.jpg) Almeida playing forKuban Krasnodar in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hugo Miguel Pereira de Almeida[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-05-23)23 May 1984 (age 41)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Figueira da Foz, Portugal[1] | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Centre-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–1996 | Buarcos | ||
| 1996–2000 | Naval | ||
| 2001–2002 | Porto | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2005 | Porto B | 25 | (20) |
| 2003–2007 | Porto | 33 | (4) |
| 2003 | →União Leiria (loan) | 13 | (3) |
| 2004 | →União Leiria (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 2005 | →Boavista (loan) | 14 | (3) |
| 2006–2007 | →Werder Bremen (loan) | 28 | (5) |
| 2007–2010 | Werder Bremen | 89 | (36) |
| 2011–2014 | Beşiktaş | 85 | (36) |
| 2014–2015 | Cesena | 10 | (0) |
| 2015 | Kuban Krasnodar | 10 | (2) |
| 2015–2016 | Anzhi | 12 | (2) |
| 2016 | Hannover 96 | 7 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | AEK Athens | 22 | (5) |
| 2017–2018 | Hajduk Split | 14 | (3) |
| 2018–2020 | Académica | 33 | (11) |
| Total | 409 | (133) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001 | Portugal U16 | 4 | (1) |
| 2002 | Portugal U18 | 5 | (1) |
| 2002–2003 | Portugal U19 | 15 | (8) |
| 2003 | Portugal U20 | 5 | (0) |
| 2004–2007 | Portugal U21 | 27 | (16) |
| 2004 | Portugal U23 | 4 | (2) |
| 2004–2006 | Portugal B | 4 | (4) |
| 2004–2015 | Portugal | 57 | (19) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2020–2021 | Académica B (assistant) | ||
| 2021–2022 | Académica (assistant) | ||
| 2022–2024 | Sepahan (assistant) | ||
| 2024 | Sepahan (interim) | ||
| 2024–2025 | Bodrum (assistant) | ||
| 2025 | Hatayspor | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Hugo Miguel Pereira de Almeida (born 23 May 1984) is a Portuguese former professionalfootballer who played as acentre-forward, currently amanager.
After failing to establish himself atPorto, being loaned several times during his contract, he made a name for himself in Germany withWerder Bremen where he remained for four seasons, reaching the2009 UEFA Cup final and scoring 63 competitive goals. He also spent several years in Turkey withBeşiktaş, netting 47 times in 109 total games.
Almeida, whose international career withPortugal spanned over a decade, succeeded in becoming a regular after the departures ofPauleta in 2006 andLiédson in 2010. He represented the nation at twoWorld Cups and as manyEuropean Championships, earning 57caps and scoring 19 goals.[2]
Almeida started working as a head coach in 2024, being in charge ofSepahan in Iran andHatayspor in Turkey.
Born inFigueira da Foz,Coimbra District, Almeida started playing football for hometown clubNaval 1º de Maio, before being signed byPorto still as a junior. He made hisPrimeira Liga debut in a 2–0 home win overBenfica on 21 September 2003, playing three minutes.[3] Unable to settle at first, however, he had loan spells withUnião de Leiria (with which he had already played in the previous season, also on loan)[4] andBoavista.[5]
Almeida returned to Porto for2005–06, having a relatively important role in a side that was crowned national champions. Duringthat campaign'sUEFA Champions League he scored a spectacular goal from a 35-metrefree kick againstInter Milan at theSan Siro, albeit in a 2–1 loss.[6]
Almeida served another loan stint in2006–07, with a solid first year at theBundesliga'sWerder Bremen,[7] where he rejoined former Porto teammateDiego. He totalled ten goals in 41 appearances (in all competitions), including one in a 2–1 home loss againstEspanyol in thesemi-finals of theUEFA Cup, his shot floating over the goalkeeper and into the net in an eventual 4–2 aggregate defeat;[8] after seeing his chances at Porto definitely cut down with the arrival of strikersEdgar andErnesto Farías in August 2007, he decided to accept Bremen's offer for a permanent switch, penning a four-year deal worth€4 million.[9]
With the departure ofMiroslav Klose, who signed forBayern Munich,[10] Almeida's chances of first-team action improved dramatically, and he started the2007–08 season in scoring fashion, netting seven times in his first 12 league games, including two goals in a 4–1 victory overdefending championsVfB Stuttgart.[11] He would finish the season with 16 goals in all competitions – 11 in the league, as his club finished second behind Bayern – only surpassed in the team by Diego's 17.
