Steven Vitória

Steven de Sousa Vitória (born 11 January 1987) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a centre back for Portuguese club Moreirense and the Canadian national team.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Sousa and the second or paternal family name is Vitória.

Steven Vitória

Personal information
Full name	Steven de Sousa Vitória[1]
Date of birth	(1987-01-11) 11 January 1987[1]
Place of birth	Toronto, Canada[1]
Height	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[1]
Playing position(s)	Centre back
Club information
Current team	Moreirense
Number	19
Youth career
2004–2005	Woodbridge Strikers
2005–2006	Porto
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2010	Porto	0	(0)
2006–2007	→ Tourizense (loan)	11	(2)
2007–2009	→ Olhanense (loan)	35	(1)
2009–2010	→ Covilhã (loan)	24	(2)
2010–2013	Estoril	79	(19)
2013–2014	Benfica B	7	(3)
2013–2016	Benfica	1	(0)
2015	→ Philadelphia Union (loan)	18	(1)
2016–2019	Lechia Gdańsk	37	(2)
2019–	Moreirense	19	(5)
National team^‡
2006	Portugal U19	5	(0)
2006–2007	Portugal U20	6	(0)
2016–	Canada	14	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 July 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2019

Formed at Porto, he went on to play for several clubs in Portugal in both the Primeira Liga and the Segunda Liga, this including a one-year spell at Benfica. He also competed professionally in the United States and Poland.

Vitória is a Canadian international, making his debut in 2016 at the age of 29.

Early life

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Portuguese immigrants from the Azores,[2][3] Vitória played youth football with the Woodbridge Strikers, mainly as a striker. He was approached to appear for Canada's youth national teams on multiple occasions after leaving the country,[2] but declined each time.[4]

Club career

Porto

Vitória was signed by FC Porto at the age of 18, already reconverted as a central defender. In the following years he began a series of loans, starting out at G.D. Tourizense in the third division then joining S.C. Olhanense for two years,[5] and helping the Algarve side promote to the Primeira Liga in his second season by appearing in 18 games, 15 as a starter.[6][7]

In the 2009–10 campaign, Vitória continued on loan, this time with S.C. Covilhã in the Segunda Liga.[8] He played his first official match for his new club on 2 August 2009, in a 1–0 away win against A.D. Carregado in the Taça da Liga.[9]

Estoril

Vitória cut all ties with Porto in July 2010,[10] signing with G.D. Estoril Praia in the second division. In his debut season in the top flight, 2012–13, he played 27 games and scored 11 goals to finish ninth in the top scorers' chart[11]– eight of them from penalties – to help his team finish fifth and qualify for the UEFA Europa League.[12][13][14]

Benfica

Free agent Vitória joined S.L. Benfica on 16 June 2013, signing a four-year contract.[15][16] He called the day of his signing "the most important and happiest day of my life".[17] His only league appearance took place in the last day of the season as the club had already been crowned champions, and he played the full 90 minutes in a 1–2 loss at former side Porto.[18][19]

Vitória was an unused substitute in Benfica's loss in the Europa League final to Sevilla FC on penalties.[20] After becoming unsatisfied with his status,[21] he was targeted by Real Betis[22][23] and C.S. Marítimo.[24]

On 9 February 2015, Vitória was loaned to Major League Soccer side Philadelphia Union for one season.[25][26] He scored his first goal for the team in his hometown of Toronto, in a 1–3 Major League Soccer away defeat to Toronto FC,[27] being released in December after the club declined against exercising its contract option on the player.[28]

Lechia Gdańsk

Vitória joined Lechia Gdańsk on 17 August 2016, signing a three-year contract.[29] He made his debut on 21 September, playing the entire round-of-16 penalty shootout loss to Puszcza Niepołomice for the Polish Cup (1–1 after 120 minutes).[30]

Moreirense

Vitória returned to Portugal to sign with Moreirense F.C. on 4 July 2019, agreeing to a three-year deal.[31] He made his debut on 11 August, playing the entire 3–1 defeat at S.C. Braga.[32] He scored his first goal on 2 November, in a 1–1 home draw against Vitória de Guimarães.[33]

International career

Vitória represented Portugal at the 2006 Lusophony Games in Macau, the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Poland[34] and the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in his birth nation. In the latter tournament, he featured in the 1–2 group stage loss to Gambia.[35]

In September 2012, without having been capped at senior level, 25-year-old Vitória considered switching allegiance to Canada.[3] In January 2016, he accepted a call-up by the country for a friendly against the United States on 5 February,[36] and played the full 90 minutes in the 0–1 defeat in Carson, California.[37]

