Mateus Alberto Contreiras Gonçalves (born 7 March 1983), commonly known as Manucho, is a former Angolan professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a striker. Manucho moved from Petro Atletico to

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

in January 2008. Before playing a game for United, however, he was loaned out to Greek side Panathinaikos for the remainder of the 2007–08 season due to issues with obtaining a UK work permit. Manucho received a work permit soon after returning to Manchester United for pre-season training in July 2008, and made his debut for the club in the League Cup against

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

on 23 September 2008. Short of first team opportunities at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...

, however, on 16 January 2009 he joined Hull City on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season. Having failed to break into the Manchester United first team, Manucho joined

Real Valladolid Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid (), is a Spanish professional List of football clubs in Spain, football club based in Valladolid, Castile and León that will compete from the 2025–26 season in the . The club ...

in July 2009. He was also a member of the Angolan national team, representing them at four Africa Cups of Nations. During his career, he had many nicknames, given by his fans, but the one that remains most famous and by which he is still known is "El Ciola", given to him by Real Valladolid fans in 2009.

Club career

Early career

Manucho began his football career at Flaminguinhos, a small youth football club from Terra Nova, Luanda, where he lived. Under the guidance of his coach and father, Alberto Gonçalves, Manucho plied his trade as a left winger, becoming one of the club's top stars. Upon turning professional, Manucho signed for Benfica de Luanda, a mid-table club in the Angolan league. He then moved to Luanda-based side

Petro Atlético Petro is a masculine given name, a surname and an Ancient Roman cognomen. It may refer to: Given name * Petro Balabuyev (1931–2007), Ukrainian airplane designer, engineer and professor, lead designer of many Antonov airplanes * Petro Doroshenko ...

, where he initially struggled to break into the team due to the presence of striker Flávio Amado. After Flávio joined Egyptian side Al Ahly, Manucho began to establish himself in the side, scoring 16 goals in 2006 and 15 in 2007.

Manchester United, loans at Panathinaikos and Hull City

On 21 December 2007, it was announced that Manucho had agreed to sign for English

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

champions

. He joined the club in January 2008 on a three-year contract. Prior to the announcement, Manucho had been on a three-week trial with the Manchester club, during which he managed to impress United manager

Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former professional football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time and ...

enough to earn himself a contract. On 31 January 2008, it was reported that Manucho was due to head out on loan to Greek team Panathinaikos for the remainder of the 2007–08 season, due to complications obtaining a work permit, with a view to him gaining valuable first team experience. Ferguson announced on 1 February that Manucho had indeed been loaned out to Panathinaikos until the end of the season. The loan period began soon after Angola's elimination from the

2008 Africa Cup of Nations The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated with the Confede ...

by Egypt. Manucho scored on his league debut for Panathinaikos in a 2–0 home win over

Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...

. Panathinaikos finished the Super League Greece 2007–08 season in third place, qualifying the team for a play-off for the remaining European places. Manucho scored three goals in this six-game mini tournament, helping Panathinaikos to top the play-off group and qualify for the second qualifying round of the

2008–09 UEFA Champions League The 2008–09 UEFA Champions League was the 54th edition of Europe's premier club football tournament and the 17th edition under the current UEFA Champions League format. The final was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on 27 May 2009. ...

. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Manucho returned to United for pre-season training and the club's summer tour of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. However, he had picked up a suspected metatarsal injury and was unable to play a part in the pre-season programme. In August, the club confirmed that they had re-applied for a work permit for Manucho. On 28 August, the ''

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

'' reported that Manucho had received a work permit earlier that summer, which was confirmed on the official website. He was handed the number 26 shirt for the 2008–09 season, made his competitive first team debut as a substitute on 23 September in a League Cup Third Round tie at home to

. The game ended 3–1 to United. Manucho made his league debut for United on 15 November, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute for

Carlos Tevez Carlos Alberto Tevez (; né Martínez; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player. A dynamic forward (association football), forward in his prime, Tevez ...

in a home match against Stoke City. Ten minutes after coming on, Manucho was involved in the build-up to United's fourth goal by

Danny Welbeck Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah Welbeck (born 26 November 1990) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for club Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., Brighton & Hove Albion. Welbeck m ...

