Nélson Manuel Ribeiro da Silva (born 28 July 1979), known as Nelsinho, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nélson Manuel Ribeiro da Silva[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-07-28) 28 July 1979 (age 43)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Felgueiras, Portugal[1] | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1998 | Vizela | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2002 | Vizela | 83 | (9) |
| 2002–2004 | Fafe | 70 | (8) |
| 2004–2005 | Braga | 0 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Braga B | 5 | (1) |
| 2005 | → Estrela Amadora (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | Fafe | 19 | (3) |
| 2006–2007 | Trofense | 27 | (2) |
| 2007–2008 | Gondomar | 22 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Varzim | 55 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Estoril | 15 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Varzim | 42 | (5) |
| 2013 | Ribeirão | 28 | (7) |
| 2014–2019 | Varzim | 187 | (25) |
| 2019–2021 | Leça | 48 | (4) |
| 2021–2022 | Salgueiros | 22 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:41, 13 September 2022 (UTC) | |||
Born in Felgueiras, Porto District, Nelsinho spent the better part of his career with Varzim S.C. since first arriving in 2008 from Gondomar SC. He went on to represent the club in both the second and third divisions, making 267 appearances in the former competition and retiring well in his 40s.[2][3]
In late October 2018, 39-year-old Nelsinho suffered a knee injury during a league match against FC Porto B that sidelined him for two months.[4] He returned to the lower leagues the following summer, joining Leça FC.[5]