Who remembers Sergio Conceicao...

Nunu

My brother asked me today whatever happened to him. He was a fabulous winger for Portugal - remember him destroying Germany in Euro2000. Still only 32 but has been awol, as such, for years.
This from Wikipedia(look at the part I've highlighted - I never heard about that:eek: )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9rgio_Concei%C3%A7%C3%A3o

Sérgio Paulo Marceneiro da Conceição (pron. IPA: ) is a Portuguese football player, born on November 15, 1974 in Coimbra. Sérgio Conceição has excelled both in FC Porto and in a star-studded SS Lazio.

He gained 56 caps for the Portugal national football team, scoring 12 goals. 8 of those caps came while at FC Porto (including his debut against Ukraine on 9 November 1996, a 1-0 win in the world-cup qualifiers), 22 during his spell at Lazio, 6 at Parma and 20 while at Inter Milan. In his last international game he was on the losing end of a 3-0 friendly defeat at the hands of Spain on 6 September 2003.

Coimbra's municipality governors named a local 2,500-seater stadium after him - the Estádio Municipal Sérgio Conceição.


[edit] Club career
Conceição began his career playing for the youth teams of his hometown's Académica. Then he played for Leça FC and FC Felgueiras before moving to FC Porto in 1996. Two hugely successful years with Porto saw Conceição’s marauding runs down the right flank, combined with a good goalscoring record, help his team to back-to-back domestic championships and a Portuguese Cup triumph.

In total at Porto, he won 2 Portuguese Football Championship titles and 2 Portuguese Football Cups. In 56 league appearances for FC Porto he scored 9 goals.

He joined SS Lazio from Porto for €11.2 million, and played a significant part in their UEFA Cup Winners Cup success while also scoring five goals in 33 games in his first Serie A season.

Speedy and strong on the right flank, he also weighs in with his fair share of goals. He is also an excellent crosser of the ball. What makes him more dangerous is his ability to play either side of the field and his standout service from the wings. Conceição scored one goal in nine Euro 2000 qualifying appearances and the greatest game of his career came in the finals of that tournament, on June 20, 2000, when he scored a brilliant hat-trick as Portugal thrashed Germany 3-0 in a first-round group game in Rotterdam.

Later that same year, he transferred to Parma AC. In the summer of 2001, Conceição was used as a makeweight in the transfer of Sebastien Frey, which saw him go from Parma to Inter Milan while Frey went in the other direction. He would eventually leave Inter by mutual agreement, and re-joined Lazio, leaving for another familiar side, FC Porto, towards the end of 2003-04, again by mutual agreement.

In 2004 he signed for Belgian club Standard Liège on a one-year deal. He won the Belgian Golden Shoe for best player of the year in 2005. In March 2006, he was suspended for 3 years (4.5 months, and the rest suspended) [1], depending on good behaviour, for spitting on a player and assaulting a referee. [2] After the 2006-07 season, Conceição decided to move to Kuwait as he joined Al Qadisiya, after failing to win silverware with Standard, getting very close to the title in 2005-06 and almost winning the cup in 2006-07.


[edit] International appearances
Early in his international career, Conceição was not known for his scoring prowess. But since his breakout performance at Euro 2000, he can be counted on for offence.

At Euro 2000, Portugal reached the semi-finals thanks in part to Sérgio. In the third and final match of the group stage, against defending champions Germany, Conceição could not be contained. He bagged a hat-trick, scoring on 35, 54 and 71 minutes, and Portugal won, 3-0. Portugal had guaranteed the first place in the group in the first two games, so this third game was played mostly with substitutes, which was his case. With such an incredible performance he gained a position in the team.

Against France in the semi-final, Conceição created problems for the opposite defenders the whole match. His performance at Euro 2000 stamped his place on Portuguese national team.

In qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Conceição scored four goals as Portugal finished atop a group that also featured the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands. He scored the game-winner against the Netherlands in Rotterdam, and added another against fellow FIFA World Cup-participant Ireland.

Can anyone think of other high profile players who suddenly disappered off the radar, when they should have been at their peak?

Xavi6

Nunu wrote:

My brother asked me today whatever happened to him. He was a fabulous winger for Portugal - remember him destroying Germany in Euro2000. Still only 32 but has been awol, as such, for years.
This from Wikipedia(look at the part I've highlighted - I never heard about that:eek: )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9rgio_Concei%C3%A7%C3%A3o



Can anyone think of other high profile players who suddenly disappered off the radar, when they should have been at their peak?

Ha yes I remember him well. Slicked back black hair, small nippy winger for Inter and Lazio. Good player in his day.

Lots of players have just 'disappeared'. Marco Boogers anyone?

