Nélson Semedo

1.1. Birth and Upbringing

Nélson Cabral Semedo was born on 16 November 1993, in Lisbon, Portugal. He is of Cape Verdean descent. Semedo started his football journey relatively late, beginning to play at around 16 years of age. He developed through the youth system of Sintrense, where he would eventually make his debut for the first team at the age of 17.

2.1. S.U. Sintrense

Semedo began his professional career at S.U. Sintrense. He played for the first team during the 2011-12 season, making 26 appearances and scoring 5 goals in the Terceira Divisão. He also made one appearance in the national cup. He spent approximately two years at the club before moving to S.L. Benfica.

2.2. S.L. Benfica

Semedo's tenure at Benfica marked a significant period of development and success, culminating in his promotion to the first team and winning multiple domestic titles. On 12 January 2012, Semedo and Manuel Liz signed five-year contracts with Benfica, which became effective on 1 July 2012.

2.2.3. Benfica First Team

Following Maxi Pereira's departure, Semedo extended his contract with Benfica until 2021 and joined the first team for their pre-season tour in North America in July 2015. On 9 August 2015, he made his debut for the main squad in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, a 0-1 loss against Sporting CP. A week later, on 16 August, he scored his first goal for the first team against Estoril in the Primeira Liga in a 4-0 home win.

After establishing himself in the starting eleven, Semedo suffered a setback in October 2015 when he sustained an injury while with the Portugal national team. The ailment to his right knee required surgery, and he was expected to miss two months of action. He returned to play in early January 2016 but struggled to reproduce his earlier form and eventually lost his starting position to André Almeida. Semedo finished the 2015-16 campaign playing for the reserve team.

In the 2016-17 season, Semedo regained his starting position and became Benfica's third-most used player as the club achieved a historic fourth-straight league title. He scored one league goal in a 2-1 away win over Arouca and also scored once in the UEFA Champions League in a 3-3 group stage draw against Beşiktaş. In the final of the Taça de Portugal, played on 28 May 2017, Semedo provided an assist to Eduardo Salvio for Benfica's second goal, contributing to their 2-1 victory over Vitória de Guimarães and securing the trophy. For his outstanding performances throughout the season, he was awarded the Breakthrough Player of the Year by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional.

2.3. FC Barcelona

On 13 July 2017, Barcelona announced an agreement with Benfica for Semedo's transfer, pending medical tests. He signed a five-year contract the following day, with Benfica receiving 30.50 M EUR plus a potential additional 5.00 M EUR for every 50 matches he played for his new team. He made his debut on 16 August 2017, in the second leg of the Supercopa de España against Real Madrid, which Barcelona lost 0-2 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Semedo made his UEFA Champions League debut for Barcelona on 13 September 2017, and his performance in the 3-0 group stage win over Juventus was highly praised. He scored his first competitive goal for the Catalan club, and his first in La Liga, on 27 January 2019, in a 2-0 away victory against Girona. His second goal came against Alavés in a 5-0 win during the season's final match. During his time at Barcelona, he reportedly had a training ground altercation with Neymar. He also faced competition for his position from Sergi Roberto. Despite reports in June 2019 suggesting his desire to leave due to limited full appearances (13 matches in the 2018-19 season) and interest from clubs like Atlético Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Juventus, Barcelona was initially reluctant to sell him as they valued his contributions.

With Barcelona, Semedo won two La Liga titles in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He also secured the Copa del Rey in 2017-18 and the Supercopa de España in 2018.

2.4. Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.

On 23 September 2020, Semedo transferred to English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. He signed a three-year contract with an option for two additional years. The initial transfer fee paid by Wolves was 30.00 M EUR, approximately 27.50 M GBP, with potential add-ons of up to 9.20 M GBP.

Semedo made his debut for Wolves and his first appearance in the Premier League on 27 September 2020, in a 4-0 away defeat to West Ham United. His debut at Molineux for Wolves came in the team's next Premier League match, a 1-0 victory over Fulham on 4 October 2020. He scored his first goal for Wolves in head coach Nuno Espírito Santo's final game in charge, the last match of the 2020-21 Premier League season, a 1-2 home defeat to Manchester United on 23 May 2021.

On 24 February 2022, Semedo suffered a hamstring injury during Wolves's away game against Arsenal in the Premier League. The injury was expected to keep him out of action for four to eight weeks. At the time of the injury, he had played in 23 of Wolves's 25 Premier League games in the 2021-22 season. Semedo eventually returned to first-team action on 24 April 2022, playing the full 90 minutes in a Premier League game at Burnley.

On 19 May 2023, Wolverhampton Wanderers announced that they had triggered a two-year extension clause in Semedo's contract, ensuring his stay at the club until 2025. On 16 January 2024, Semedo scored his first goal for Wolves in two years during an F.A. Cup Third Round replay victory over Brentford at Molineux, which ended 3-2. His previous club goal had also been in the FA Cup, against Sheffield United in January 2022. The goal against Brentford meant Semedo had scored more goals for Wolves in the Third Round of the FA Cup (two) than he had in 114 Premier League appearances up to that date (one). On 13 December 2024, Semedo was named club captain, taking over from Mario Lemina.

3.1. Portugal National Team

Of Cape Verdean descent, Semedo received his first call-up to the Portugal national team on 2 October 2015, for UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches against Denmark and Serbia. He earned his first cap in the latter match, playing the entirety of a 2-1 victory against Serbia at the Partizan Stadium in Belgrade on 11 October 2015. Semedo was included in Portugal's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup but was not selected for the final 23-man squad for the tournament. In October 2022, he was named in Portugal's preliminary 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

3.1.1. Major Tournament Appearances

Semedo was selected for Portugal's 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup squad. He played in the final match of the group stage, a 4-0 win against New Zealand. He also appeared in the third-place playoff against Mexico, where he was sent-off in the 106th minute, though his team ultimately won the bronze medal.

He represented Portugal at the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals, a tournament which Portugal won on home soil. Semedo was also part of the Portuguese squad for UEFA Euro 2020 and UEFA Euro 2024.

5.1. Club Statistics

5.2. International Statistics

6.1. Club Honours

Benfica

• Primeira Liga: 2015-16, 2016-17
• Taça de Portugal: 2016-17
• Taça da Liga: 2015-16
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2016

Barcelona

• La Liga: 2017-18, 2018-19
• Copa del Rey: 2017-18
• Supercopa de España: 2018

6.2. International Honours

Portugal

• UEFA Nations League: 2018-19
• FIFA Confederations Cup: Third place 2017

6.3. Individual Honours

• SJPF Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2016, 2017
• LPFP Primeira Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2016-17
• UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2017
• UEFA Nations League Finals Team of the Tournament: 2019