It's the question that keeps most Addicks fans awake during the small hours of the night. Well @Tricky finally had enough, and decided to do some investigating
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The 2003/2004 season was an extremely memorable one for all Charlton fans, particularly given the rather dramatic fall from those lofty heights that has occurred in the last 7 years since. Performances from players like Paolo Di Canio and Scott Parker, and results like the 4-2 mauling of Chelsea tend to stick out. However, there was more than one first-team player who never made an appearance that season. One of whom was Stephen Hughes, who stayed for one season without making his debut, then moved on a free transfer to Coventry.
The other was Sérgio Leite, the Portuguese goalkeeper who also stayed for one season without making his debut, and then moved on a free transfer.
Ironically, both these players were signed on the same day – the 14th August 2003. They were also released on the same day on the 7th June 2004. Since that day, it could be said that Sérgio Leite’s career has gone in parallel with Charlton’s decline.
When Sérgio Leite first arrived in England, he was the proud owner of 25 Portugal U21 caps, including a "stunning" performance against Spain in Faro, according to media reports. He had been at Boavista, at that stage still one of the biggest clubs in Portugal. He was being kept out of the Boavista side by penalty saving genius and scourge of England’s Euro 2004 campaign, Ricardo.
No doubt wanting to prevent his career from stagnating, Leite joined Charlton, after several loan spells at lower league Portuguese clubs. It is testament to Dean Kiely’s ability, temperament and fitness, that there are more than a couple of goalkeepers who merely sat on the bench at Charlton during the Premiership years. Leite can call on now Addicks goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts, Tony Caig and Paul Rachubka for similar experiences of trying to remove deeply embedded splinters from the derriere.
Perhaps this season of inactivity hindered Leite’s progress? Leite didn’t seem to think so. With the benefit of internet translators, we can find out that he believes "Although to never have actuado in the main formation, I evolved very as player". He was also very happy that he was able to help the reserves win the league that year.
He was also loaned back to his own country in the shape of A.D. Ovarense, a Portuguese Second Division side.
So, after a year of experience under the tutelage of one of the best goalkeepers in Charlton history, a few more appearances back home, and his "evolved" self, Leite was ready to spread his wings and flourish.
Instead, he ended up in Hull.
Not only at Hull, but back on the bench at Hull. A small success was afforded to him when he made his first appearance in English football, away at Blackpool in the League Cup however the Tigers lost 2-1, and Leite didn’t make another appearance. Back to the bench he went. This time it was up and coming ‘keeper Boaz Myhill that was keeping him in regular practice with the tweezers. Such is the life of a back-up goalkeeper. Many goalkeepers have barely made 100 appearances in their whole career. Perhaps Leite was stinted by such lack of first team action that he could never live up to his early potential.
Or maybe he was just no good.
After leaving England, Leite went to Romania, more specifically top division side, FC Vaslui, makingjust one appearance. Onto Brasov then, where Leite enjoyed some first team action, making 15 appearances.. Happy days for Sérgio. Perhaps not that happy for poor Sérgio though, because like his whole career, he would be moving on again after just a year. Who knows whether it was a multi-million pound bid that meant Brasov just couldn’t keep hold of their star goalkeeper? Given that the side he went to were Cypriot and European sleeping giants Atromitos Yeroskipou, we can probably assume it was not a 7-figure fee. Perhaps am underestimating the amount of money and cash (and that other word beginning with "H" that Jay-Z likes to rap about) that there is in the Cypriot game. After all, there must have been some reason why Chris Dickson went there too. Anyway, back onto Sérgio’s plight and his as-yet unspectacular career.
Atromitos were a second division side for the 2007/2008 season and had Sérgio Leite in goal for 25 matches. Atromitos were actually in the middle of a meteoric rise, from being promoted from the Paphos local league to the Cypriot first division in just 4 years. Sérgio must have been a part of that considering he was made those 25 appearances. He was then missed the next season, as Atromitos were relegated back to the second division. By that time though, Leite was gone again, this time back to where it all began.
Ten years after the start of his career at Boavista, Leite was back. However, this was a different Boavista to the one had been at before. The chairman of Boavista, Valentim Loureiro had been found guilty of abuse of power by trying to corrupt referees. On the 9th May 2008, Boavista were relegated for bribery.Not only this, but Boavista were on the verge of financial meltdown. Leite made 22 appearances for the Panthers/the Chequereds. They finished 15th in the league, but were eventually relegated for financial debts, along with Vizela for their part in the corruption scandal. Amazingly enough, to my mind anyway, Boavista are now competing at the third level of Portuguese football. It has to be said, Leite hasn’t had the luckiest of careers.
In 2009, Leite moved on to Gondomar SC, where he has remained since and continues to guard the posts in the hotbed of third division Portugese football. Whether it is as much of an "exciting league" (copyright Oohaahmortimer) as the English equivalent, we can only speculate, but a look over Sérgio Leite’s career does answer the one burning question on everybody’s lips.
Would we still be where we are today if we had kept Sérgio Leite? Yes, we probably would.
Darn it, another one Curbishley got right !
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Comments
Pretty sure I have his autograph, got it outside the training ground when Di Canio had signed and a few fans were outside the entrance to Sparrows Lane getting players to sign stuff.
Stephen Hughes was the only player who did not stop! Parker has his brand new Aston Martin and Di Canio was very nice.
I'm the one who writes all the other average guff ! ;-)
Come on the rest of you budding writers, give it a go.
If you do get the job can I have my column in the programme back. That Matt Wright dumped me for a bloody Arsenal fan and I've never forgiven him.
Really enjoyed the article, best thing I've read on here for a long time.
First of all ,congratulations for the forum and this article.
My time at Charlton was wonderful, great team mates, excellent staff and enthusiastic fans, no doubts.
My career was the possible career, i was the sub of Dean Kiely that made the best season of his life, but i also won the reserve league,save penalties and was wanted by Portsmouth and Crystal Palace for loan spells, but Alan never let me go.
All my life i choose to play than be nº2 or n3, the only bad choice that i made was going to Romania, but money talks in that time.
I never had opportunity to play, but i was released because i wanted not because Alan wanted,he can confirm that.
I always will be a Charlton fan!
Are you still playing ?
That's unreal if it is
Cheers Sergio, all the best to you.
Cheers.