Nunu

Xavi6 wrote:

Ha yes I remember him well. Slicked back black hair, small nippy winger for Inter and Lazio. Good player in his day.

Lots of players have just 'disappeared'. Marco Boogers anyone?

Ye, but Boogers wasn't exactly high profile. I'm talking about world class players - plying their trade at the top of world football, then their careers inexplicably nosedive

Bubs101

BATIGOL!!!!!! although he was maybe a year after his peak.

godtabh

I remember him playing for Inter.

Remember thinking at the time the player who he replaced was better (cant think of who it was now) but by the end of the season would have been happy to keep him

Xavi6

Bubs101 wrote:

BATIGOL!!!!!! although he was maybe a year after his peak.

Batigol now lives in Perth, Western Australia. I will hunt him down and get photgraphic proof!.

Zaph

I wouldn't say Batistuta just dropped off the radar, he was 34 when he played for Inter, after all.

Eirebear

Step forward Mr Schillaci? Except for the odd smithwicks(or some other beer) advert of course!

pickarooney

Hardly the same calibre of player, but Michael Ricketts springs to mind.
Rememberr when Mendieta was one of the better players in Europe? And team-mate Gerard Lopez for that matter.

Xavi6

Few Italian football fans so far by the looks of it so anyone remember this guy?

Francesco "Checco" Moriero (born 31 March 1969 in Lecce) is a retired Italian football (soccer) player turned manager.

He played for several clubs, including US Lecce, Cagliari, AS Roma, Inter Milan and SSC Napoli.

He played for the Italian national team, scoring two goals in eight matches, and was a participant at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

In 2006, soon after having successfully ended his studies at the Coverciano football coaching school, Moriero was appointed head coach of Ivory Coast club Africa Sports. His appointment, officially announced on 2nd November 2006, was temporarily stopped by Moriero's imprisonment by the Italian authorities with fraud charges[1]. Moriero was released from jail twelve days after his arrest, on 28th November[2].

On July 27, 2007 Africa Sports announced to have sacked Moriero, appointing his assistant Salvatore Nobile as new boss.[3] On August 7, Moriero signed for Serie C1's Lanciano.[4]

http://www.solocalcio.com/gallery/CAMPIONATO99/PHOTO/moriero.jpg

Decent player in his day.

Eirebear

Keeping on the Italian theme..and being a gers fan...Marco Negri:rolleyes:

Xavi6

Apparently Corrado Grabbi is off playing in the second division of Swiss football. To think he cost £6.75 million

eirebhoy

Anyone know where Denilson is now without googling? He's only 30.

Zaph

pickarooney wrote:

Hardly the same calibre of player, but Michael Ricketts springs to mind.

Pity he didn't drop off the radar a bit more so Leeds wouldn't have signed him. Feckin' useless he was and cost a fortune in wages. :mad:

Zaph

eirebhoy wrote:

Anyone know where Denilson is now without googling? He's only 30.

Playing in the States somewhere I think.

Xavi6

Yeah Ricketts is at Oldham now. Last I heard of Denilson he was on trial with Bordeaux. Not sure how it worked out off the top of my head.

Xavi6

Gerard's still playing in Spain AFAIK

pickarooney

I cheated, but after buggering off to Saudi, Denilson is now a "designated player" in the MLS.

godtabh

Eirebear wrote:

Step forward Mr Schillaci? Except for the odd smithwicks(or some other beer) advert of course!

He played in Japan after the world cup and i think that was the death of him

KdjaCL

kearnsr wrote:

He played in Japan after the world cup and i think that was the death of him

Nope played for Juve i think went over a year without scoring and got to meet the pope to see if he could fix it

Redonda ex Real and AC

Lentini worlds most expensive player at one stage.



kdjac

Nunu

pickarooney wrote:

Hardly the same calibre of player, but Michael Ricketts springs to mind.
Rememberr when Mendieta was one of the better players in Europe? And team-mate Gerard Lopez for that matter.

Ye, remember him he was decent - on Recreativos books. I think?. His brother Sergi (a former footballer) committed suicide last year - threw himself under a train:eek:

You mentioning him also reminds me of Claudio Lopez - now he really was World Class. Quality for Valencia and Argentina. Mega money move to Lazio was his undoing(although to be fair to him injury probably had more of a say). Possibly the fastest player I've ever seen!
Again, just dropped off the radar in his peak years. He's only 33 now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_L%C3%B3pez

http://www.bbc.co.uk/portuguese/images/020303_lopez100.jpg

Thanx 4 The Fish

What happened to Jardel after Bolton ?

Heard he went to australia or somesuch. Was he not top goalscorer in europe for a couple or three seasons in a row ?

seabee

KdjaCL wrote:

Lentini worlds most expensive player at one stage.

