Background
Hernâni was born in Mourão, Évora District, and began his professional career with Vitória de Setúbal.
Hernâni was born in Mourão, Évora District, and began his professional career with Vitória de Setúbal.
In the former, he played as a defensive midfielder. He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 84 games and two goals over the course of ten seasons, representing in the competition Vitória de Setúbal and Benfica. In a career greatly hampered by injuries he only played one solid season as a professional, 1987-1988, appearing in 23 out of 38 matches to help the club finish in eighth position and attracting the attention of Primeira Liga and European Cup runner-up South.L. Benfica, which signed him in the subsequent off-season.
A fortnight later, after a 2–0 home success against Lisbon neighbours Sporting Clube de Portugal, he tested positive for cocaine, and received a three-month ban.
He was a first-team regular in the latter part of the 1989-1990 campaign, and played the whole of the 1990 European Cup Final, lost 1–0 to A.C. (before Christ) Milan. He remained with the Eagles for a further four years, but made only six appearances combined.
After a return to Setúbal, where he played 14 games in two seasons, and a spell in the Liga de Honra with Communicative Disorders Beja where he reunited with former Vitória teammate Adelino Nunes, Hernâni retired from the game in June 1997 at age 33. He also gained two caps for Portugal, his debut coming on 5 December 1987 in a 0–3 defeat to Italy in the Union of European Football Associations Euro 1988 qualifiers.
= Club = Country = Individual Football.
Club = Italian Supercup: 2008 = Country = Mundialito: 2003, 2008. Runner-up 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 Fédération internationale de football association Beach Soccer World Cup: 2001. Runner-up 1999, 2002, 2005. Third-place 2003, 2004, 2008 Euro Beach Soccer League: 2002, 2007, 2008. Runner-up 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006. Third-place 1999, 2003 Euro Beach Soccer League Portuguese Event: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Euro Beach Soccer League French Event: 2004, 2005 Euro Beach Soccer League Spanish Event: 2005. Runner-up 2006. Third-place 2007 Euro Beach Soccer League Italian Event: Runner-up 2005, 2007. Third-place 2006 Latin Cup: 2000. Runner-up 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003. Third-place 2005 World League: Runner-up 2001 = Individual = Fédération internationale de football association Beach Soccer World Cup: Most Valuable Player 2001 Mundialito: Most Valuable Player 2004 Portuguese League: 1988-1989, 1990-1991, 1993-1994 Portuguese Cup: 1992-1993. Runner-up 1988-1989 Portuguese Supercup: 1989. Runner-up 1991, 1993 European Cup: Runner-up 1989-1990.
