Full name: Abel Fernando Moreira Ferreira
Position: Defender
Date of Birth: 22 December 1978
Birthplace: Penafiel, Portugal

Portuguese right-back, Abel, is a classic example of a late developer in footballing terms. Although spending most of the first decade of his career as a regular for top-flight clubs, only at 27 years of age did the defender definitively convince one of Portugal’s major clubs that he was worthy of a permanent contract.

Having won over the confidence of Sporting coach Paulo Bento, Abel has been busy making up for lost time. Consistently high performance levels over several months have made him a key component in the back four of the Lisbon club over the past season and a half.

100% commitment

A mixture of combative tackling, a highly committed attitude and incisive attacking when given the opportunity has made Abel one of the Bwin Liga’s top right-backs. Only the misfortune of competing with three outstanding compatriots in the same position – Miguel, Paulo Ferreira and Jose Bosingwa – has prevented the player’s chances of seeing his form rewarded with an international call-up.

Abel made his professional debut still a teenager for his hometown club, Penafiel, in the 1997/98 season. Impressive showings in the following two years earned him a move to Portugal’s best supported club outside the big three, Vitoria Guimaraes.

Four seasons of solid displays later, it was however only following his switch to northern rivals, Braga, that Abel really began to make a name for himself.

The defender’s unfussy and wholehearted style matched the qualities of his new coach, Jesualdo Ferreira, who was quietly building Braga into a major force in Portugal, with the club pushing hard for the championship until practically the final round of matches in 2004/05.

Sporting come knocking

The quality of Abel’s play persuaded Sporting to purchase the player, but the defender then became a victim of the club’s poor start to the season under Jose Peseiro, and was loaned back to Braga in January. Next season was a different story, however, as Sporting, now under the guidance of Paulo Bento, enjoyed a renaissance.

After getting over some early season injury niggles Abel was a permanent fixture in the starting XI, turning in a string of exceptional performances as an exhilarating end-of-season run saw the Lions win the Portuguese Cup and miss out on the championship by a single point. Abel started the 2007/08 season in equally outstanding form.

** Up to 1 March 2009