. On 18 December, Manucho scored his first goal in a United shirt, heading home Magnus Wolff Eikrem's cross to earn United's reserve side a 1–1 draw against Everton in a Reserve League North match. Having found first team opportunities hard to come by at Manchester United, on 16 January 2009 Manucho agreed to join Hull City on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season. He received a renewed work permit later that day and appeared as a substitute in a 3–1 home defeat by

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

on 17 January. On 4 March 2009, he scored his first

goal, a last-minute winner for Hull City in a 1–0 away victory at

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

Real Valladolid

After his loan spell with Hull, Manucho was deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester United, and on 17 July 2009, the club agreed a deal with

for the player's transfer. He signed a five-year contract with the Spanish club and was presented as a Real Valladolid player on 20 July 2009. After joining Valladolid, Manucho promised to score forty goals in a season for the club; he scored five in his first season. On 13 September 2009, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–2 defeat against

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. Then he had to wait until 5 December 2009 for his next goal which earned them a vital point away to title challengers

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

Bucaspor (loan)

In summer 2010, Manucho signed with

Bucaspor Bucaspor was a professional Turkish Association football, football club based in Buca, İzmir. Formed in 1928, Bucaspor were nicknamed Fırtına (Storm). The club colours were yellow and navy. It was dissolved in 2020. History Bucaspor was the ...

on a loan deal from Real Valladolid. He made his debut on 23 August at 0–0 against Kasımpaşa S.K. His next game on 28 August 2010, Manucho scored his first goal against Gençlerbirliği. On 22 November 2010, Manucho scored and provided an assist for Musa Aydın in a 5–2 loss against Turkish champion Fenerbahçe. Despite the loss, Manucho was the hero when he scored a winning goal against Fenerbahçe in a 3–2 win to send the club through to the Turkiye Kupasi on 21 December 2010. This match turned out to be last appearance for Bucaspor. Later, the agreement at the club has been terminated unilaterally over the circuit between the payment of claims.

Manisaspor (loan)

Manucho signed end of January 2011 with another Turkish team Manisaspor until the end of the season. He made his debut for Manisaspor in 3–1 loss against Fenerbahçe on 5 February 2011. On the final season of the Turkey League on 14 May 2011, Manucho made his last appearance for the club when he provided assist for Murat Erdoğan in a 4–2 win over his former team, Bucaspor, whom he had played for earlier in the season.

Rayo Vallecano

On 13 June 2014, Manucho signed a one-year deal with Spanish team Rayo Vallecano.

Cornellà

On 18 September 2018, Manucho signed for Spanish third division team UE Cornellà.

International career

Manucho plays international football for Angola. He was a member of the Angolan squad during his nation's successful qualification campaign for the

2008 African Cup of Nations The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated with the Confeder ...

. In January 2008, he was named in the Angolan squad for the

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. He scored the opening goal in Angola's first game against

, and struck a further two goals in their second match against

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

in a 3–1 win. On 4 February, Manucho scored Angola's only goal in a 2–1 loss to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Although the result meant Angola were knocked out of the tournament, Manucho's 25-yard effort was described as "the goal of the tournament so far". At the end of the tournament, Manucho was included in the "Best XI", a team of the best players in each position. In the

2010 Africa Cup of Nations The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was held in Angola, where it began on 10 January 2 ...

, he scored from the penalty spot in the opening game for Angola in the 4–4 draw with

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

. In the

2012 Africa Cup of Nations The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (C ...

, he scored a long-range effort against

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

. In Angola's next match, Manucho scored a brace in a 2–2 draw against Sudan. In Angola's next match against Ivory Coast, Manucho couldn't save the team to go to the Quarter Final of African Cup Of Nations as Ivory Coast beat Angola 2–0. Despite Angola's elimination in the group stage, Manucho's three goals meant he finished as the tournament's joint-top scorer, along with Houssine Kharja of Morocco, Christopher Katongo and Emmanuel Mayuka of Zambia,

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang (born 18 June 1989) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Saudi Pro League club Al Qadsiah FC, Al-Qadsiah and Captain (associat ...

of Gabon,

Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He is the Top international association football goal scorers by cou ...

of Ivory Coast and Cheick Diabaté of Mali.

International goals

:''Scores and results list Angola's goal tally first.''

Honours

Rayo Vallecano *

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

: 2017–18 Angola * COSAFA Cup runner-up:

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

Individual * Girabola Top Scorer:

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

* African Cup of Nations top goal scorer:

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

African Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...

Team of the Tournament:

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Manucho 1983 births Living people Footballers from Luanda Angolan men's footballers Angolan expatriate sportspeople in Spain Men's association football forwards Atlético Petróleos de Luanda players Premier League players Manchester United F.C. players Hull City A.F.C. players Super League Greece players Panathinaikos F.C. players La Liga players Segunda División players Real Valladolid players Rayo Vallecano players Süper Lig players Bucaspor footballers Manisaspor footballers Angola men's international footballers 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players 2012 Africa Cup of Nations players 2013 Africa Cup of Nations players Angolan expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey UE Cornellà players Segunda División B players Angolan expatriate sportspeople in England Angolan expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Angolan expatriate sportspeople in Greece S.L. Benfica (Luanda) players