From what i remember* he crashed his ferrari a year after joining milan and was never the same since. He returned to Torino a few years ago and helped get them promoted. I'd say he's retired now




*Bring back James Richardson & Gazzetta on a saturday morning

Seaneh

KdjaCL wrote:

Redonda ex Real and AC

Lentini worlds most expensive player at one stage.



kdjac

Redondo Rutpured every ligament and tendon in his right knee in his second training session with Milan and didnt make his debut for over 2 years, played aseason and a half and then went off somewhere.
The doctor that did the operation said it was a mirical that he ever played again.

Lentini was never the same after his crash, played in serie a for years after but never at the same level.

Only retited like two years ago.

Vokes

Yeh, I remember Claudio Lopez.

LW wasn't he? And freakishly fast!

I guess his transfer was one of the ones that put Lazio in a bad way financially a couple of years back.

KdjaCL

Redonda wouldnt accept payment from Milan whislt injured, best complete midifelder i ever seen.

I guess his transfer was one of the ones that put Lazio in a bad way financially a couple of years back.

Sven bought when he paid out 60 mil in one season to win the league it worked.

kdjac

Nunu

KdjaCL wrote:

Redonda wouldnt accept payment from Milan whislt injured, best complete midifelder i ever seen.



Sven bought when he paid out 60 mil in one season to win the league it worked.

kdjac

Redondo was classy alright, but he hardly ever scored did he, to be considered a complete midfielder?

Definitely one of the most influential midfielders ever though and best defensive mid I've ever seen.

Although, come to think of it, if it's a striker job to score goals and a midfielder to do everything else then i can't argue with you.

zAbbo

A strange one this, Nicky Butt, back in 2002 he was easily Englands best player at the WC , and being touted as one of the best midfielders around (on form) even Pele said he's the one player Brazil feared.

The drop was pretty steep for him, transfer request in 2004 from ManU, onto Newky / Brum / Newky and now back looking like a decent footballer.

leninbenjamin

Redondo was an absolute legend, he used be my favourite player in FIFA 98. such a pisser over the way his career ended. oh and it's spelt with an O kdjaCL. Redondo

this thread makes for some interesting reading though. the numbers of players who just vanish into obscurity after effectively establishing themselves as among the worlds best, quite mind boggling. For the non injury related fadings: I wonder is it perhaps something we might see less of in future years with the advent of sports psychologists and that in the last decade or so?

Guy:Incognito

eirebhoy wrote:

Anyone know where Denilson is now without googling? He's only 30.

What a player he was for years in CM.:)

Guy:Incognito

pickarooney wrote:

I cheated, but after buggering off to Saudi, Denilson is now a "designated player" in the MLS.

So is Angel.:)

Juan Pablo Angel, New York Red Bulls
David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy
Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Chicago Fire
Claudio Reyna, New York Red Bulls
Denilson de Oliveira Araujo, FC Dallas



Blanco rings a bell, cant place him though. Columbian?

KdjaCL wrote:

Lentini worlds most expensive player at one stage.

Was a car crash not the start of his downfall? Or was that after he went downhill?

MrJoeSoap

Stekelly wrote:

Blanco rings a bell, cant place him though. Columbian?

Nah Mexican, scored a cracker in the 98 World Cup and "invented" that weird move where you put the ball between your legs and jump.

I can't believe Sergio Conceicao joined Al Qaeda.

Rollo Tamasi

Ibrahaim Ba is playing in space these days, i think!

MrJoeSoap

Rollo Tamasi wrote:

Ibrahaim Ba is playing in space these days, i think!

Best place for him, tbh. It's about the only time he'll find space.

eirebhoy

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Nah Mexican, scored a cracker in the 98 World Cup and "invented" that weird move where you put the ball between your legs and jump.

Destroyed Celtic in his Chicago debut in pre-season.

Guy:Incognito

And what of Ali Dai? (sp?)

MrJoeSoap

Stekelly wrote:

And what of Ali Dai? (sp?)

The Southampton lad or the Iranian? Its Ali Dia for the Saints and Ali Daei for Iran. The latter is a manager now, after eventually hanging up his boots (109 goals for his country...).

As for the other clown... I'd love to know!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GyT1r_oVcdA

Guy:Incognito

Yeah the Greame Souness supersub was the one I was going for.:)

Xavi6

Rollo Tamasi wrote:

Ibrahaim Ba is playing in space these days, i think!

Em I'm 99% sure Ba was resigned by AC Milan this summer. No idea why but pretty sure he was.

el rabitos

Xavi6 wrote:

Em I'm 99% sure Ba was resigned by AC Milan this summer. No idea why but pretty sure he was.

his son plays in the youth team.

