Abel Xavier
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Abel Luís da Silva Costa Xavier | ||
| Date of birth | 30 November 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Nampula, Mozambique | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Full-back | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Mozambique (manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1993 | Estrela da Amadora | 85 | (5) |
| 1993–1995 | Benfica | 45 | (4) |
| 1995–1996 | Bari | 8 | (0) |
| 1996–1998 | Real Oviedo | 58 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | PSV | 19 | (2) |
| 1999–2002 | Everton | 43 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Liverpool | 14 | (1) |
| 2003 | → Galatasaray (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Hannover 96 | 5 | (0) |
| 2005 | Roma | 3 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Middlesbrough | 4 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Middlesbrough | 14 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | LA Galaxy | 21 | (0) |
| Total | 330 | (13) | |
| National team | |||
| 1988–1989 | Portugal U16 | 14 | (1) |
| 1989 | Portugal U17 | 6 | (0) |
| 1988–1990 | Portugal U18 | 9 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Portugal U20 | 9 | (0) |
| 1991–1994 | Portugal U21 | 21 | (1) |
| 1993–2002 | Portugal | 20 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2013 | Olhanense | ||
| 2014–2015 | Farense | ||
| 2015 | Aves | ||
| 2016– | Mozambique | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
Abel Luís da Silva Costa Xavier (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈbɛɫ ʃɐviˈɛɾ]; born 30 November 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a full back. He is the current head coach of the Mozambique national team.
Xavier played for clubs in Portugal, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, England, Turkey and Germany before retiring with the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2008.
From his debut in 1993, Xavier played 20 games for the Portugal national team, and was selected in their squads for UEFA Euro 2000 and 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Xavier debuted in the Portuguese top division with Estrela da Amadora. His play there earned him a transfer to Lisbon club Benfica. He helped Benfica win the Portuguese league in 1994, and a season after, he moved to Serie A side Bari. This stint with the Italian club started a series of transfers across Europe: in 1996, Xavier was sent to Real Oviedo, then after two seasons he moved to PSV.
Xavier joined English Premier League club Everton in September 1999 on a £1.5 million transfer deal. He was sold to Everton's Merseyside rivals Liverpool on 30 January 2002 for £800,000, only the fourth player to transfer from Everton to Liverpool. He was signed to bolster Liverpool's defence following Markus Babbel's absence through illness. Xavier scored on his Liverpool debut against Ipswich Town. He also scored against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League. Liverpool ended the 2001–02 FA Premier League season as runners-up to Arsenal.
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