Fernando Couto
Personal information
Full name	Fernando Manuel Silva Couto
Date of birth	August 2, 1969 (1969-08-02) (age 38)
Place of birth	Espinho, Portugal
Height	184 cm
Playing position	Centre-back
Club information
Current club	Retired
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1987-1988 1988-1989 1989-1990 1990-1994 1994-1996 1996-1998 1998-2005 2005-2007	FC Porto FC Famalicão Académica de Coimbra O.A.F. FC Porto Parma AC FC Barcelona SS Lazio Parma FC	1 (0) 0 (0) ? (?) 106 (10) 39 (4) 45 (0) 145 (9) 46 (2)
National team
1990-2004	Portugal	110 (8)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals) is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ... Location    - Country  Portugal  - Region Norte  - Subregion Grande Porto  - District or A.R. Aveiro Mayor José Mota  - Party PS Area 21. ... In the sport of Association football, each of the eleven players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Retirement is the status of a worker who has stopped working. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ... FC Porto emblem (Larger version) Futebol Clube do Porto (short: FC Porto, FCP) is a Portuguese sports club, best known for its football section. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ... Futebol Clube Famalicão or F.C. Famalicão is a Portuguese sports club from Vila Nova de Famalicão. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ... The Associação Académica de Coimbra - Organismo Autónomo de Futebol (A.A.C. - O.A.F.), also referred to as Académica de Coimbra (pron. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ... FC Porto emblem (Larger version) Futebol Clube do Porto (short: FC Porto, FCP) is a Portuguese sports club, best known for its football section. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Parma A.C. (Associazione Calcio) is an Italian football club based in Parma, nicknamed the Gialloblu. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... Wikinews has related news: 2007/08 UEFA Champions League: Manchester United vs. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to SS Lazio or simply Lazio, is an Italian professional sports club most noted for its football section, founded in 1900 and based in Rome. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Parma Football Club (formerly Parma Associazione Calcio) is an Italian football club based in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, nicknamed Ducali (The Duchy Men), Crociati (Crusaders) and Gialloblu (Yellow-Blues). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ...

Fernando Manuel Silva Couto, OIH (born 2 August 1969; pron. IPA: [fɨɾ'nɐ̃du 'kotu] or ['koutu]) is a former Portuguese professional football player, who last played as a defender for Parma in the Italian Serie A championship. Couto has played in a number of top clubs in Portugal, Spain and Italy and he has won the national league title of each country, as well as the European UEFA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup trophies. The Order of Infante D. Henrique (Portuguese: Ordem do Infante D. Henrique) is a Portuguese honorific order that distinguishes relevant services for Portugal, in the country or in foreign ones, in the expansion of the Portuguese culture, its history and its values. ... is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Look up pronunciation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Soccer redirects here. ... The Bolton players in white are defending - the nearest player is trying to prevent the Fulham forward in cyan from crossing the ball. ... Parma Football Club (formerly Parma Associazione Calcio) is an Italian football club based in Parma, nicknamed the Gialloblu. ... This article is about the Italian football league. ... For the current season, see UEFA Cup 2007-08. ... The UEFA Cup Winners Cup (also known as the European Cup Winners Cup) was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. ...

At the international level, he represented the Portugal national football team in 110 matches, and Couto took part in the 2002 FIFA World Cup as well as three European Championship tournaments. During his last matches with the Portuguese national team, at the 2004 European Championship (Euro 2004), he was selected as team captain. First international Spain 3 - 1 Portugal (Madrid, Spain; 18 November 1921) Biggest win Portugal 8 - 0 Liechtenstein (Lisbon, Portugal; 18 November 1994) Portugal 8 - 0 Liechtenstein (Coimbra, Portugal; 9 June 1999) Portugal 8 - 0 Kuwait (Leiria, Portugal; 19 November 2003) Biggest defeat Portugal 0 - 10 England (Lisbon, Portugal; 25 May... 2002 World Cup redirects here. ... The UEFA European Championship is the main football competition of the mens national football teams governed by the UEFA. Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the European Nations Cup, changing to the name European Football Championship... Euro 2004 Logo The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly called Euro 2004, was held in Portugal between 12 June and 4 July 2004. ... The team captain of a football team, sometimes known as the skipper, is a team member chosen to be the on-pitch leader of the team: it is often one of the older or more experienced members of the squad, or a player that can heavily influence a game. ...

