Zezinho (Bissau-Guinean footballer)

José Luís Mendes Lopes (born 23 September 1992), known as Zezinho, is a Bissau-Guinean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Cypriot club Omonia Aradippou and the Guinea-Bissau national team.

For other people with the same name, see José Luís Pinto.

Zezinho
Personal information
Full name José Luís Mendes Lopes[1]
Date of birth (1992-09-23) 23 September 1992[1]
Place of birth Bissau, Guinea-Bissau[1]
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Omonia Aradippou
Number 77
Youth career
Sporting Bissau
2008–2011 Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008 Sporting Bissau 6 (0)
2011–2014 Sporting CP 5 (0)
2011–2012 → Atlético (loan) 22 (0)
2012–2016 Sporting CP B 61 (2)
2013–2014 → Veria (loan) 25 (1)
2014 → AEL Limassol (loan) 2 (0)
2016–2017 Levadiakos 17 (0)
2018–2019 Senica 39 (0)
2019 Damac 11 (0)
2021 Marsaxlokk 4 (0)
2021– Omonia Aradippou 27 (0)
International career‡
2010– Guinea-Bissau 31 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:10, 1 November 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 June 2019

Club career

Born in Bissau, Zezinho finished his development with Sporting CP after joining its youth system at the age of 16.[2] He made his debut as a senior in the 2011–12 season, being loaned to Atlético Clube de Portugal[3] and helping them to the ninth position in the Segunda Liga.

Subsequently, returned to the Estádio José Alvalade, Zezinho appeared almost exclusively with the B team during his tenure. His maiden Primeira Liga appearance occurred on 13 January 2013, as he came on as a 75th-minute substitute for Zakaria Labyad in a 2–0 away win against S.C. Olhanense.[4]

Zezinho served a further two loans before being released in June 2016, at Veria F.C. from the Super League Greece[5] and Cypriot First Division club AEL Limassol.[6]

International career

Zezinho earned his first cap for Guinea-Bissau on 4 September 2010 – 19 days before his 18th birthday – in a 1–0 home victory over Kenya for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Selected to the 2017 edition of the tournament by manager Baciro Candé,[7] he featured in three games[8] in an eventual group stage exit.

Zezinho was also included in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations squad.[9]

International goals
As of 4 June 2016 (Guinea-Bissau score listed first, score column indicates score after each Zezinho goal)[10]
NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.5 September 201524 de Setembro, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau Congo1–32–42017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2.4 June 201624 de Setembro, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau Zambia1–03–22017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

References
  1. "Zezinho" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  2. Silva Pires, Tiago (21 November 2010). "Zezinho desperta o interesse de grandes clubes da Europa" [Zezinho awakes interest of European clubs]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  3. "Reforço Zezinho "fecha" plantel comandado por João de Deus" [Addition Zezinho "closes" João de Deus-led squad] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. "Sporting vence e afasta-se dos lugares "perigosos" (vídeo)" [Sporting win and steer away from "dangerous" places (video)] (in Portuguese). TSF. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  5. "Rubio no Pandurii e Zezinho no Veria" [Rubio to Pandurii and Zezinho to Veria]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 2 September 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  6. Pereira, Sérgio (21 January 2015). "Sporting: Zezinho regressa para a equipa B" [Sporting: Zezinho returns to the B team] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  7. "Um treinador, 18 'portugueses' e alguns velhos conhecidos" [One coach, 18 'Portuguese' and some old acquaintances]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 12 January 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  8. "Gabon 1–1 Guinea-Bissau". BBC Sport. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  9. Soliman, Seif (12 June 2019). "Ittihad's Toni Silva named in Guinea Bissau's AFCON squad". KingFut. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  10. "Zezinho – Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
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