Nélson Alexandre Farpelha Estrela (born 29 April 1988), known as Minhoca, is a Portuguese

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays for Rabo de Peixe as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He achieved totals of 70 Primeira Liga games and 2 goals for

Paços de Ferreira Paços de Ferreira () is a city in the Porto District, in the north of Portugal. The population of the city in 2011 was 7491, while its municipality had 56,340 inhabitants, in an area of 70.99 km². Sometimes referred to as the ''Capital do ...

and Santa Clara, while adding 130 games and 10 goals in the second tier for Santa Clara and Varzim.

Club career

Born in

Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality ('' concelho'') and economic capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67, ...

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, Minhoca earned his nickname meaning "

earthworm An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. T ...

" in his

native language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

for his dribbling ability while a youth player at Marítimo Sport Clube in his hometown. He began his senior career with CU Micaelense in the fourth division and, in June 2011, he signed a three-year deal with C.D. Santa Clara of the Segunda Liga, again in his native islands. In January 2014, Primeira Liga club

F.C. Paços de Ferreira Futebol Clube Paços de Ferreira () is a Portuguese football club based in Paços de Ferreira, Porto district. Founded in 1950, the club competes in the Primeira Liga, holding home games at the 9,077-seater Estádio da Mata Real, a municipal s ...

secured Minhoca on a 3-year contract. He scored his first goal on 21 May as a substitute confirming a 3–1 home win over C.D. Aves in the promotion/relegation play-off; he added a brace on 23 November in a 9–0 rout of amateurs Clube Atlético Riachense in the fourth round of the

Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; "Cup of Portugal") is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Placard since the 2015–16 sea ...

. On 13 December he was

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

before half time in a 2–1 win against F.C. Arouca at the

Estádio da Mata Real Estádio Capital do Móvel is a multi-use stadium in Paços de Ferreira, Portugal. It is used primarily for football matches. The stadium is able to hold 9,077 people and was built in 1973 under the name Estádio da Mata Real. The stadium was re ...

. His first top-flight goal was on 17 April 2016, in a 4–3 away win against C.F. União. Minhoca returned to Santa Clara in May 2017, on a two-year deal. In his first season in his second spell, he contributed three goals as they were promoted as runners-up to C.D. Nacional. On 17 September he received a straight

red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...

after half an hour in a 2–1 victory at Gil Vicente FC. In July 2019, released by Santa Clara, Minhoca agreed to a one-year contract at Varzim S.C. in division two. At its conclusion, he dropped down to the third tier and joined S.C.U. Torreense. After winning promotion to Liga 3, he signed for another season in

Torres Vedras Torres Vedras () is a municipality in the Portuguese district of Lisbon, approximately north of the capital Lisbon in the Oeste region, in the Centro of Portugal. The population was 83,075, in an area of . History In 1148, Afonso I took ...

in July 2021.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Minhoca 1988 births Living people People from Ponta Delgada Portuguese men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Primeira Liga players Liga Portugal 2 players Campeonato de Portugal (league) players CU Micaelense players C.D. Santa Clara players F.C. Paços de Ferreira players Varzim S.C. players S.C.U. Torreense players