20 July 2007, by Sean Gillen

Fernando Couto 2006/07 season review

Excellent season sees 38-year-old sign contract extension

The 2006/07 season was widely anticipated to be Fernando Couto’s last year in football, with the veteran defender expected to hang up his boots after Parma’s battle to avoid relegation.

However, a good season has resulted in the 38-year-old preparing himself for yet another campaign at the top level, after his contribution to the side was rewarded with a one-year contract extension.

Couto’s future at the club looked even less secure during the early months of the campaign. A problematic injury ruled him out until October, following which the Portuguese was ordered to train with the youth team after sporting director Gabriele Zamagna claimed he “did not like Couto’s approach at all” in reference to an apparent attitude problem in training.

With the team languishing in the relegation zone, Couto was quickly recalled to the first team and ultimately made 23 Serie A appearances, with a further two outings in the team’s run to the Uefa Cup knockout stage.

Although Couto picked up a red card during a 1-1 draw with Roma in February, his committed, no-nonsense approach to defending proved an invaluable asset to new manager Claudio Ranieri, who took the reigns at the club in mid-Feb.

In addition to his impressive performances at the back, Couto also scored two goals in the closing months of the season, first hitting the net in a 1-1 draw with Catania, before also getting one of the goals in a memorable 4-3 win at Palermo.

The goals could be considered personal season highlights for Couto, but more important was the team avoiding the drop, which they achieved after losing just two of their final fifteen league matches.

It now seems certain that the upcoming season will be Couto’s last in professional football, and the man with 11 years of experience in Italian football is likely to be offered a director’s role at Parma when he finally brings an end to his illustrious career.

                         Season stats - Fernando Couto

                        Substitute appearances in brackets