Sérgio Paulo Marceneiro da Conceição (; born 15 November 1974) is érgioConceiçãa Portuguese professional football manager and former player who mostly played as a right winger. He is the current manager of Porto.
Throughout his career, he played for ten teams in five countries. After gaining international recognition with Porto he switched to Italy, where he appeared for three clubs, winning domestic and European honours at Lazio. He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 97 games and 13 goals over four seasons, adding 136 matches and 13 goals in Serie A. Having won 56 caps for Portugal, he represented the nation at Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup, reaching the semi-finals of the former.
In 2012, Conceição started working as a manager, leading five teams in his nation's top flight and Nantes in Ligue 1. He set the record for most games as manager of Porto, winning ten honours including three league titles and the double in 2019–20 and 2021–22.
Playing career
Club
Born in Coimbra, Conceição began his career playing for the youth teams of hometown's Associação Académica. He started professionally in the Liga de Honra, consecutively for F.C. Penafiel, Leça F.C. and F.C. Felgueiras, before moving to FC Porto in 1996; two highly successful years with the latter saw his runs down the right flank, combined with a good scoring record, help it to back-to-back Primeira Liga championships and a Taça de Portugal triumph.
Conceição joined S.S. Lazio and played a significant part in their 1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup success, while also scoring five goals in 33 games in his first season in Serie A. He also helped the team to a Scudetto, a Coppa Italia (in a 1999–2000 conquest of the double) and the 1999 UEFA Super Cup.
In July 2000, Conceição transferred to Parma A.C. as a makeweight in Hernán Crespo's transfer, along with Matías Almeyda. The following campaign, he was used in the same fashion in the transfer of Sébastien Frey, which saw him go to Inter Milan while Frey went in the other direction. After two seasons and a good number of starts, he left by mutual agreement and re-joined Lazio, leaving for former club Porto towards the end of 2003–04, again by mutual consent, and adding his third Portuguese national championship.
In summer 2004, Conceição signed for Belgium's Standard Liège on a one-year deal. He won the Belgian Golden Shoe for best player of the year in his first season. However, in March 2006, he was banned for three years – the first 4.5 months of the ban taking effect immediately and the rest suspended– depending on good behaviour, for spitting on an opposing player and assaulting a referee.
After the 2006–07 season, Conceição failed to win any silverware with Standard, finishing runner-up in 2005–06's league and losing the 2007 final of the Belgian Cup. He decided to move to Kuwait and Qadsia SC on an annual salary of €1.1 million but, quickly unsettled, left.
In January 2008, after failed deals in Portugal, Conceição agreed to join PAOK FC in Greece, signing an 18-month contract. His unlikely signing was largely attributed to club director of football Zisis Vryzas, and the presence of Portuguese manager Fernando Santos on the bench; though he initially struggled even to return to proper fitness levels, he was instantly given the number No. 7 shirt, once worn by legendary former player (and also chairman) Theodoros Zagorakis.
In 2008–09, Conceição was promoted to team captain. Along with compatriot Vieirinha, he was a regular on the team's wings and gradually became a fan favourite for his leadership and his devotion to the club; at the beginning of the following campaign, however, he was regularly troubled by knee injuries for the most part of October, managing only a few appearances.
International
Conceição played 56 times with the Portugal national team and scored 12 goals, his debut being on 9 November 1996 in a 1–0 home win against Ukraine for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In his last international game he was on the losing end of a 0–3 friendly defeat at the hands of Spain, on 6 September 2003.
Early in his international career, Conceição was not known for his scoring prowess but, at UEFA Euro 2000, Portugal reached the semi-finals with a major contribution from him: in the third and final match of the group stage, against defending champions Germany in Rotterdam, he netted a hat-trick for all of the game's goals; the national side had guaranteed first place in the first two rounds, so it played mostly with substitutes, but he cemented his place in the starting XI for the rest of the tournament and subsequent call-ups.