Vasco Matos
Portuguese footballer (born 1980)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vasco Miguel Lopes de Matos (born 10 October 1980) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger, currently a manager.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vasco Miguel Lopes de Matos[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 10 October 1980[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Brandoa, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1993 | Estrela Amadora | ||
| 1993–1999 | Sporting CP | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2002 | Sporting CP B | 33 | (6) |
| 1999–2000 | → Lourinhanense (loan) | 31 | (2) |
| 2001–2002 | → Campomaiorense (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2002–2003 | Vitória Setúbal | 5 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Felgueiras | 33 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Olhanense | 61 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Beira-Mar | 31 | (5) |
| 2008 | Rapid București | 4 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | Portimonense | 50 | (2) |
| 2010–2014 | Aves | 98 | (9) |
| 2014–2015 | Benfica Castelo Branco | 20 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Vilafranquense | 24 | (0) |
| Total | 405 | (25) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996 | Portugal U15 | 5 | (0) |
| 1997 | Portugal U17 | 3 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016 | Leixões (assistant) | ||
| 2017 | Vilafranquense (assistant) | ||
| 2017–2019 | Vilafranquense | ||
| 2019 | Alverca | ||
| 2020–2023 | Casa Pia (assistant) | ||
| 2023–2026 | Santa Clara | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He spent most of his career in his country's second tier, making 272 appearances and scoring 14 goals for six clubs. In Primeira Liga, he played 21 games and scored three times for Vitória de Setúbal and Beira-Mar.
Playing career
Born in Brandoa in Amadora, Lisbon District, Matos began playing at C.F. Estrela da Amadora at the age of eight before choosing Sporting CP over S.L. Benfica four years later. He never made a first-team appearance for the Lions, instead playing for farm team S.C. Lourinhanense and the reserve team in the third division.[2]
In 2001, Matos was loaned to S.C. Campomaiorense of the second tier for his first professional experience, and the club's last season at that level. He left for Vitória F.C. where he would make his Primeira Liga debut in 2002–03, albeit in a relegation. The following campaign, he played in a cash-strapped F.C. Felgueiras team where he went for five months without pay.[2]
After representing S.C. Olhanense and S.C. Beira-Mar – the latter being relegated from the top-flight in 2006–07 – Matos had his only experience abroad in February 2008, with FC Rapid București in Romania's Liga I.[3] That 15 August, he returned to his country's division two with Portimonense S.C. on a two-year deal.[4]
Matos played four seasons with C.D. Aves again in the second tier, and one each at third-division Sport Benfica e Castelo Branco and U.D. Vilafranquense of the Lisbon Football Association's first district league before retiring in 2016.[5]
Coaching career
Matos assisted Filipe Coelho at Leixões S.C. and Vilafranquense, and became manager of the third-tier latter side in December 2017 when his mentor moved abroad.[6][7] He debuted on 10 December with a 2–0 away win against GS Loures,[8] and finished the season as runners-up to C.D. Mafra before elimination in the play-off semi-finals by S.C. Farense (4–1 aggregate).[9]
On 6 March 2019, Matos was replaced in his job by Filipe Moreira.[10] Three months later, he was appointed at nearby F.C. Alverca in the same league.[11] On 17 October, he led them to a 2–0 home victory over Sporting in the third round of the Taça de Portugal, only the second time that the opposition had been eliminated by a third-division club.[12] He left by mutual consent on 27 December.[13]
Matos returned to the game on 5 July 2020 at Casa Pia AC, who had been kept in division two on a court decision.[14] He left his post still during pre-season, but remained with the team as an assistant manager.[15]
On 20 June 2023, Matos departed this role at the now top-flight Lisbon club, to take the helm at newly relegated C.D. Santa Clara.[16] He won promotion in his debut campaign as champions,[17] with a record point tally of 73, no matches lost away from home and the best defence in the top ten European leagues at only 19 goals conceded.[18][19][20]
Matos and his team started 2024–25 on a high note.[21] On 30 November, he oversaw a 1–0 win over Sporting, the Azoreans' first at the Estádio José Alvalade in history.[22][23] They eventually finished a best-ever fifth, thus qualifying for the UEFA Conference League.[24]
On 31 January 2026, following a poor start to the season that left the side just above the relegation zone, Matos was dismissed; in the club's official statement, he was referred to as "Santa Clara's greatest ever manager".[25][26]
Managerial statistics
- As of match played 31 January 2026[27]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Vilafranquense |  |
4 December 2017 | 6 March 2019 | 49 | 27 | 14 | 8 | 70 | 31 | +39 | 55.10 | [28] |
| Alverca | |
13 June 2019 | 27 December 2019 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 37 | 16 | +21 | 63.16 | [29] |
| Casa Pia | |
5 July 2020 | 1 September 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — | [30] |
| Santa Clara | |
20 June 2023 | 31 January 2026 | 108 | 49 | 27 | 32 | 123 | 97 | +26 | 45.37 | [31] |
| Total | 176 | 88 | 44 | 44 | 230 | 144 | +86 | 50.00 | — | |||
Honours
Manager
Santa Clara