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In2008–09, another solid season, Almeida scored nine goals in the league, adding four in just five matches for theeventualDFB-Pokal winners – his first Bremen honour. His cup tally included ahat-trick against amateursEintracht Nordhorn, in a 9–3 away rout.[12] In theChampions League he netted two more, being named the "Fans'Player of the match" in the 2–2 draw away toAnorthosis Famagusta.[13] As the team were "demoted" to theUEFA Cup, he contributed one goal in eight games as the team went all the way tothe final but, after receiving ayellow card in the 3–2 defeat ofHamburger SV in the semi-finals (3–3 aggregate win), he missed the decisive match againstShakhtar Donetsk.[14]
Alternating starts with appearancesfrom the bench, Almeida once again scored in double digits in the2009–10 campaign, netting seven goals in the domestic league for a total of 11, as Bremen finished third and qualified for theChampions League play-off round, with the playerassistingClaudio Pizarro in the third goal of the clash againstSampdoria (3–1 home win in the first leg, eventual 3–2 aggregate win).[15]
Almeida started2010–11 netting six times in the first ten league games. On 28 November 2010 he took his total to nine, after scoring three in a home win againstFC St. Pauli (3–0) – in the dying minutes of the fixture, he wassent off afterelbowing an opponent.[16]
On Christmas Eve 2010, after scoring 11 goals in 21 official games for Bremen during the season, Almeida joinedBeşiktaş in theSüper Lig, having agreed to a three-and-a-half-year contract for €2 million.[17][18] On 11 May 2011, he converted hispenalty inthe shootout as theIstanbul teamwon theTurkish Cup againstİstanbul Başakşehir (4–3, 2–2 afterextra time).[19]
During his time inIstanbul, Almeida was part of a Portuguese contingent including managerCarlos Carvalhal and five teammates including fellow internationalsManuel Fernandes,Simão Sabrosa andRicardo Quaresma.[20]
On 7 October 2014,free agent Almeida signed forSerie A newcomersCesena.[21] However, he struggled at his new club, managing only seven starts and terminating his contract by mutual consent on 20 January 2015.[22] A week later, he joined Russia'sKuban Krasnodar.[23]
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Almeida moved toAnzhi Makhachkala who had just returned to theRussian Premier League on 8 July 2015.[24] After just six months, both parties parted ways by mutual consent.[25]
On 16 January 2016, Almeida returned to Germany and signed forHannover 96 until summer 2017, reuniting with former Werder Bremen bossThomas Schaaf in the process.[26] He scored in his first appearance seven days later, but in a 2–1 home loss againstDarmstadt 98.[27] In February, he received a retrospective three-match ban for an elbow onFC Augsburg'sDominik Kohr,[28] asthe season ended with relegation.
Almeida joinedAEK Athens from theSuper League Greece on 18 July 2016, on a two-year contract.[29] He scored twice in the first 15 minutes of his debut, a 4–1 home win overXanthi on 11 September.[30]
On 26 April 2017, in the return leg ofthe semi-finals of theGreek Football Cup againstOlympiacos, Almeida played as an emergencygoalkeeper for the first time in his career, afterGiannis Anestis was sent off in the closing minutes of the game. His team eventually advanced to the final onaway goals, after a 2–2 aggregate draw.[31]
Almeida's contract was terminated by mutual consent on 30 August 2017.[32] The following day he signed a one-year deal withHajduk Split from theCroatian First Football League, with the option for a further season.[33]
Almeida returned to Portugal after an absence of 12 years in July 2018, at the age of 34. Citing family reasons, he agreed to a two-year contract atAcadémica de Coimbra.[34] He made hisLigaPro debut on 18 August, playing 36 minutes in a 1–0 home defeat againstPaços de Ferreira and eventually acting as a goalkeeper afterPeterson Peçanha was sent off.[35]
On 6 February 2020, Almeida announced his retirement.[36]
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Almeida played at every level in international competitions, fromthe under-16 to the mainPortugal national team. He made his full debut in afriendly againstEngland on 18 February 2004, a 1–1 draw,[37] and was also part of the squad that won the 2003Toulon Tournament, also appearing at the2004 and2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals.[38]
Almeida was called for Portugal's final threeUEFA Euro 2008qualifiers, starting againstAzerbaijan and scoring his first international goal.[39] He also netted in the follow-up, a 1–0 win overArmenia,[40] and these goals eventually proved vital as the nation clinched a tournament spot.
InCarlos Queiroz's second stint as national side coach, Almeida scored in a 4–0 victory inMalta on 6 September 2008, in the2010 FIFA World Cupqualifying campaign.[41] His importance diminished in late 2009, after the naturalisation ofSporting CP's Liédson.
