Abel Luís da Silva Costa Xavier is a
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
professional
footballAssociation may refer to:*Voluntary association, a group of individuals who voluntarily enter into an agreement to accomplish a purpose** 501 non-profit organization** Professional association...
er who last played for
Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
, and is also a former international for the Portuguese national team.
Xavier is a central defender and was a part of the squad for the Portugal national team that participated in U-17 world cup in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Xavier debuted in the Portuguese top division with
Estrela da AmadoraClube de Futebol Estrela da Amadora , or Estrela, is a Portuguese sports club based on Amadora, northwest of Lisbon...
. His play there earned him a transfer to
LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
-giants Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
Abel Luís da Silva Costa Xavier is a
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
professional
footballAssociation may refer to:*Voluntary association, a group of individuals who voluntarily enter into an agreement to accomplish a purpose** 501 non-profit organization** Professional association...
er who last played for
Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
, and is also a former international for the Portuguese national team.
Biography
Xavier is a central defender and was a part of the squad for the Portugal national team that participated in U-17 world cup in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Xavier debuted in the Portuguese top division with
Estrela da AmadoraClube de Futebol Estrela da Amadora , or Estrela, is a Portuguese sports club based on Amadora, northwest of Lisbon...
. His play there earned him a transfer to
LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
-giants Sport Lisboa e Benfica. He helped Benfica win the Portuguese League in 1994, and a season after, he moved to
Serie ASerie A, called for sponsorship reasons as Serie A TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top echelon of the Italian football league system operating for eighty years from 1929. It is organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new league like the English Premier...
side
BariAssociazione Sportiva Bari is an Italian football club founded in 1908, they are based in Bari, Apulia. The club have spent many seasons bouncing between the top two divisions in Italian football, Serie A and Serie B, and they currently play in the top tier....
. This stint with the Italian club started a series of transfers across Europe: in 1996, Xavier was sent to
Real OviedoReal Oviedo, S.A.D. is a historically important Spanish football team from Oviedo. Founded on March 26, 1926, they were the first team from Asturias ever to play in the Primera División....
, then after two seasons he moved to
PSVPhilips Sport Vereniging , widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department....
, and then to Premier League club
EvertonEverton Football Club are an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool. Having competed in the top division for a record 107 seasons, they have played more top-flight league games than any other English team and have won the League Championship 9 times — the fourth highest...
, where he stayed for three years. Xavier was then sold to
MerseysideMerseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. Taking its name from the River Mersey, Merseyside came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974, after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, and the county consists of five metropolitan...
rivals
LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club plays in the Premier League, and has won more trophies than any other English club...
, where he stayed for two years, then started another set of one-year stints with
GalatasarayGalatasaray Spor Kulübü is a Turkish association football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club. Galatasaray is one of the most successful Turkish football clubs, holding the joint record for Turkish League titles, and record number of both Turkish Cup and TSYD Cups...
(2002-2003),
Hannover 96Hannover 96 is a German football club in Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:Hannover 96 was founded on 12 April 1896 as Hannoverscher Fußball-Club 1896, upon the suggestion of Ferdinand-Wilhelm Fricke, founder of the Deutscher FV 1878 Hannover. Their initial enthusiasm was for athletics and...
(2003-2004), and finally
RomaAssociazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is an Italian professional football club from Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated at the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence bar one season in the early 50s...
(2004-2005).
For the national team, Xavier missed UEFA Euro 1996, but came back strong in UEFA Euro 2000, and became one of the key figures in the competition, not only due to playing some of his best football but also due to his eye-catching bleached hair and beard. In the semi-final against
FranceThe France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation and competes as a member of UEFA....
, he went from close to hero, as
Fabien BarthezFabien Alain Barthez is a former French football goalkeeper who won honours with Manchester United and the French national team, with whom he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 and reached the final of the 2006 World Cup. He shares the record for the most World Cup finals clean sheets with...
blocked what looked a sure goal, to a villain, when he deflected a shot by
David TrezeguetDavid Sergio Trezeguet is a French-Argentinian football striker who currently plays for Juventus of the Italian Serie A and formerly for the French national team.-Club career:...
near the post in the dying seconds of
golden goalThe golden goal is a method used to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during extra time to be declared the winner. The game finishes when a golden goal is scored. The...
extra time with his hand.
