 Alves in a press conference with Portugal (2012) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bruno Eduardo Regufe Alves | ||
| Date of birth | 27 November 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Fenerbahçe | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1998 | Varzim | ||
| 1998–1999 | Porto | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2002 | Porto B | 53 | (8) |
| 2001–2010 | Porto | 119 | (14) |
| 2002–2003 | → Farense (loan) | 46 | (3) |
| 2003–2004 | → Vitória Guimarães (loan) | 25 | (1) |
| 2005 | → AEK Athens (loan) | 27 | (0) |
| 2010–2013 | Zenit St. Petersburg | 72 | (1) |
| 2013– | Fenerbahçe | 9 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2001–2002 | Portugal U20 | 12 | (1) |
| 2002–2004 | Portugal U21 | 20 | (2) |
| 2004 | Portugal B | 1 | (0) |
| 2007– | Portugal | 70 | (9) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 September 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2013 | |||
Bruno Eduardo Regufe Alves (born 27 November 1981) is a Portuguese professional footballer of Brazilian descent who plays for Fenerbahçe S.K. in Turkey and the Portuguese national team, as acentral defender.
He spent most of his professional career at Porto, winning a total of nine titles, seven as first-choice, and appearing in more than 200 official games. He also played three seasons in Russia, with Zenit St. Petersburg.
A Portuguese international since 2007, Alves represented the country at the 2010 World Cup and two European Championships.
Club career
Porto
Alves was born in Póvoa de Varzim, and started playing football for local Varzim SC, joining the youth ranks of F.C. Porto at the age of 16. After three consecutive loans, two in Portugal and another in the Greek first division with AEK Athens FC,[1] he returned to the latter in 2005–06, extending his contract until 2010[2] and battling for a first-team spot with Ricardo Costa and João Paulo: he played in seven league games for the eventual league champions, but was infamouslysent off on 15 October 2005 in the 0–2 home loss against S.L. Benfica, after headbutting Nuno Gomes.[3]
The arrival of Jesualdo Ferreira at the helm of Porto in the 2006 summer signalled the turning point in Alves' career. He beat off stiff competition for a starting berth in the team alongside Pepe, and formed a solid partnership with the Brazilian-born. An impressive season saw the player finally come of age, and he was ever-present as the club won another national championship.
On 7 April 2009 Alves' early mistake in the season's UEFA Champions League game againstManchester United at Old Trafford led to Wayne Rooney's 1–1 equaliser[4]– the game ended 2–2 and Porto went on to lose 3–2 on aggregate. However, on 10 May, he headed in the game's only goal in a home win over C.D. Nacional, which ensured the Dragões and the player a fourth consecutive league accolade.
Zenit
On 3 August 2010, aged 28, Alves signed with Russian Premier League's FC Zenit Saint Petersburg for €22 million,[5] joining compatriots Danny and Fernando Meira in the squad. Upon his arrival, head coach Luciano Spalletti described him as a very important player for the team, noting his experience, ability in the air and strong character.[6]
On 30 October 2010 Alves scored his first goal for his new club, against former team AEK in UEFA Europa League's group stage (4–2 home win).
Fenerbahçe
On 6 June 2013, Alves agreed to join Turkish side Fenerbahçe S.K. on a three-year deal, for a fee of €5.5 million.[7]
International career
.jpg)
Luiz Felipe Scolari gave Alves his full Portugal debut in June 2007 against Kuwait in a 1–1 away draw.[8] He was then selected as a back-up for UEFA Euro 2008, appearing in the 0–2 group stage loss againstSwitzerland.
A regular starter during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Alves headed the winner in injury time for the final 2–1 win in Albania on 6 June 2009,[9] as Portugal eventually reached the play-offs. There, in the first leg in Lisbon, he also found the net (the game's only goal) against Bosnia and Herzegovina, in an eventual 2–0 aggregate qualification; he also played all the matches and minutes in the finals in South Africa, in an eventual round-of-16 exit.
Alves played all the games and minutes at the Euro 2012 tournament, starring alongside former Porto teammate Pepe. In the semifinals against Spain, he missed his penalty shootout attempt, in an eventual 2–4 loss (0–0 after 120 minutes)
