José Semedo (footballer, born 1985)


José Vítor Moreira Semedo is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Vitória F.C. as a defensive midfielder.
He spent most of his professional career in England, playing for a whole decade with Charlton Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday of the Football League.

Club career

A product of Sporting CP's youth system, Semedo was born in Setúbal and made his professional debut with modest Casa Pia AC, in the Lisbon area. In the 2005–06 season he served another loan stint, now with C.D. Feirense of the Segunda Liga.
Semedo was loaned again for the 2006–07 campaign, moving to Serie A's Cagliari Calcio. He made his club debut in the Coppa Italia, but would only appear three times in the league, the first as a late substitute in a 1–3 away loss against A.C. Milan on 21 April 2007; he was sent off in his last match, a 1–2 defeat at Ascoli Calcio 1898, with the Sardinians barely avoiding relegation.
In 2007, Semedo signed a four-year deal with Charlton Athletic on a free transfer. Although touted as a central defender when he signed, he played mainly as a defensive midfielder for the Football League Championship club, and scored his first goal for the side in a 4–0 win over Tranmere Rovers on 29 August 2009, with Charlton now in League One.
Semedo was crowned Charlton's Player of the Year in May 2011, picking up 43% of the votes in what was the club's worst season for a number of decades. However, manager Chris Powell could not offer him assurances that he would be a key member in the following season, as he aimed to create a more fluid midfield, and so, on 7 July, the player moved to another club in the English third tier, Sheffield Wednesday, again as a free agent.
In his first season with the Owls, which ended in promotion to the Championship after finishing second behind Charlton, Semedo was voted Player of the Year and League One PFA Fans' Player of the Year. On 10 July 2013, he signed a new contract extension.
On 25 May 2017, aged 32, Semedo was released. On 24 August he returned to his country after 11 years, signing a two-year deal with Primeira Liga club Vitória de Setúbal. He made his debut in the competition on 10 September, replacing João Amaral for the last 19 minutes of the 2–0 home win over S.C. Braga.

International career

Of Cape Verdean descent, Semedo represented the Portuguese under-21 team during the 2006 UEFA European Championship. In the only match he played he was sent off due to an aggressive foul, and the country lost against Serbia and Montenegro and failed to qualify from its group.

Personal life

During his formative years at Sporting, Semedo became a close friend of Cristiano Ronaldo, later of Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus F.C. and Portugal fame. The former cited the latter as a major factor for his life not having taken a turn for the worse, if he had been dismissed from the youth academy.

Club statistics

Honours

Club

Sheffield Wednesday