Club career

Born in Espinho near Porto, Couto began his career with FC Porto. Following a few seasons at lower league clubs FC Famalicão and Académica de Coimbra O.A.F. he returned to FC Porto in 1990 with great success. In the following four seasons, he won three Portuguese SuperLiga titles with the club, before switching to the Italian Serie A, joining Parma A.C. in 1994. In his first season at Parma, the club enjoyed a run to the 1995 UEFA Cup final, where they narrowly defeated Juventus FC 2-1 on aggregate. Location    - Country  Portugal  - Region Norte  - Subregion Grande Porto  - District or A.R. Aveiro Mayor José Mota  - Party PS Area 21. ... Oporto redirects here. ... FC Porto emblem (Larger version) Futebol Clube do Porto (short: FC Porto, FCP) is a Portuguese sports club, best known for its football section. ... Futebol Clube Famalicão or F.C. Famalicão is a Portuguese sports club from Vila Nova de Famalicão. ... The Associação Académica de Coimbra - Organismo Autónomo de Futebol (A.A.C. - O.A.F.), also referred to as Académica de Coimbra (pron. ... The Portuguese Liga (pron. ... Parma Football Club (formerly Parma Associazione Calcio) is an Italian football club based in Parma, nicknamed the Gialloblu. ... For the current season, see UEFA Cup 2007-08. ... Juventus F.C. (Latin for Youth) is one of Italys oldest and most successful football clubs, based in Turin. ...

The talismanic stopper then joined Spanish club FC Barcelona in 1996, where his international teammate Luís Figo was also enjoying a purple patch. With the Catalan giants he picked up two Spanish Cups and his first UEFA Cup Winners' Cup medal, after a 1-0 win over Paris Saint Germain in the May 1997 final at Rotterdam, with Brazilian sensation Ronaldo scoring the winner. The following year, Barcelona reigned supreme in Spain, winning the The Double of domestic league and cup titles. Couto left the club on a high, and joined Roman club SS Lazio in July 1998. Wikinews has related news: 2007/08 UEFA Champions League: Manchester United vs. ... Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, (born November 4, 1972 in Lisbon, Portugal) is a professional Portuguese footballer. ... This article is about the Spanish Autonomous Community. ... The Copa del Rey (the Kings Cup) is Spanish footballs annual cup competition. ... The UEFA Cup Winners Cup (also known as the European Cup Winners Cup) was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. ... F.C. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are a French football club based in Paris. ... Nickname: Motto: Sterker door strijd (Stronger through Struggle) Location of Rotterdam Coordinates: , Country Province Government  - Mayor Ivo Opstelten  - Aldermen Jeannette Baljeu Hamit Karakus Orhan Kaya Lucas Bolsius Jantine Kriens Dominic Schrijer Roelf de Boer Leonard Geluk Area [1]  - Total 319 km² (123. ... Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima (born September 22, 1976), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Brazil and the Italian Serie A club AC Milan. ... The Double is a term in football, which refers to winning a countrys top division and its main cup competition in the same season. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... S.S. Lazio (Italian: Società Sportiva Lazio SpA) is an Italian football club based in Rome. ...

His first title with the club was another UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph in the 1998-99 season, with victory over RCD Mallorca in the final at Villa Park in Birmingham. Then followed an impressive feat of another domestic double. With Swedish coach Sven-Göran Eriksson at the helm, Lazio gained ten points over Juventus FC in the last eight games of the season, to pip them to the title on the last day of Lazio's 1999-2000 centennary season. Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team from Palma. ... Villa Park is a football stadium in the district of Aston, in Birmingham, England. ... This article is about the British city. ...   (IPA: , born 5 February 1948) is a Swedish football manager. ... Juventus redirects here. ...

The one blemish to his glittering record came in 2001 when he failed a doping test showing positive for the steroid nandrolone. Couto denied having taken forbidden substances, but his "b" test confirmed the finding and he eventually served four months out of a nine month worldwide ban for the offence. In sports, doping refers to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, particularly those that are forbidden by the organizations that regulate competitions. ... Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid occurring naturally in the human body, albeit in small quantities. ...

