Stélvio (footballer)

Stélvio Rosa da Cruz (born 24 January 1989), known simply as Stélvio, is an Angolan professional footballer who plays for Belgian club R.E. Virton as a defensive midfielder.

Stélvio
Personal information
Full name Stélvio Rosa da Cruz
Date of birth (1989-01-24) 24 January 1989
Place of birth Luanda, Angola
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Virton
Number 22
Youth career
2000–2007 Braga
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2011 Braga 19 (0)
2009–2010 → União Leiria (loan) 2 (0)
2010 → 1º Agosto (loan)
2011 → Libolo (loan)
2012 Caála
2012–2013 Alki Larnaca 11 (0)
2013–2019 Dudelange 104 (13)
2019– Virton 24 (7)
National team‡
2007–2009 Portugal U21 11 (0)
2009– Angola 11 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 February 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 24 June 2019

Club career

Stélvio was born in Luanda. A product of S.C. Braga's youth academy, he made his Portuguese Primeira Liga debut on 11 November 2007, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute in a 3–0 home win against Sporting CP.[1]

On 4 July 2009, after two seasons in the first team with intermittent use, Stélvio was loaned to U.D. Leiria (freshly returned to the top division) in a season-long loan. However, in late January 2010, he moved to his homeland and signed for C.D. Primeiro de Agosto, also on loan.[2]

On 31 August 2011, Stélvio was released by Braga.[3] He then joined C.R. Caála, returning to the Angolan Girabola.[4]

In July 2019, after six years in the Luxembourg National Division at the service of F91 Dudelange where he won several team honours,[5][6] the 30-year-old Stélvio moved to Belgium with R.E. Virton on a one-year contract.[7]

International career

Stélvio represented Portugal at under-21 level.[8] He switched allegiance to his native Angola in 2009, being part of the squad that appeared in the following year's Africa Cup of Nations.[9]

In October 2018, after an absence of eight years, Stélvio was recalled to the national team ahead of a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Mauritania.[10] He was selected for the squad that reached the finals in Egypt by manager Srđan Vasiljević.[11]

References
  1. Sporting sofre derrota em Braga (Sporting suffer defeat in Braga); Açoriano Oriental, 11 November 2007 (in Portuguese)
  2. Hugo Gomes deixa União de Leiria para jogar no Azerbaijão (Hugo Gomes leaves União de Leiria to play in Azerbaijan); Região de Leiria, 21 January 2010 (in Portuguese)
  3. Stélvio acerta a rescisão (Stélvio agrees to termination); A Bola, 31 August 2011 (in Portuguese)
  4. Stélvio e Garcia os destaques do novo plantel do Recreativo da Caála (Stélvio and Garcia highlights of the new Recreativo da Caála squad); Angola Press News Agency, 23 January 2012 (in Portuguese)
  5. Stélvio anda pelo Luxemburgo... a marcar (Stélvio is in Luxembourg... scoring); O Jogo, 29 November 2015 (in Portuguese)
  6. Stelvio Cruz: «Mon rôle au F91 est fini» (Stelvio Cruz: «My role at F91 has ended»); Le Quotidien, 29 May 2019 (in French)
  7. Un international angolais débarque à Virton (Angolan international touches land at Virton); L'Avenir, 2 July 2019 (in French)
  8. Sub-21 perdem particular com Ucrânia (Under-21s lose friendly with Ukraine); Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, 14 October 2008 (in Portuguese)
  9. Manucho named in Angola squad; BBC Sport, 30 December 2009
  10. Futebol: Stélvio regressa aos Palancas Negras (Football: Stélvio returns to Sable Antelopes); Angola Press News Agency, 5 October 2018 (in Portuguese)
  11. Palancas Negras aumentam confiança de Srdjan Vasiljevic (Sable Antelopes increase Srdjan Vasiljevic's confidence); Jornal de Angola, 11 June 2019 (in Portuguese)
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