Nélson Semedo #2

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Left Wolves after five years in 2025 and had an approach to rejoin Benfica but felt it was too early to return home. Instead he chose to join Fenerbahce with one of the main reasons behind that decision was that the Turkish club was coached by a certain José Mourinho. A month later Mourinho was sacked and joined … Benfica. The 32-year-old has Cape Verdean ancestry and was delighted when the country qualified for the 2026 World Cup. "Like Portugal, Cape Verde is a very small country, but with an abundance of quality and a will to win,” he said “and that was crucial for them to make history and qualify for the World Cup." Asked by Sky which black athlete had inspired him he said: “For me it is Muhammad Ali, he inspired me the most. He was a champion, he fought for us, he fought against racism during a very difficult time. He lost a lot of things himself but he gave us, black people, hope.”

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