14. | 12 September 2007 | José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal |  Serbia |
1–0 | 1–1 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 15. | 31 May 2008 | Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal |  Georgia |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 16. | 20 August 2008 | Estádio Municipal, Aveiro, Portugal |  Faroe Islands |
2–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 17. | 6 September 2008 | Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta |  Malta |
0–3 | 0–4 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 18. | 19 November 2008 | Bezerrão, Gama, Brazil | Brazil |
4–2 | 6–2 | Friendly |
| 19. | 10 October 2009 | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal |  Hungary |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 20. | 10 October 2009 | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal | Hungary |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 21. | 14 October 2009 | D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal | Malta |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 22. | 21 June 2010 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa |  North Korea |
2–0 | 7–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
Honours
Club
- Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2004–05
- Taça de Portugal: 2003–04
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2005
- Atlético Madrid
- UEFA Europa League: 2009–10
- UEFA Super Cup: 2010
- Copa del Rey: Runner-up 2009–10
- Beşiktaş
- Turkish Cup: 2010–11
International
- Portugal
- UEFA European Under-16 Championship: 1996
- UEFA European Championship: Runner-up 2004
Individual
- Bola de Prata: 2002–03
- LPFP Primeira Liga Player of the Year: 2006–07
- Cosme Damião Award – Footballer of the Year: 2006
- CNID Best Portuguese Athlete Abroad: 2010
Orders
- Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (House of Braganza)