Pedro Emanuel dos Santos Martins Silva, known as Pedro Emanuel, is a Portuguese retired footballer who played mainly as a central defender, and the current manager of Emirati club Al Ain FC. In his 16-year professional career he was closely associated with the two biggest teams in Porto, Boavista – he helped it win its first and only Primeira Liga title in 2001 – and FC Porto, being team captain of both. Pedro Emanuel amassed top division totals of 268 matches and two goals over 12 seasons, and won 14 major titles between both his main clubs combined. He subsequently became a manager.
Playing career
Club
Pedro Emanuel was born in Luanda, Portuguese Angola. After three seasons as a professional in Portugal's secondary leagues, with F.C. Marco, A.D. Ovarense and F.C. Penafiel, his performances caught the eye of scouts from Porto club Boavista FC, where he had already played as a youth. During his six-year stay in the team he played a large part in the defensive wall – with fellow stopper Litos, fullbacks Nuno Frechaut and Erivan and goalkeeper Ricardo – that led them to the historical Primeira Liga title in 2001; after Litos left for Málaga CF he captained the team for one season, but a move to a larger club was close. Prior to the start of the 2002–03 campaign, S.L. Benfica seemed closer to clinching a deal, but it was FC Porto, under the guidance of José Mourinho, who signed Pedro Emanuel. Part of a strong defense that included Jorge Costa, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Nuno Valente, his always effective style earned him the confidence of his manager, and he played in both the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals won between 2003 and 2004. In the season following the departure of Mourinho, Pedro Emanuel still managed to appear in the spotlight, as in the 2004 Intercontinental Cup win against Once Caldas, where he scored the decisive penalty, becoming the last player to touch the ball in the competition's history. In 2005–06, following the decision of Dutch coach Co Adriaanse not wanting a goalkeeper captain and sidelining Costa, Pedro Emanuel was chosen as new captain. He missed the entire following season due to injury, but returned to the starting lineups the following campaign, helping with 19 league appearances as Porto were crowned back-to-back champions.
International
Although Angolan-born, Pedro Emanuel never represented its national team internationally. This was viewed as a desire to keep alive the possibility of playing for Portugal, the nation he represented at junior levels. Prior to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Pedro Emanuel accepted a call-up from Angola but FIFA confirmed that he and Carlos Chaínho could not represent other teams than Portugal, because of a new law set-up in 2004 which considered playing for junior sides at international level.
Coaching career
After only five matches in 2008–09, in a fourth consecutive league accolade, Pedro Emanuel retired on 16 June 2009. He immediately became Porto's under-17 head coach, guiding them to the national championship after defeating Sporting CP. In July 2010, Pedro Emanuel returned to Porto's main squad, being named newly signed André Villas-Boasassistant manager. In June of the following year he had his first head coach experience, being appointed at Villas Boas' previous team Académica de Coimbra. In his first season with the Students, Pedro Emanuel narrowly avoided top flight relegation. He also led the team to their first Taça de Portugal since 1939, notably defeating former club Porto 3–0 at home in the fourth round and Sporting in the final. Pedro Emanuel took over at recently promoted F.C. Arouca on 6 June 2013. After helping them evade top flight relegation by five points, he left the club on 25 May 2015. On 10 June 2015, Pedro Emanuel moved abroad for the first time in his career, taking over at Apollon Limassol of the Cypriot First Division; his team already included three compatriots. He won the cup and supercup in his first season, but was sacked on 11 December 2016. Pedro Emanuel went back to his country and signed as manager of G.D. Estoril Praia on 8 March 2017. On 21 October of that year, as his team ranked last in the league and had already been ousted from the domestic cup by lowly S.C. Farense, he was relieved of his duties. On 4 August 2019, after spending one season as manager of Al-Taawoun FC, Pedro Emanuel was appointed at the helm of Spanish Segunda División side UD Almería. Exactly three months later, in spite of being placed second in the standings, he left by mutual agreement. Pedro Emanuel returned to the Middle East on 5 January 2020 when he was appointed on an 18-month deal at Al Ain in the UAE Pro League.
