Hélder (footballer)

Hélder Marino Rodrigues Cristóvão (born 21 March 1971), known simply as Hélder as a player, is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a central defender, and is a current manager.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Rodrigues and the second or paternal family name is Cristóvão.
Hélder
Hélder as a coach of Benfica B in 2015
Personal information
Full name Hélder Marino Rodrigues Cristóvão
Date of birth (1971-03-21) 21 March 1971
Place of birth Luanda, Angola
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Youth career
1984–1987 Desportivo Monte Real
1987–1988 Tires
1988–1989 Estoril
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1992 Estoril 79 (5)
1992–1996 Benfica 125 (12)
1997–2002 Deportivo La Coruña 67 (1)
1999–2000 → Newcastle (loan) 8 (1)
2002–2004 Benfica 39 (2)
2004–2005 Paris Saint-Germain 16 (1)
2005–2006 AEL 9 (0)
Total 343 (22)
National team
1991–1992 Portugal U21 10 (2)
1992–2001 Portugal 35 (3)
Teams managed
2009 Estoril
2011 Portimonense (assistant)
2013–2018 Benfica B
2018–2019 Al-Nassr (assistant)
2018–2019 Al-Nassr (caretaker)
2019 Ettifaq
2020 Dunajská Streda
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 197 matches and 16 goals over eight seasons, mostly with Benfica. He also competed professionally in Spain, England, France and Greece, representing mainly Deportivo.

Hélder appeared for Portugal at Euro 1996. In 2009, he started working as a manager, going on to spend several years with Benfica's reserves.

Playing career

Club

Born in Luanda, Portuguese Angola, Hélder first attracted attention as a G.D. Estoril Praia player, moving to S.L. Benfica for the 1992–93 season where he would stay the following four and a half years, mainly as a starter. In December 1996 he signed for Deportivo de La Coruña, playing 22 La Liga matches in only six months as the club finished in third position.

In November 1999, Hélder joined Newcastle United in the Premier League on loan for a fee of £500,000,[1] making 12 official appearances and scoring in a 2–2 away draw against Sunderland in the Tyne–Wear derby the following 6 February.[2] In that season, the Spaniards went on to conquer their first league title, with the player failing to contribute in that competition; he returned to Depor subsequently, appearing very rarely in his last year, which ended in conquest of the Copa del Rey.[3]

For the 2002–03 campaign, aged 31, Hélder returned to Benfica, playing there for two more years (being used in average of 20 league matches and winning one Portuguese Cup) and joining Paris Saint-Germain F.C. the following season, where he teamed up with compatriot Pauleta.[4] He played his last year for Athlitiki Enosi Larissa F.C. in 2005–06, appearing rarely in the Superleague Greece and retiring at the end of the season.

International

Hélder appeared 35 times for the Portugal national team, scoring three goals. His first game was on 12 February 1992 in a 2–0 win over the Netherlands in an exhibition game, and his last a 0–4 loss to France in Paris on 25 April 2001, in another friendly.

Hélder represented the nation at UEFA Euro 1996,[5] appearing in all four matches for the quarter-finalists as he started alongside Fernando Couto.[6]

Coaching career

Cristóvão began working as a manager in the summer of 2009, precisely with his first club Estoril (in the second division). On 28 September, merely two months after being appointed, he was fired.[7]

On 3 July 2013, Cristóvão returned to Benfica as manager of the reserve team, replacing Luís Norton de Matos. In the 2014–15 season, he led them to their second best position in the second level, a sixth place (fifth in 2013–14), as the highest scoring team with 81 goals.[8][9]

Benfica B only managed to stave off relegation in the 2015–16 campaign in the last matchday, defeating S.C. Freamunde 5–0 at home and also benefitting from a 1–1 draw between C.D. Mafra and C.D. Aves.[10][11][12][13] Cristóvão's team collected more losses (21) than wins (15), conceding 64 times whilst scoring 59;[14] additionally, on 15 March 2016, he was suspended for 30 days after being sent off against S.C. Covilhã, which ended with a 2–2 home draw.[15]

On 5 April 2018, Cristóvão announced he would leave Benfica at the end of the season.[16] In August that year, he was hired as director of football and academy director at Al-Nassr FC in the Saudi Professional League.[17] He became caretaker manager in November after the exit of José Daniel Carreño, and relinquished that role when compatriot Rui Vitória was appointed the following January.[18] Three months later, he was given a new job in the same league at Ettifaq FC who had two games remaining to avoid relegation,[19] which was finally achieved.

