| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rúben Filipe Marques Amorim | ||
| Date of birth | 27 January 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Benfica | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2000 | CAC Pontinha | ||
| 2000–2002 | Benfica | ||
| 2002–2003 | Belenenses | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2008 | Belenenses | 96 | (4) |
| 2008– | Benfica | 75 | (5) |
| 2012–2013 | → Braga (loan) | 30 | (4) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004–2005 | Portugal U20 | 14 | (0) |
| 2005–2008 | Portugal U21 | 10 | (0) |
| 2010– | Portugal | 10 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 September 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 September 2013 | |||
Rúben Filipe Marques Amorim (born 27 January 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays forS.L. Benfica mainly as a midfielder.
His style is similar to countryman Tiago, with both playing the same position, operating in central midfield, both defensive and offensive (Amorim, however, is also able to play as a right back).
Club career
Belenenses
Born in Lisbon, Amorim made his debut in the Portuguese first division on 14 December 2003, playing one minute for hometown's C.F. Os Belenenses in a 2–0 home win over F.C. Alverca. From 2005–06 onwards, he became a cornerstone for the squad in which youth system he finished his formation.
In the 2007 summer, several clubs showed interested in Amorim's services, but he insisted on not leaving, with Belenenses also rejecting bids from S.L. Benfica, Sporting de Braga, F.C. Porto, FC Schalke 04,Tottenham Hotspur and Toulouse FC. He played in 29 matches (2,491 minutes) to help his club finish eighthin the top level.
Benfica
In late April 2008 Amorim signed a four-year deal with Benfica, after his Belenenses link ran out. During his first season he was an undisputed starter, scoring his first goal with the Reds on 23 November in a 2–0 win atAcadémica de Coimbra.
Challenged by new signings Javi García and Ramires, Amorim appeared less in 2009–10, but still featured prominently (24 matches with ten starts) as Benfica won the league – and the League Cup – after a five-year drought.
Amorim was again regularly used by manager Jorge Jesus in the 2010–11 season, when healthy. On 19 January 2011, however, after undergoing surgery on both knees, he was sidelined for several months.[1]
In early October 2011, whilst on duty with the national team, Amorim duly criticized Jesus' preferences – Benfica played most of its games without one single national player.[2] Increasingly disgusted with his plight, in December, he refused to train with the bench players – after warming up for several minutes only to not be used – following a game against Rio Ave FC, being subjected to the club's disciplinary proceedings;[3][4] on 30 January 2012 a loan was arranged with Braga, until June of the following year.[5]
International career
Amorim appeared for Portugal at the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in the Netherlands, as the national side eventually lost to Italy for the final berth for the following year's Summer Olympic Games.
On 10 May 2010, although not part of the senior squad's list of 23 for the 2010 FIFA World Cup,[6][7] he was named in a backup list of six players.[8] On 8 June he replaced Nani after the Manchester United player sustained a clavicle injury which ruled him out of the finals in South Africa;[9] his senior debut came on the 15th, as he played the last five minutes of the group stage opener against Côte d'Ivoire (0–0) in the place of Raul Meireles.
