Paulo Cabral

Career

Born in Vila Nova de Cerveira, Viana do Castelo, Cabral started his senior career with local South Carolina Vianense, promoting to the third division in his first year and playing two full seasons with the first team overall. After one year in amateur football he went straight to the top level for the 1994-1995 campaign, with F.C. Tirsense, but his league input consisted of 24 minutes of action. In the 1995 summer, Cabral returned to division three with F.C. Vizela.

Cabral continued to be an undisputed starter with the Lisbon club in the following two seasons, which attracted the attention of neighbouring South.L. Benfica.

He played 13 league contests in his first year with the Eagles but soon fell out of favour at the club, returning to Belenenses for a further year where he appeared sparingly due to injuries, and retiring in June 2005 at the age of 33.

Achievements

• Subsequently, as first-choice, he spent three seasons in the second division with Tirsense, Communicative Disorders Aves and Chaplain to the Forces Os Belenenses, appearing in 31 matches for the latter (one goal) in 1998-1999 as it achieved top flight promotion. On 15 November 2000 Cabral gained his first – and only – cap for the Portuguese national team, coming on as a substitute for Carlos Secretário for the final ten minutes of a 2–1 friendly win with Israel.