Football Player's Biography 7: Fábio Coentrão

Full name	Fábio Alexandre Silva Coentrão
Date of birth	11 March 1988 (1988-03-11) (age 23)
Place of birth	Vila do Conde, Portugal
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10¹⁄₂ in)
Playing position	Wingback

Fábio Alexandre da Silva Coentrão (born 11 March 1988) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica and the Portuguese national football team.
Mainly a left back, he can also operate as a left winger

Club career

Coentrão joined hometown Rio Ave FC in 2004 at the age of 16, playing three first division games in the following season for a northern side that would be relegated. In 2006–07, he established himself as first-choice, as Rio Ave barely missed promotion back and had a good run in the Cup of Portugal, ended by Sporting Clube de Portugal with a 2–1 win in Lisbon, with Coentrão scoring Rio Ave's goal, from 30 metres out; whilst playing for the Vila do Conde team, he earned the nickname "Figo das Caxinas."
After that season, where he was voted the divisions' Breakthrough Player of the Year,^[1] many clubs showed interest in Coentrão, most notably Sporting and Sport Lisboa e Benfica, with Coentrão choosing the Encarnados (reds) on July 2007. His playing style was likened to that of Arjen Robben by World Soccer Magazine in their 50 World Talents 2007 issue.
On 1 January 2008, having received insignificant playing opportunities at Benfica, Coentrão joined Madeira's CD Nacional, loaned until the season's end. On 3 May, he scored twice in a 3–0 away success against already crowned league champions FC Porto. Coentrão came close to signing with Eredivisie´s Feyenoord during the 2008 off-season, with reports of a one-year loan deal being announced on the Internet.^[2] Two days later, however, he joined Real Zaragoza, freshly relegated into Spain's second level.^[3] After almost no appearances during the campaign, however, Coentrão returned to Portugal and Rio Ave in January 2009, still owned by Benfica. On 15 February, he scored after an individual effort, albeit in a 3–1 loss at Porto.
On 2 December 2009, having played some matches for Benfica as a left defender, Coentrão scored his first goal in European competition, against FC BATE of Belarus in a 2–1 away win for the UEFA Europa League group stage.^[4] During that season, he had a breakthrough year, appearing in a total of 43 official games (2,851 minutes), as the club won the league and the Portuguese League Cup; he ended the season in style, as he was voted Portuguese League Breakthrough Player of the Year.^[5]
On 27 September 2010, fully established with both his club and the national team, 22-year old Coentrão extended his contract with Benfica until 2016.^[6] On 2 November, he scored his first career brace, helping to a 4–3 home win against Olympique Lyonnais, for the season's UEFA Champions League group stage. In a 67-minute fast break, he combined with Carlos Martins to make it 4–0 for the hosts.^[7]

International career

An international for Portugal at youth level,^[8] Coentrão was voted MVP in the 2007 Madeira Cup for the U-20s,^[9] also being crowned the competition's topscorer. Subsequently, he represented the nation in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup^[10] and, also during that year, made his U-21 debuts.
After consistent performances at Benfica, although he started rarely in the early 2009–10, Coentrão earned his first senior call-up in November 2009, for the decisive 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification playoffs against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and made his debut in the first leg on 14 November, at the Estádio da Luz, playing the second half of the 1–0 win.
Coentrão was chosen for Carlos Queiroz's squad of 23 for the final stages in South Africa, starting as left back ahead of another adapted player, Duda. He played in all the matches in Portugal's eventual round of 16 exit.