Vitória scored his first goal for Canada on 6 October 2016, helping to a 4–0 friendly win over Mauritania.[38] He was named to their squad for the following year's CONCACAF Gold Cup.[39]

Style of play

Vitória is known for his heading, marking and scoring abilities, especially on penalty kicks and free kicks.[40][41]

Career statistics

Club

As of 9 November 2019[42][43]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Domestic Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Porto	2006–07	Primeira Liga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total		Primeira Liga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tourizense (loan)	2006–07	Segunda Divisão	11	2	0	0	0	0	—		11	2
Total		Segunda Divisão	11	2	0	0	0	0	—		11	2
Olhanense (loan)	2007–08	Liga de Honra	17	0	1	0	2	0	—		20	0
	2008–09	Liga de Honra	19	1	6	0	1	0	—		26	1
Covilhã (loan)	2009–10	Liga de Honra	24	2	0	0	4	0	—		28	2
Estoril	2010–11	Liga de Honra	25	1	0	0	5	0	—		30	1
	2011–12	Liga de Honra	27	7	2	1	7	2	—		36	10
	Total	Liga de Honra	112	11	9	1	19	2	—		140	14
	2012–13	Primeira Liga	27	11	0	0	3	2	—		30	13
Benfica	2013–14	Primeira Liga	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	4	0
	2014–15	Primeira Liga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2015–16	Primeira Liga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total		Primeira Liga	28	11	0	0	6	2	0	0	34	13
Benfica B	2013–14	Segunda Liga	7	3	—		—		—		7	3
Total		Segunda Liga	7	3	—		—		—		7	3
Philadelphia Union (loan)	2015	MLS	18	1	0	0	—		—		18	1
Total		MLS	18	1	0	0	—		—		18	1
Lechia Gdańsk	2016–17	Ekstraklasa	8	0	1	0	—		—		9	0
	2017–18	Ekstraklasa	14	1	1	0	—		—		15	1
	2018–19	Ekstraklasa	15	1	5	1	—		—		20	2
Total		Ekstraklasa	37	2	7	1	—		—		44	3
Moreirense	2019–20	Primeira Liga	11	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	12	2
Total		Primeira Liga	11	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	12	2
Career total			224	32	16	2	26	4	0	0	266	38

International

As of 15 November 2019[44]

Canada
Year	Apps	Goals
2016	5	1
2017	5	0
2018	0	0
2019	4	1
Total	14	2

International goals

Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	6 October 2016	Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, Morocco	Mauritania	2–0	4–0	Friendly[38]
2.	15 November 2019	Exploria Stadium, Orlando, United States	United States	1–3	1–4	2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A[45]

Honours

Olhanense

• Segunda Liga: 2008–09

Estoril

• Segunda Liga: 2011–12

Benfica

• Primeira Liga: 2013–14[18]
• Taça de Portugal: 2013–14
• Taça da Liga: 2013–14
• UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2013–14[20]

