Rolando Jorge Pires da Fonseca, known simply as Rolando, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for S.C. Braga as a central defender.
Club career
Belenenses
Rolando was born in São Vicente, Cape Verde. After beginning his career in the youth ranks of lowly S.C. Campomaiorense, he finished his development with Lisbon's C.F. Os Belenenses, which he joined at the age of 18. In his Primeira Liga debut, on 28 August 2004, he played 90 minutes and scored a goal in a 3–0 home win against C.S. Marítimo. Rolando went on to become an essential defensive figure onwards, appearing in all 30 games in the 2007–08 season as the club finished in eighth place.
Porto
On 15 April 2008, FC Porto confirmed that Rolando had agreed to part ways with Belenenses and join them on a four-year contract. In his first season he quickly beat competition from veteran Pedro Emanuel, partnering Bruno Alves in the centre and netting three times in 28 matches as the northerners won the league and the domestic cup; in the summer of 2009, the club acquired an additional 10% of his economic rights and the player also extended his link until 30 June 2014. In 2010–11, Rolando rarely missed a game for Porto who won another national championship. On 17 February 2011 he opened the score at Sevilla FC through a header, in an eventual 2–1 win for the campaign's UEFA Europa League, which ended in conquest. Rolando started 2011–12 in scoring fashion, netting both Porto goals in the season's Portuguese Supercup, a 2–1 win against Vitória de Guimarães in Aveiro. On 30 January 2013, completely ostracised by manager Vítor Pereira as practically all Portuguese players, he was transferred to S.S.C. Napoli in the Serie A, being loaned until June. On 10 August 2013, Inter Milan confirmed the signing of Rolando in a season-long loan, for €600,000. He scored his first goal for the club on 27 October, contributing to a 4–2 home win over Hellas Verona FC. In February 2015, after spending the first half of the new campaign ousted from the squad due to a run-in with the board of directors after he refused to join the team's pre-season, Rolando was loaned to R.S.C. Anderlecht until June.
Rolando returned to his country of adoption on 27 February 2020, with the 34-year-old free agent joining S.C. Braga – coached by his former Belenenses teammate Rúben Amorim – on a two-and-a-half-year contract.
International career
Although born in Cape Verde, Rolando moved to Portugal at age of 14 and became a naturalized citizen in 2006. He immediately started playing for the nation's under-21s, for whom he appeared at the 2006 and 2007 UEFA European Championships. On 11 February 2009, Rolando was first called up to the full side, playing 90 minutes in a friendly match with Finland in Faro. He was selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but did not leave the bench. At UEFA Euro 2012, Rolando made three appearances for the semi-finalists, all as a late substitute. After a four-year international absence, he returned to the international fold for a friendly against Egypt in March 2018; he was named in a preliminary 35-man squad for the year's World Cup weeks later, but did not make the final cut.