Almeida was picked for the finals in South Africa. After the first match, a 0–0 againstIvory Coast, he replaced Liédson in the starting XI for the following match, with both players finding the net in the 7–0 rout ofNorth Korea on 21 June 2010, inCape Town.[42]
Almeida was selected by new managerPaulo Bento for hisEuro 2012 squad, initially as third choice afterHélder Postiga andNélson Oliveira. After the former injured himself in the first half of the quarter-finals againstCzech Republic, he replaced him,[43] going on to start in the penalty shootout loss toSpain (0–0 after 120 minutes).[44]
After being included in the list for the2014 World Cup,[45] Almeida started in the first group stage match againstGermany, but was injured after just 28 minutes of play in an eventual 4–0 defeat.[46] He went on to miss the second game against theUnited States[47] with Postiga, who was also stretchered off after only 17 minutes, replacing him in the starting XI.[48]
On 31 March 2015, Almeidacaptained Portugal for the first time in his final appearance, a 2–0 friendly loss toCape Verde inEstoril.[49]
Following his retirement from playing, Almeida instantly went into coaching Académica's under-23 team.[36] In2021–22, he was assistant manager of the first team, serving four head coaches as the season ended with relegation toLiga 3;[50] he left by mutual consent at the end of the campaign and waived his right to compensation or backlogged wages, due to the club's financial situation.[51]
Almeida was brieflyinterim manager of Académica in March 2022, but did not oversee any match before the appointment ofZé Gomes.[52][53] In June, he became assistant to compatriotJosé Morais atSepahan in thePersian Gulf Pro League;[54] he later acted as caretaker for the latter after Morais left for personal reasons.[55]
Almeida subsequently worked in Turkey, withBodrum (assistant) andHatayspor (head coach).[56] On 4 November 2025, following seven defeats and one draw in eight matches at the latter, his contract at theTFF 1. Lig side was terminated by mutual agreement.[57]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Porto B | 2001–02 | Segunda Divisão | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | [58] | |||
| 2002–03 | 15 | 16 | — | — | — | 15 | 16 | [58] | |||||
| 2003–04 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | [58] | |||||
| 2004–05 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | [58] | |||||
| Total | 25 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 20 | – | ||
| Porto | 2002–03 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | [58] |
| 2003–04 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | [58] | ||
| 2004–05 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | [58] | ||
| 2005–06 | 27 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 5 | [58] | ||
| Total | 33 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 5 | – | ||
| União Leiria (loan) | 2002–03 | Primeira Liga | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 | [58] | |
| União Leiria (loan) | 2003–04 | Primeira Liga | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | [58] | |
| Boavista (loan) | 2004–05 | Primeira Liga | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | [58] | |
| Werder Bremen (loan) | 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 9 | [59] |
| Werder Bremen | 2007–08 | Bundesliga | 23 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 16 | [59] |
| 2008–09 | 27 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 16 | [59] | ||
| 2009–10 | 26 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 11 | [59] | ||
| 2010–11 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 11 | [59] | ||
| Total | 89 | 36 | 13 | 7 | 34 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 54 | – | ||
| Beşiktaş | 2010–11 | Süper Lig | 12 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 20 | 8 | [60] | |
| 2011–12 | 22 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 3[a] | 1 | 35 | 14 | [60] | ||
| 2012–13 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 10 | [60] | ||||
| 2013–14 | 31 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 33 | 15 | [60] | |||
| Total | 85 | 36 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 109 | 47 | – | ||
| Cesena | 2014–15 | Serie A | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | [60] | ||
| Kuban | 2014–15 | Russian Premier League | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 13 | 3 | [60] | ||
| Anzhi Makhachkala | 2015–16 | Russian Premier League | 12 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 14 | 4 | [60] | ||
| Hannover 96 | 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | [59] | ||
| AEK Athens | 2016–17 | Super League Greece | 21 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 27 | 4 | [60] | |
| 2017–18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | [60] | |||
| Total | 22 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 5 | – | ||
| Hajduk Split | 2017–18 | Prva HNL | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 3 | [60] | ||
| Académica | 2018–19 | LigaPro | 23 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 23 | 10 | [58] | |
| 2019–20 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 0 | 15 | 1 | [58] | |||
| Total | 33 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 11 | – | ||
| Career total | 409 | 133 | 49 | 16 | 72 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 535 | 171 | – | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2011 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2012 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 57 | 19 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2007 | Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan |  Azerbaijan | 2–0 | 2–0 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 2 | 17 November 2007 | Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal |  Armenia | 1–0 | 1–0 | Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 3 | 6 September 2008 | Ta'Qali Stadium, Ta'Qali, Malta |  Malta | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 6 June 2009 | Qemal Stafa stadium, Tirana, Albania |  Albania | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2010 World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 12 August 2009 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein |  Liechtenstein | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 12 August 2009 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 3 March 2010 | Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal |  China | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 8 June 2010 | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa |  Mozambique | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 8 June 2010 | Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa | Mozambique | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 21 June 2010 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa |  North Korea | 3–0 | 7–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
| 11 | 3 September 2010 | Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal |  Cyprus | 1–1 | 4–4 | Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 12 | 17 November 2010 | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal |  Spain | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 13 | 10 August 2011 | Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal |  Luxembourg | 4–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 10 August 2011 | Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal | Luxembourg | 5–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 15 | 2 September 2011 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus | Cyprus | 3–0 | 4–0 | Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 16 | 14 November 2012 | Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville, Gabon |  Gabon | 2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 17 | 26 March 2013 | Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 World Cup qualification |
| 18 | 10 June 2014 | MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, United States |  Republic of Ireland | 1–0 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 19 | 10 June 2014 | MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, United States | Republic of Ireland | 3–0 | 5–1 | Friendly |
Porto
Werder Bremen
Beşiktaş
AEK Athens
Individual
Portugal squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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