PHB

Butt was always an odd player. He was the English makelele, which is why Brazil feared him. However, United had Roy Keane who did the Makelele job and much more, so he could never really get to a regular spot for United. When he moved from United, teams thought he was a different type of player, and from then on, his career just couldn't keep up. Still, he's got the medals to prove his ability as a player.

qwertplaywert

Stekelly wrote:

What a player he was for years in CM.:)

Still is in the 01/02 updates!

qwertplaywert

Not as steep as the others , but still a pretty big fall from the days of Barca-Patrick Kluivert. Interesting note that he and Van Nistolroy were born on the same day-The way Kluivert was at his peak in his early 20s, while you could prop say Van is at his at the moment[or at least the last 3/4 years]

MrJoeSoap

qwertplaywert wrote:

Interesting note that he and Van Nistolroy were born on the same day

That is actually insane, I never knew that.

Seaneh

Rollo Tamasi wrote:

Ibrahaim Ba is playing in space these days, i think!

Ba is a players liason and registered as a player at Milan again.
Hasnt been given a squad number or a CL spot, so really its a way of getting a player into your coaching staff without him having badges yet.

****ing cracking player back in the day.

herbieflowers

Seaneh wrote:

Ba is a players liason and registered as a player at Milan again.
Hasnt been given a squad number or a CL spot, so really its a way of getting a player into your coaching staff without him having badges yet.

****ing cracking player back in the day.

the blonde hair was an inspiration to a certain Djibril Cisse...

KdjaCL

KdjaCL wrote:

Nope played for Juve i think went over a year without scoring and got to meet the pope to see if he could fix it

Redonda ex Real and AC

Lentini worlds most expensive player at one stage.



kdjac

Redondo.



He didnt so much disappear as injury blighted him. Remember his piece of skill in the corner at OT to set up Raul's goal in the CL QF against United??? Pure class.


His international career died a death after the Argentina coach, Daniel Passarella i think, decided that he wasnt gonna play any players who had long hair or who were gay (even though I dont think anyone knew of any gay players in the team at the time) and Redondo along with a few others refused to cut his hair so was outed from the national team.

Peyton Manning

What ever happened to Djalminha or Denilson?

Seaneh

The match after the greece game in world cup 94, Redondo walked off the pitch at the end and ran to Maradona with tears in his eyes screaming "I kept looking for you but you weren't there"

I remember hearing him screaming it from the sideline mic, him and maradona had such a good understanding with eachother, that's why Maradona played so well despite his age in that world cup.

Also, comon misconception to clear up here, Maradona wasn't banned for cocaine in 94, he was banned for Eppidrone(sp?).

He's been using a supliment in argintine while he was training alone to get fit for the world cup and it was cleared by FIFA as not containing any banned substances.

When he got to the states, he bought the same supliment in florida, same packet, same name, but this one was made in the states, and it had eppidrone in it, his trainer or whatever took it for granted it was the same as the argentinian one, but in obviously it wasn't.

Epidrone does NOTHING to benifit you at all, and I can't fathom a reason as to why it's banned.

There was no cocaine in his system according to the toxicology reports.

Redondo was the best centre mid of the last twenty years.

Seaneh

Archimedes wrote:

What ever happened to Djalminha or Denilson?

Djalminha retired like 3 years ago, he left porto and joined a mexican team, he was quality, but was like 33 when he left depor...

Denilson is in the US.

Nunu

Seaneh wrote:

The match after the greece game in world cup 94, Redondo walked off the pitch at the end and ran to Maradona with tears in his eyes screaming "I kept looking for you but you weren't there"

I remember hearing him screaming it from the sideline mic, him and maradona had such a good understanding with eachother, that's why Maradona played so well despite his age in that world cup.

Also, comon misconception to clear up here, Maradona wasn't banned for cocaine in 94, he was banned for Eppidrone(sp?).

He's been using a supliment in argintine while he was training alone to get fit for the world cup and it was cleared by FIFA as not containing any banned substances.

When he got to the states, he bought the same supliment in florida, same packet, same name, but this one was made in the states, and it had eppidrone in it, his trainer or whatever took it for granted it was the same as the argentinian one, but in obviously it wasn't.

Epidrone does NOTHING to benifit you at all, and I can't fathom a reason as to why it's banned.

There was no cocaine in his system according to the toxicology reports.

Redondo was the best centre mid of the last twenty years.

Jesus, I never knew any of that. It always left a bad taste in my mouth how he was treated at USA '94. It was great to see him at a World Cup and really appreciate him because I was too young to do that at previous World Cups.

Thanks for that info Seanah.