Russell Latapy
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Russell Nigel Latapy | ||
| Date of birth | 2 August 1968 | ||
| Place of birth | Port of Spain, Trinidad | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1988 | Trintoc | ||
| 1989–1990 | Portmore United | ||
| 1990–1994 | Académica | 127 | (32) |
| 1994–1996 | Porto | 40 | (6) |
| 1996–1998 | Boavista | 40 | (1) |
| 1998–2001 | Hibernian | 84 | (22) |
| 2001–2003 | Rangers | 23 | (5) |
| 2003 | Dundee United | 7 | (0) |
| 2003–2009 | Falkirk | 167 | (24) |
| 2009 | Caledonia AIA | 6 | (2) |
| 2011 | Edinburgh City | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 494 | (92) | |
| National team | |||
| 1988–2009 | Trinidad and Tobago | 81 | (29) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2007–2009 | Falkirk (assistant) | ||
| 2009 | Trinidad and Tobago (assistant) | ||
| 2009–2011 | Trinidad and Tobago | ||
| 2013–2014 | Boavista (assistant) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Inverness CT (assistant) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Russell Nigel Latapy CM (born 2 August 1968) is a Trinidadian retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, and a coach. In a senior career which spanned more than twenty years at both club and international level, he played in Portugal (eight years with three clubs, most notably Porto) and Scotland (eleven seasons representing four teams, including Hibernian, Rangers and Falkirk).
Latapy gained 81 caps for the Trinidad and Tobago national team, and appeared at the 2006 World Cup.
Born in Port of Spain, Latapy was first noted playing organised football at under-10 level. As a youth he played in the Trinidad and Tobago Secondary School's Football League, and was called up to the national under-16 and under-19 teams.
When he was 19 years old, Latapy had an opportunity to attend Florida International University, but he chose to continue with his football career. This decision was supported by his mother despite the fact that in the 1980s very few Trinidadians were noted to have had careers in the sport that allowed them to earn a decent living.
In 1990, aged 22, after playing in his country and in Jamaica, Latapy moved to Portugal and signed for Académica de Coimbra, playing four years in the second division. During his spell in Coimbra, he appeared in nearly 150 official games, and scored eighteen goals in his last two seasons combined, but the club failed to win promotion. He also credited coach Vítor Manuel as one of the coaches he admired the most.
Latapy's performances with Académica saw him signed by FC Porto. Under Bobby Robson, he helped the club to back-to-back national championships, being used regularly in his second year (twenty-six games, five goals). Also, he earned the distinction of being the first Trinidadian to play in the UEFA Champions League.
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