Hélder was named manager of FC DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda on 6 January 2020, taking charge of the third-placed team of the Slovak Super Liga on a deal until 31 May.[20] On 15 May, however, the club decided not to renew his contract.[21]

Personal life

Cristóvão's son, Flávio, also became a professional footballer in the same position.[22]

Managerial statistics
As of match played 12 May 2018[23][24]
Team From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Estoril July 2009 28 September 2009 8 1 5 2 9 12 −3 012.50
Benfica B 3 July 2013 30 June 2018 224 93 49 82 340 309 +31 041.52
Al-Nassr (caretaker) 10 November 2018 10 January 2019 8 4 3 1 14 8 +6 050.00
Total 240 98 57 85 363 329 +34 040.83

Honours

Benfica

Deportivo

References
  1. Walker, Michael (31 July 2004). "Robson feels a chill wind blowing". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  2. "Phillips brace earns derby draw". BBC Sport. 6 February 2000. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  3. "Helder, un parche para momentos puntuales" [Helder, pitching in here and there] (in Spanish). Memorias de Riazor. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  4. Crépin, Timothé (26 January 2017). "Mercato, Ligue 1: Ces Portugais passés par le PSG" [Market, League 1: Portuguese men with spells at PSG] (in French). France Football. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  5. Hodgson, Guy (1 June 1996). "The rising force in Europe counting on their foreign legion; CHAMPIONSHIP COUNTDOWN: No 9 Portugal". The Independent. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  6. "Portugal progress as Group D winners". UEFA. 6 October 2003. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  7. "Hélder Cristóvão deixa comando técnico" [Hélder Cristóvão leaves technical command]. Record (in Portuguese). 28 September 2009. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  8. "Equipa entra hoje em cena" [Team gets going today]. Record (in Portuguese). 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  9. "Continuar a fazer crescer os jovens do Benfica" [Continue to make Benfica's youngsters grow] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  10. "Benfica B desilude e Hélder Cristóvão tem lugar em perigo" [Benfica B disappoint and Hélder Cristóvão's position is in danger] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  11. "Mesmo com reforços, Benfica B empata e continua em zona de descida" [Even with additions, Benfica B draw and are still in relegation zone] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  12. "Benfica B-Freamunde, 5–0: Goleada para a manutenção" [Benfica B-Freamunde, 5–0: Rout for survival]. Record (in Portuguese). 14 May 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  13. "O milagre do Tondela fez cair o União. Rio Ave ganha Europa ao Paços" [Tondela's miracle dropped União. Rio Ave take Europe from Paços]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 15 May 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  14. "Três pontos fulcrais ganhos em Braga" [Three vital points won in Braga] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  15. "Benfica B: Hélder Cristóvão suspenso por 30 dias" [Benfica B: Hélder Cristóvão suspended for 30 days] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  16. "Hélder Cristóvão confirma saída da equipa B do Benfica no final da época" [Hélder Cristóvão confirms Benfica B-team exit at the end of the season] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  17. "Hélder Cristóvão é o novo diretor-geral e diretor da formação do Al Nassr" [Hélder Cristóvão is Al Nassr's new general director and academy director] (in Portuguese). MSN. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  18. "Rui Vitória assina contrato com o Al-Nassr por uma época e meia" [Rui Vitória signs one-and-a-half-year contract with Al-Nassr]. Observador (in Portuguese). 10 January 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  19. "Arábia Saudita. Hélder Cristóvão tenta salvar o Al Ettifaq" [Saudi Arabia. Hélder Cristóvão tries to save Al-Ettifaq] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 18 April 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  20. "Hélder Cristóvão confirmado no Dunajska Streda" [Hélder Cristóvão confirmed at Dunajská Streda]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 6 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  21. Nagy, Krisztián (15 May 2020). "Hélder Cristovao končí v DAC" [End of the road for Hélder Cristovao at DAC] (in Slovak). Dunajská Streda. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  22. "OFICIAL: Wolverhampton contrata filho de Hélder Cristóvão" [OFFICIAL: Wolverhampton sign Hélder Cristóvão's son] (in Portuguese). TVI 24. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  23. "Hélder Cristóvão". Zerozero. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  24. Hélder coach profile at Soccerway
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