Hélder Cabral

Hélder Cabral is a Portuguese defender born on 7 May 1984 in Peniche, Portugal.

Cabral started his junior career at his hometown academy of Peniche in 1993. During eight years Hélder was a product of this academy, where he acquired basic knowledge about football which he practised playing for the youth squad of Peniche. In 2001 the footballer prompted interest from Sporting. The club invited him to a try-out during which Cabral showed his worth. In the same year Hélder joined the academy of Sporting where he spent only a year. In 2002 the defender moved to the academy of Vitória Guimarães, where he prepared to start his career in professional football.

In the summer 2003 Cabral penned the first professional contract with Vitória Guimarães only to be immediately loaned to Dragões Sandinenses. For a season he became the key defender on the left flank and scored 7 goals in 35 games for his temporary team.

In the summer 2004 Hélder returned to Vitória Guimarães for a short while, and in the same summer he was sent on loan to Valdevez where he took part in 21 matches for one season. In the 2006/2007 season the defender was also on loan, this time to Moreirense where he netted once in 13 matches.

After changing many temporary teams from Portugal, Cabral sealed a permanent deal with Estrela Amadora in the summer 2007. In the 2007/2008 season the defender made 19 appearances for this team and kicked 1 goal. In the next season the footballer was sold to Vejle where he featured in 4 matches for one season. In the summer 2009 Cabral completed a move to Académica where he plays successfully until now. In the beginning the head coach couldn’t give him enough playing time, however as the time went by, Cabral gained his confidence and started to earn a place in the starting eleven more often. For three years Cabral took part in more than 70 matches and found the net once for Académica.

In the summer 2013 he switched for a Cypriot side APOEL.