| Intro | Canadian footballer | |||||||||||
| Is |
Athlete Football player Association football player |
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| From |
Portugal Canada |
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| Type | Sports | |||||||||||
| Gender | male | |||||||||||
| Birth | 11 January 1987, Toronto, Canada | |||||||||||
| Age: | 33 years | |||||||||||
| Star sign | Capricorn | |||||||||||
| Stats |
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| Sports Teams |
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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.
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, 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, but declined each time.
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, and helping the Algarve side promote to the Primeira Liga in his second season by appearing in 18 games, 15 as a starter.
In the 2009–10 campaign, Vitória continued on loan, this time with S.C. Covilhã in the Segunda Liga. He played his first official match for his new club on 2 August 2009, in a 1–0 away win against A.D. Carregado for the Taça da Liga.
Estoril
Vitória cut all ties with Porto in July 2010, 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 among the league’s top goalscorers– eight of them from penalties – to help his team finish fifth and qualify for the UEFA Europa League.
Benfica
Free agent Vitória joined S.L. Benfica on 16 June 2013, signing a four-year contract. He called the day of his signing “the most important and happiest day of my life”. 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.
Vitória was an unused substitute in Benfica’s loss in the Europa League final to Sevilla FC on penalties. After becoming unsatisfied with his status, he was targeted by Real Betis and C.S. Marítimo.
On 9 February 2015, Vitória was loaned to Major League Soccer side Philadelphia Union for one season. 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, being released in December after the club declined against exercising its contract option on the player.
Lechia Gdańsk
Vitória joined Lechia Gdańsk on 17 August 2016, signing a three-year contract. 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).
Moreirense
Vitória returned to Portugal to sign with Moreirense F.C. on 4 July 2019, agreeing to a three-year deal. He made his debut on 11 August, playing the entire 3–1 defeat at S.C. Braga. He scored his first goal on 2 November, in a 1–1 home draw against Vitória de Guimarães.
International career
Vitória represented Portugal at the 2006 Lusophony Games in Macau, the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Poland 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.
In September 2012, without having been capped at senior level, 25-year-old Vitória considered switching allegiance to Canada. In January 2016, he accepted a call-up by the country for a friendly against the United States on 5 February, and played the full 90 minutes in the 0–1 defeat in Carson, California.
Vitória scored his first goal for Canada on 6 October 2016, helping to a 4–0 friendly win over Mauritania. He was named to their squad for the following year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Style of play
Vitória is known for his heading, marking and scoring abilities, especially on penalty kicks and free kicks.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 9 November 2019
| 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
| 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 |
| 2. | 15 November 2019 | Exploria Stadium, Orlando, United States | United States | 1–3 | 1–4 | 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A |
Honours
Olhanense
- Segunda Liga: 2008–09
Estoril
- Segunda Liga: 2011–12
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2013–14
- Taça de Portugal: 2013–14
- Taça da Liga: 2013–14
- UEFA Europa League: Runner-up 2013–14
Lechia Gdańsk
- Polish Cup: 2018–19