Nilton Varela

Nilton Varela Lopes (born 25 May 2001) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left-back for FC Porto B in Liga Portugal 2.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Varela and the second or paternal family name is Lopes.
Nilton Varela
Personal information
Full name Nilton Varela Lopes
Date of birth (2001-05-25) 25 May 2001
Place of birth Amadora, Portugal
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Left-back
Team information
Current team
 Porto B
Number 85
Youth career
2009–2012 Sporting
2012–2016 Belenenses
2016–2017 Sporting
2017–2019 Belenenses
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Belenenses SAD 42 (2)
2022– Porto B 27 (3)
International career
2019 Cape Verde U19 1 (0)
2020 Portugal U19 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:32, 13 June 2023 (UTC)

Club career

Varela alternated between Lisbon-based clubs Sporting CP and C.F. Os Belenenses in his youth. He made his professional debut with Belenenses SAD in a 2–0 Primeira Liga loss away to Sporting on 10 November 2019.[1] The following 26 January, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 home win over Portimonense SC, with his uncle scoring the other.[2] He was a regular in the second half of the season as Petit replaced Pedro Ribeiro as manager, earning his place from unrelated Spaniard Francisco Varela.[3]

In March 2022, Portugal's Constitutional Court ordered B-SAD to pay over €30,000 in compensation to C.F. Os Belenenses for his development as a player.[4]

Varela transferred to FC Porto B on 19 August 2022, on a two-year deal.[5]

International career

Born in Portugal, Varela is of Cape Verdean descent.[6] He represented the Cape Verde under-19 teams in a friendly 2–0 loss to the Portuguese equivalent on 30 January 2019.[7] He then switched to represent the latter, making an appearance in a 3–1 win over France under-19 on 25 February 2020.[8]

Personal life

Varela made his professional debut for Belenenses SAD alongside his uncle Silvestre Varela, a winger who played mainly for FC Porto and was a long-time international for Portugal.[1] He was also his teammate at Porto B.[5]

References
  1. "Nilton Varela e a estreia com o tio: «É um dia que vai ficar marcado na minha vida»" [Nilton Varela and debut with uncle: "It's a day that will remain etched in my life"]. Record (in Portuguese). 10 November 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  2. "Família Varela penaliza erros do Portimonense" [Varela family punish Portimonense's errors] (in Portuguese). Bancada. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  3. Gouveia Pereira, Miguel (23 May 2020). "Francisco Varela não deve voltar ao Belenenses SAD" [Francisco Varela must not return to Belenenses SAD]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  4. "Belenenses SAD condenado a pagar mais de 30 mil euros ao Belenenses pela formação de Nilton Varela" [Belenenses SAD ordered to pay over 30 thousand euros to Belenenses for Nilton Varela's development]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 March 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  5. "FC Porto anuncia Nilton Varela como reforço da equipa B" [FC Porto announce Nilton Varela as B-team addition]. Record (in Portuguese). 19 August 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  6. "Criolos No Estrangeiro: Futebol Portugal – Nilton Varela estreia-se na primeira liga portuguesa de futebol" [Creoles Abroad: Portugal Football – Nilton Varela debuts in Portuguese football's Primeira Liga] (in Portuguese). Criolo Sports. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  7. "Seleção Sub-19 - Ficha de Jogo, resultados e equipas". www.fpf.pt.
  8. "Seleção Sub-19 - Ficha de Jogo, resultados e equipas". www.fpf.pt.
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