ℹ️ PERS. INFORMATION

⚽️ CLUB HISTORY

Club	Years
Casa Pia AC	2006 – 2007
CD Olivais e Moscavide	2007 – 2009
CD Operário	2009 – 2010
CD Tondela	2010 – 2011
CD Mafra	2012
Sertanense FC	2012 – 2013
Académico de Viseu FC	2013 – 2014
Clube Oriental de Lisboa	2014 – 2016
SCU Torreense	2015 – 2016
Pafos FC	2016 – 2017
US Lusitanos Saint-Maur	2017 – 2018
SU Sintrense	2018 – 2019
SCU Torreense	2019 – 2020
AC Marinhense	2020 – 2022
CD Cova da Piedade	2022 – 2023
União de Santarém	2023
Dungannon Swifts FC	2023 –

Interview:

Introduce yourself…

Hi, I’m Leonel Alves, I’m 37 years old, I live in Dungannon, I play for the city club Dungannon Swifts, this is my 3rd season at the club! And I have my family who live here so I feel at home.

You started at Caneças in Portugal. What stands out most from your early days in these academies?

I started at Caneças where they gave me the opportunity to play 11-a-side football because at the time, as I was a foreigner, it was more complicated for young foreigners because each club could only have one, and almost all clubs had one, so at Caneças it was a lower division but there were no foreigners, which was my luck.

What drove your ambition from youth football to turn professional?

I’ve always had this passion and love for football, something that has grown naturally over the years. I’ve always wanted to push myself to the limit and prove that I was one of the best to play football, so I’ve always challenged myself, and being a professional in what we love to do gives us more pleasure and more responsibility.

You earned your first cap for Guinea‑Bissau on June 10, 2017, against Namibia. How did that moment compare to your club experiences?

Yes, I remember that day and I will never forget it, because it is the highest moment of my career to be part of and play for my country’s national team! It is a great pride because the national team is the greatest objective of any player in my point of view, there is no comparison in terms of the club, they are different dimensions.

What did qualifying and playing in AFCON mean to you personally?

It meant a lot to me. I felt like a duty fulfilled when I participated in Can 2022. I felt proud of myself and of the 5 years I was in the Guinea-Bissau national team. I had already qualified for Can 2019 but had not been called up to participate, but in 2022 I had the pleasure of participating. It was a special and unique moment for me.

At Pafos (Cyprus) and Lusitanos Saint‑Maur (France), how did the styles of football and culture differ from Portugal and Northern Ireland?

In Cyprus, football was similar to that of Portugal, it was more tactical and technical, in France it is more similar to Northern Ireland, more strength and resistance, in terms of cultures I don’t see many differences as they are all open and welcoming cultures.

What were the biggest challenges adapting to a new country, language, and league?

Since I was young, I’ve adapted to dealing with new challenges because it gives me more pleasure and makes me grow more. Cyprus was where I played in a different country. I just had to focus on myself and my football and show my worth. At first it’s a bit difficult, but then I adapt. I’m easy to adapt because I’m more of a homebody. I stay at home more and I learn the language better. The rest is playing football.

Which of your earlier clubs taught you the most about resilience on and off the pitch?

Good question, I’ve been to several clubs basically every year, as I’ve always been a player of new challenges and each new club was a challenge for me, I think the club that gave me the most resilience was Operario dos Açores, where I was away from home and away from my family for the first time, where I had to grow as a person and as a player.

You’ve played for over a dozen clubs across Portugal, Cyprus, France, and now Northern Ireland. How did you stay motivated and focused amid so much change?

It’s true, I think that love and passion for football does this, and each year being a different club brings more challenges and passion each season, I like playing football, it gives me pleasure to meet new people, new players, coach, objective training methods proposed by the club, different cities.

Personally, what goals are you still chasing—coaching, further international caps, breaking records?

I’ve never been much of a goal-setter or personal record-setter, maybe that’s why I haven’t gone further than I could have gone. I just like playing football and having fun. Right now I feel accomplished having won my first title in my career, the Northern Ireland Cup, which meant a lot to me! Maybe now it’s a goal. Winning the League Cup would be a good goal, or winning the championship, but I think it’s a little more difficult, but it’s possible. I don’t think much about being a club coach; maybe I’d be better off looking for talented players, and being a football manager or a personal player coach.