International career

Following Portugal's win at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship for under-20 players, Couto and the other Portuguese winners were announced as the "golden generation" of Portuguese football. However, at the senior level, Couto and the Portuguese national team failed to qualify for both the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals and the team surprised pundits and fans alike with a dire display at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, despite a multi-talented side. The Football World Youth Championship is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). ... Football is the most popular sport in Portugal. ... Qualifying countries The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. ... 1998 World Cup redirects here. ... 2002 World Cup redirects here. ...

The European Championships was a happier hunting ground for Couto and Portugal, with a run to the quarter-finals in Euro 1996 and a bitter semi-final defeat to the later winners from France in the Euro 2000 tournament. Even though Couto neared 34 years of age at the Euro 2004, his formidable partnership with fellow veteran Jorge Costa in Portugal's central defence saw him escape new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's mass culling of the side that crashed out of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in the first round. Couto was selected the captain of the Portuguese national team at the Euro 2004, which was hosted on home grounds in Portugal. With some disastrious display in the opening game against Greece, which the team lost 2-1 in the opening. He was relegated to the bench to make way for Ricardo Carvalho, and strip off the captain's armband to Figo. The team lost out 0-1 to Greece in the final game. The 1996 European Football Championship (or simply Euro 96) was hosted by England. ... The 2000 UEFA European Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a competition between the national football teams of Europe held every four years and organised by UEFA, footballs governing body in Europe. ... Jorge Paulo Costa Almeida, born 14 October 1971 in Oporto, Portugal is a professional footballer. ... Luiz Felipe Maniac Scolari, ComIH (born November 9, 1948 in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), also known as Felipão (Big Phil), is a Brazilian football coach, who led the Brazilian national team to victory in the 2002 World Cup. ... Ricardo Alberto Silveira Carvalho, OIH (born May 18, 1978 in Amarante, near Porto), pron. ...

Couto ended his national team career following the Euro 2004 exit. He ended at level with Luís Figo as the most-capped player in Portuguese history, with 110 appearances for the national team, though Figo went on to play a further 18 national team games. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Cap (sport). ...

Honours

Domestic

• Portuguese SuperLiga: 1988, 1992 and 1993 with FC Porto
• Portuguese Cup: 1988, 1991 and 1994 with FC Porto
• Spanish La Liga: 1998 with FC Barcelona
• Spanish Cup: 1997 and 1998 with FC Barcelona
• Italian Serie A: 2000 with SS Lazio
• Italian Cup: 2000 and 2004 with SS Lazio

European

• UEFA Cup: 1995 with Parma AC
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997 with FC Barcelona and 1999 with SS Lazio

International

• FIFA World Youth Championship: 1989 with Portugal
• [[Runner-up in the 2004 European Cup for Portugal

The Portuguese Liga (pron. ... The Portuguese Cup or, more correctly, Cup of Portugal (Port. ... (Professional Football League), commonly known as the Primera División, is the professional football league in Spain. ... The Copa del Rey (the Kings Cup) is Spanish footballs annual cup competition. ... This article is about the Italian football league. ... The Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) is a Italian footballs annual cup competition. ... For the current season, see UEFA Cup 2007-08. ... The UEFA Cup Winners Cup (also known as the European Cup Winners Cup) was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. ... The Football World Youth Championship is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). ...

See also

• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

The following is an incomplete list of sportspeople who have been sanctioned by their sports governing body for doping offences. ...

External links

• Parma FC profile (.pdf)
• FootballDatabase career stats

v • d • e Portugal squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 V. Baía • 2 J. Costa • 3 A. Xavier • 4 Caneira • 5 F. Couto • 6 P. Sousa • 7 Figo • 8 J. Pinto • 9 Pauleta • 10 Rui Costa • 11 S. Conceição • 12 H. Viana • 13 J. Andrade • 14 P. Barbosa • 15 Nélson • 16 Ricardo • 17 P. Bento • 18 Frechaut • 19 Capucho • 20 Petit • 21 Nuno Gomes • 22 Beto • 23 Rui Jorge • Coach: A. Oliveira