Zinedine ZidaneZinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French professional footballer. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Zidane played for club teams in France, Italy and Spain, and was a member of the French national team...
scored the penalty and put France in the final. In the
2002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 17th staging of the World Cup, was held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. The two countries were chosen as hosts by FIFA in May 1996 and was the first tournament in its history to be hosted by two countries. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia...
, he was part of the squad, but played only as a substitute in the final group stage match against the Republic of Korea.
At the start of the 2005–06 season, Xavier was without a club but at the end of August, he signed for
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough Football Club , also known as The Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who will play in the Football League Championship for the 2009–10 season, following relegation from the Premier League. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August...
to replace
Michael ReizigerMichael John Reiziger is a former Dutch footballer, who played mainly as a right defender.-Club career:...
once the Dutchman was sold to PSV. Following the
UEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is a competition for eligible European football clubs; the second most prestigious European football contest after the UEFA Champions League. It is an annual football cup competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations...
tie against
Skoda XanthiAthletic Club Skoda Xanthi is a Greek football club, based in the city of Xanthi. The club currently competes in the Super League Greece.-History:...
, Xavier was administered a drugs test and failed. On 23 November 2005, he was found guilty of using the
anabolic steroidAnabolic steroids, or anabolic-androgenic steroids , are a class of steroid hormones related to the hormone testosterone. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue , especially in muscles...
methandrostenoloneMethandrostenolone is an anabolic steroid originally developed by John Ziegler and released in the US in the early 1960's by Ciba. It was used as an aid to muscle growth by bodybuilders until its ban by the FDA under the Controlled Substances Act...
(also known as dianabol). Although he has always denied any wrongdoing, the tribunal banned him from professional football for a period of 18 months. Xavier appealed the decision but on 21 December, UEFA turned down the appeal. The ban got shortened to 12 months in June 2006, making him eligible to play again from November 2006.
In the summer of 2006, Xavier began training with Middlesbrough and on 8 November 2006, was offered a contract with the club for the remainder of the 2006–07 season.
On 14 May 2007, it was announced that he was to join
Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
of
Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by United States Soccer Federation . The league comprises 15 teams, 14 in the U.S. and one in Canada...
(MLS). He played in his first game with the Galaxy on 17 June 2007 against
Real Salt LakeReal Salt Lake is an American soccer club that is based in the Salt Lake City, Utah suburb of Sandy that participates in Major League Soccer. The club joined the league as an expansion team in 2005, and plays its home games at Rio Tinto Stadium....
, registering an assist.
Xavier was waived by Los Angeles on 18 July 2008. Later, in an interview to an online football site, Xavier criticized then-Galaxy manager
Ruud Gullitis a Dutch football coach and former player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup...
and MLS.
Honours
Winner
- 1993–94 Portuguese League Championship
The Portuguese Liga , currently named Liga Sagres after its main sponsor, is the league competition for Portuguese professional football clubs located at the top of the Portuguese football league system , making it Portugal's primary football competition.The Liga is presently contested by 16 clubs...
, with Benfica
- 1998–99 Dutch Super Cup
The Johan Cruijff Shield is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after legendary Dutch football player Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football league and the winner of the national...
, with PSVPhilips Sport Vereniging , widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department....
Runner Up
- 2001–02 FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
, with LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club plays in the Premier League, and has won more trophies than any other English club...
- 2002–03
The 2002 FA Community Shield was a football match played on 11 August 2002 between 2001-02 Double winners Arsenal and 2001-02 Premier League runners-up Liverpool. Arsenal won the game 1–0 in normal time. Gilberto Silva scored the only goal of the game in the 69th minute...
Charity ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is an English association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of the FA Premier League and the winners of the FA Cup, though this tradition was only established twenty years into the fixture's existence...
, with LiverpoolLiverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club plays in the Premier League, and has won more trophies than any other English club...
- 2002–03 Turkish First Football League, with Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü is a Turkish association football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club. Galatasaray is one of the most successful Turkish football clubs, holding the joint record for Turkish League titles, and record number of both Turkish Cup and TSYD Cups...
- 2007 North American Superliga
The SuperLiga is an official North American football competition between teams from the Primera División of Mexico and Major League Soccer of the United States and Canada, the top divisions in each nation. The competition is sanctioned by CONCACAF, U.S...
, with Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
External links