.jpg) Custódio playing for Portugal in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Custódio Miguel Dias Castro | ||
| Date of birth | 24 May 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Guimarães, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Braga | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–1999 | Vitória Guimarães | ||
| 1999–2001 | Sporting CP | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2003 | Sporting B | 48 | (5) |
| 2002–2007 | Sporting CP | 95 | (4) |
| 2007–2008 | Dynamo Moscow | 9 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Vitória Guimarães | 28 | (0) |
| 2010– | Braga | 58 | (6) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003 | Portugal U20 | 11 | (4) |
| 2003–2006 | Portugal U21 | 13 | (0) |
| 2012– | Portugal | 9 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 20 May 2013 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 00:00, 11 June 2013 (UTC) | |||
Custódio Miguel Dias de Castro (born 24 May 1983), known as simply Custódio, is a Portugueseprofessional footballer who plays for Sporting de Braga in the Portuguese first division, as a defensive midfielder.
Club career
Custódio was born in Guimarães. From 2001 to 2007 he played for Sporting Clube de Portugal, making histop flight debut on 16 August 2003 in a 2–1 away win against Académica de Coimbra and finishing his first season with 22 first-team appearances.
In the 2006–07 campaign, coach Paulo Bento named Custódio team captain, in recognition of his history at Sporting and consistent displays in the previous seasons. Incidentally, in that season, he also fell out of favor in the club's rotation and, in June 2007, was sold to Russian Premier League side FC Dynamo Moscow.[1]
Custódio returned to Portugal in January 2009, re-joining childhood club Vitória de Guimarães along withCícero Semedo.[2] On 31 August 2010, after two seasons, he moved to Minho neighbours Sporting de Braga.
In his first year with Braga, Custódio battled for first-choice status with Brazilians Leandro Salino andVandinho, but managed to appear in nearly 25 official games. On 5 February 2011 he scored from close range in a 2–1 away win against C.S. Marítimo,[3] helping his team finish fourth in the league. On 5 May, he netted arguably the most important goal of his career, heading from a corner kick for the game's only in a home win against S.L. Benfica for the UEFA Europa League's semifinals second leg, with Braga qualifying to the final on the away goals rule.[4]
Custódio spent the first half of the 2011–12 season on the sidelines, nursing a serious knee injury.[5] When he returned to full fitness, however, he benefitted from Djamal Mahamat's presence in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and begun appearing regularly in the starting XI, scoring against Marítimo (2–1 away win) and former team Guimarães (4–0, at home).[6]
International career
A Portuguese under-21 international, Custódio appeared in two UEFA European Football Championshipeditions, in 2004 and 2006.
He was selected by full side manager Paulo Bento for his 23-men squad for UEFA Euro 2012,[7] and made his debut on 2 June, a 1–3 friendly loss with Turkey in Lisbon;[8] in the finals in Poland and Ukraine, he played 20 minutes in the decisive 2–1 group stage win against the Netherlands, after replacing injured Raul Meireles
