Sérgio Conceição

At 49 years old, Sérgio Conceição has this physical status:

Born in Coimbra, Conceição began his career playing for the youth teams of hometown's Associação Académica. He started professionally in the second division, consecutively for F.C. Penafiel, Leça F.C. and F.C. Felgueiras, before moving to FC Porto in 1996; two highly successful years with the latter saw his runs down the right flank, combined with a good goalscoring record, help it to back-to-back Primeira Liga championships and a Taça de Portugal triumph.

Conceição joined S.S. Lazio and played a significant part in their 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup success, while also scoring five goals in 33 games in his first season in Serie A. He also helped the team to a Scudetto, a Coppa Italia (in a 1999–2000 conquest of the double) and the 1999 UEFA Super Cup.

In July 2000, Conceição transferred to Parma A.C. as a makeweight in Hernán Crespo's transfer, along with Matías Almeyda. The following campaign, he was used in the same fashion in the transfer of Sébastien Frey, which saw him go to Inter Milan while Frey went in the other direction. After two seasons and a good number of starts, he would eventually leave Inter by mutual agreement and re-joined Lazio, leaving for former club Porto towards the end of 2003–04, again by mutual agreement, and adding his third Portuguese national championship.

In summer 2004, Conceição signed for Belgium's Standard Liège on a one-year deal. He won the Belgian Golden Shoe for best player of the year in his first season. However, in March 2006, he was banned for three years – the first 4.5 months of the ban taking effect immediately and the rest suspended– depending on good behaviour, for spitting on an opposing player and assaulting a referee.

After the 2006–07 season, Conceição failed to win any silverware with Standard, finishing runner-up in 2005–06's league and losing the 2007 final of the Belgian Cup. He decided to move to Kuwait and Qadsia SC on an annual salary of €1.1 million but, quickly unsettled, left.

In January 2008, after failed deals in Portugal, Conceição agreed to join PAOK FC in Greece, signing an 18-month contract. His unlikely signing was largely attributed to club director of football Zisis Vryzas, and the presence of Portuguese manager Fernando Santos on the bench; though he initially struggled even to return to proper fitness levels, he was instantly given the number No. 7 shirt, once worn by legendary former player (and also chairman) Theodoros Zagorakis.

In 2008–09, Conceição was promoted to team captain. Along with compatriot Vieirinha, he was a regular on the team's wings and gradually became a fan favourite for his leadership and his devotion to the club; at the beginning of the following campaign, however, he was regularly troubled by knee injuries for the most part of October, managing only a few appearances.

Conceição played 56 times with the Portugal national team and scored 12 goals, his debut being on 9 November 1996 in a 1–0 home win against Ukraine for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In his last international game he was on the losing end of a 0–3 friendly defeat at the hands of Spain, on 6 September 2003.

Early in his international career, Conceição was not known for his scoring prowess but, at UEFA Euro 2000, Portugal reached the semi-finals with a major contribution from him: in the third and final match of the group stage, against defending champions Germany in Rotterdam, he netted a hat-trick for all of the game's goals; the national side had guaranteed first place in the first two rounds, so it played mostly with substitutes, but he cemented his place in the starting XI for the rest of the tournament and subsequent call-ups.

In qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, Conceição scored four goals as Portugal finished atop a group that also featured the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands (netting against both).

Coaching career

On 13 October 2009, Conceição announced his decision to retire as a professional footballer, and to continue working at PAOK as technical director, accepting Vryzas' proposal for the seat left vacant when he assumed presidency early on. On 30 May 2010, a few weeks after Santos' resignation as manager, he left the Thessaloniki club and rejoined another former team, as part of Standard Liège's coaching staff led by Dominique D'Onofrio.

Conceição began his managerial career on 1 January 2012, replacing Daúto Faquirá at the helm of S.C. Olhanense in Primeira Liga. He left the Algarve side on 9 August, following disputes with the board.

On 8 April 2013, Conceição was hired as manager of his hometown team Académica de Coimbra, less than 24 hours after the club dismissed Pedro Emanuel from the job. They stood at 13th place when he joined, and his main goal was to avoid relegation. He left at the end of the season, after leading the side to an eighth place finish.

Conceição signed a two-year contract with S.C. Braga on 26 May 2014; the team had just finished the campaign one place below Académica with the same number of points, resulting in the first time in ten years that Braga was out of European competitions. He led them to a fourth place finish and to the final of the domestic cup. After the semi-final victory at Rio Ave FC's ground, he made the 24-mile journey home from Vila do Conde on foot as part of a bet made with his players. Braga lost the final in a penalty shootout to Sporting CP despite leading 2–0 at half time. Following this defeat, president António Salvador released an official statement that angered the manager, resulting in a "violent discussion" between the two and leading to the club's decision of sacking the latter.

On 22 September 2015, Conceição resurfaced with his fourth management position in the Portuguese top-flight, at Vitória de Guimarães. On 17 January 2016, he led the side to their first home win against FC Porto (1–0) in 14 years. He left at the end of the campaign, by mutual consent with the club, after a 10th place in the championship left them out of European competitions.

Conceição was named manager of Ligue 1 club FC Nantes on 8 December 2016, replacing the dismissed René Girard at a side second from bottom. The following February, he was linked to the vacant managerial position at struggling Premier League title holders Leicester City, but Nantes chairman Waldemar Kita insisted he would see out his two-year contract.

On 6 June 2017, it was announced that Conceição had quit his position and accepted a proposal from Porto. The manager cited personal reasons, including the possibility to live close to his family in Portugal, as to why he accepted the Portuguese club's proposal.

In June 2017, after cutting ties with the French club, Conceição replaced former teammate Nuno Espírito Santo at the helm of former side Porto. He was officially presented on the 8th, signing a two-year deal. In his first season, he led the club to the national championship after a five-year wait, and his contract was extended by another year. They reached the quarter-finals in the subsequent UEFA Champions League, where they were ousted by eventual winners Liverpool.

On 1 March 2019, Conceição signed another deal to stay at Porto until 2021. They regained their title in 2019–20 with two games to spare, after S.L. Benfica's form worsened at the end of the campaign. Two weeks later, his team beat that opponent in the cup final to secure the double. The side again reached the last-eight in the Champions League, being defeated 2–1 on aggregate by Chelsea.

Conceição renewed his contract for three more years on 4 June 2021, until June 2024. The following 16 April, a 7–0 home rout of Portimonense S.C. equalled A.C. Milan and Olympiacos F.C.'s record of 58 league matches without losing. His third league title was sealed on 7 May, with a last-minute winner by Zaidu Sanusi at Benfica, and 15 days later a 3–1 win over C.D. Tondela decided the domestic cup final.

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