Lechia Gdańsk

• Polish Cup: 2018–19

References

1. "Steven Vitória" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
2. Chung, Matthew (29 June 2007). "Portuguese star happy to play at home". Toronto Star. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
3. Fernandes, Daniel (6 September 2012). "Steven Vitoria reconsiders Canada option". Sportsnet. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
4. "Mitchell announces U-20 squad for Porto International Tournament". Canada Soccer. 5 April 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
5. "Paulo Ribeiro e Steven Vitória cedidos ao Olhanense" [Paulo Ribeiro and Steven Vitória loaned to Olhanense]. Record (in Portuguese). 24 July 2007. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
6. "Portimonense-Olhanense, 2–3: Vitória ao cair do pano" [Portimonense-Olhanense, 2–3: Win ("Vitória" in English) in the last breath]. Record (in Portuguese). 1 November 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
7. "Boavista-Olhanense, 1–4: Goleada de olho na subida" [Boavista-Olhanense, 1–4: Routing to eye promotion]. Record (in Portuguese). 1 March 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
8. Malaca, Miguel (28 June 2009). "Josué e Steven por empréstimo" [Josué and Steven on loan]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
9. "Serranos aproveitam inexperiência ribatejana" [Serranos take advantage of ribatejana inexperience]. Record (in Portuguese). 2 August 2009. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
10. "Steven Vitória já rescindiu contrato" [Steven Vitória has already terminated contract]. Record (in Portuguese). 30 July 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
11. "Portuguese SuperLiga: Table". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
12. "Estoril vs. FCP. Steven Vitória, Moutinho empate" [Estoril vs. FCP. Steven Vitória, Moutinho draw]. i (in Portuguese). 31 December 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
13. "Steven Vitória em duelo de goleadores com Jackson Martínez" [Steven Vitória in scoring duel with Jackson Martínez]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 7 March 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
14. "Steven Vitória iguala máximo com 37 anos" [Steven Vitória equals 37-year-old milestone]. Record (in Portuguese). 21 May 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
15. "Steven Vitória assina contrato com o Benfica por quatro temporadas" [Steven Vitória signs contract with Benfica for four seasons] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
16. Fernandes, Daniel (17 June 2013). "Canadian defender Vitoria signs with Benfica". Sportsnet. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
17. "Thrilled Vitória goes to Benfica". UEFA. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
18. Ruela, João (10 May 2014). "FC Porto bate Benfica sob avaliação de Lopetegui" [FC Porto beats Benfica as Lopetegui looks on]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 December 2015.
19. "Steven Vitória: "Jesus não me protegeu nem ajudou"" [Steven Vitória: "Jesus did not help me nor did he protect me"]. Record (in Portuguese). 22 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
20. "Spot-on Sevilla leave Benfica dreams in tatters". UEFA. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
21. "Steven Vitória insatisfeito com falta de oportunidades" [Steven Vitória unhappy with lack of opportunities] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
22. "Bétis tenta Steven Vitória" [Betis have a go at Steven Vitória] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
23. Aguado, Ángel (5 November 2014). "Steven Vitoria se vuelve a poner a tiro" [Sights set on Steven Vitoria again] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
24. "Steven Vitória é desejo de ano novo" [Steven Vitória is New Year's craving]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
25. "Philadelphia Union acquire Steven Vitoria via loan from Benfica". Philadelphia Union. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
26. "Futebol: Steven Vitória emprestado ao Philadelphia Union" [Football: Steven Vitória on loan to Philadelphia Union] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
27. "Toronto FC defeat Philadelphia to close in on playoff berth". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
28. "Philadelphia Union announce roster moves, pick up options on seven players". Major League Soccer. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
29. "Steven Vitoria nowym piłkarzem Lechii Gdańsk" [Steven Vitoria new player of Lechia Gdańsk] (in Polish). Lechia Gdańsk. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
30. "Lechia poza Pucharem Polski. Gdańszczanie wyeliminowani przez Puszczę Niepołomice" [Legia get boot in Polish Cup. Team from Gdańsk ousted by Puszcza Niepołomice] (in Polish). Lechia Gdańsk. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
31. "Steven Vitória é reforço do Moreirense" [Steven Vitória is a Moreirense addition] (in Portuguese). Moreirense F.C. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
32. Matias, Jorge Miguel (11 August 2019). "Sp. Braga não é candidato ao título mas jogou como se fosse" [Sp. Braga are not title candidates but they played as if they were]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2 September 2019.
33. "Vitória Guimarães empata em Moreira de Cónegos (vídeo)" [Vitória Guimarães draw in Moreira de Cónegos (video)]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 2 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
34. "Sub-19: Carlos Dinis escolhe 24 jogadores" [Under-19: Carlos Dinis chooses 24 players]. Record (in Portuguese). 29 June 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
35. Steven Vitória – FIFA competition record
36. "Canada selects 23 players for USA friendly in February". Canada Soccer. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
37. "Canada vs USA – 2016-02-05". Canada Soccer. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
38. Rodriguez, Alicia (6 October 2016). "Canada 4, Mauritania 0 – International friendly recap". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
39. Zeitlin, Dave (27 June 2017). "Canada names nine MLS players to 23-man CONCACAF Gold Cup roster". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
40. "Steven Vitória e o segredo dos penáltis" [Steven Vitória and the penalties' secret]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 16 June 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
41. "Transfer window: Central defender Steven Vitória signs four-year deal with Benfica". The Futebol Factory. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
42. Steven Vitória at ForaDeJogo
43. "S. Vitoria". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
44. "Steven Vitória (CAN)". Canada Soccer. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
45. Jacques, John (15 November 2019). "USA routs Canada 4–1 in CONCACAF Nations League bout". Northern Tribune. Retrieved 26 July 2020.

External links

• Philadelphia Union official profile
• Steven Vitória at ForaDeJogo
• Steven Vitória at 90minut.pl (in Polish)
• Portugal national team data (in Portuguese)
• Steven Vitória at National-Football-Teams.com
• Steven Vitória – UEFA competition record