Estrela (footballer)

For other uses, see Estrela.
Estrela

Estrela playing for Orlando City in 2014
Personal information
Full name Valdomiro Tualungo Paulo Lameira
Date of birth (1995-09-22) 22 September 1995
Place of birth Luanda, Angola
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 APOEL
Number 55
Youth career
2006–2014 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2014 Orlando City (USL) 6 (1)
2015 Orlando City 0 (0)
2016– APOEL 1 (0)
National team‡
2014–2015 Portugal U20 3 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 February 2016.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 February 2016

Valdomiro Tualungo Paulo Lameira (born 22 September 1995), known as Estrela, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Cypriot club APOEL FC as a defensive midfielder.

Club career

Estrela began his career in S.L. Benfica's youth squad in 2006,[1] joining the under-19 squad in 2011.[2] He was part of the squad that competed in the 2013–14 UEFA Youth League,[3] including a match against Manchester City under-19 in which he scored a goal.[4] Benfica went on to be runners-up in the tournament,[3] losing to the under-19 squad of Barcelona 0–3 in the final.[4] He had signed a contract to stay with Benfica until 2020.[5]

On 8 July 2014, it was announced that he and teammate Rafael Ramos were transferred to Orlando City SC of the USL Pro, the third level of the United States soccer league system, on 3.5 year professional contracts as part of an affiliation between the two clubs.[3] The players' contracts would see the two new signings finish out the 2014 USL Pro season with the club before transitioning into Major League Soccer in 2015.[6]

He, along with Ramos, made his professional debut on 23 August 2014 in a league match against the Richmond Kickers. In the 8th minute of the match, he volleyed a strike from outside of the box to also score his first goal for the club. The 3–2 victory was notable for Ramos also scoring his first goal for the club in his debut in addition to Kevin Molino breaking the single-season league goal scoring record. After the match, head coach Adrian Heath stated in regards to the two new players, "I thought that the two new players (Estrela and Ramos) were outstanding, considering that they haven't played for two or three weeks. Their contribution was massive..."[7]

He went on to make five league appearances for the club, scoring one goal, during the 2014 USL Pro season, Orlando City's last in the league before making the jump to Major League Soccer.[8] The defender also started and played 90 minutes[9] of Orlando's defeat to the Harrisburg City Islanders in the first round of the playoffs which saw Orlando eliminated.[10] Estrela was released by Orlando on 30 January 2016.[11]

On 1 February 2016, he joined Cypriot champions APOEL FC on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[12] He made his official debut on 27 February 2016, coming on as a 71st-minute substitute in APOEL's 3–0 home victory against Ayia Napa for the Cypriot First Division.[13] A few months after joining APOEL, he crowned champion for the first time in his career, as his team managed to win the Cypriot First Division title for a fourth time in the row.[14]

International career

He, along with Orlando teammate Ramos, was called to camp with the Portugal national under-20 team in October 2014, despite being born in Angola. The camp, which was his first international experience, was part of Portugal's preparation for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[15]

Honours

Benfica
APOEL

References

  1. ↑ "futebol365 Profile". www.futebol365.pt. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "serbenfiquista.com Profile". serbenfiquista.com. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Valdomiro Lameira and Rafael Ramos head to Orlando City". S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Soccerway Profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Benfica: dois jovens nos Estados Unidos para jogar com Kaká". www.maisfutebol.iol.pt. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "SL Benfica partnership delivering benefits as Orlando City signs two players to MLS deals". Orlando City SC. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "MOLINO BREAKS USL PRO GOAL SCORING RECORD IN THRILLING 3–2 VICTORY". Orlando City SC. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "2014 Stats". USL Pro. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "Harrisburg 1 Orlando O". USL Pro. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Hoppenot, City Islanders Stun Lions". USL Pro. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Orlando City has waived midfielder Estrela". Orlando City SC. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  12. ↑ Σύναψη συμφωνίας με Valdmiro Tualungo Paulo Lameira (Estrela) [Aggrement with Valdmiro Tualungo Paulo Lameira (Estrela)] (in Greek). apoelfc.com.cy. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  13. ↑ APOEL FC 3–0 Ayia Napa. apoelfc.com.cy. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  14. 1 2 "APOEL clinch record 25th title in Cyprus". uefa.com. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  15. ↑ "Ramos and Estrela Called-Up to Train with U20 Portugal Men's National Team". Orlando City SC. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  16. ↑ "'Proud' Benfica hold heads high after final defeat". UEFA. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.

External links

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