Cédric Soares

Portuguese footballer (born 1991)

Cédric Soares
Cédric playing for Portugal at the 2018 World Cup
Personal information
Full name Cédric Ricardo Alves Soares[1]
Date of birth (1991-08-31) 31 August 1991 (age 32)[2]
Place of birth Singen, Germany
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[3]
Position(s) Full-back
Team information
Current team
 Arsenal
Number 17
Youth career
1998–2010 Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2015 Sporting CP 67 (2)
2011–2012 → Académica (loan) 24 (0)
2013 Sporting CP B 2 (0)
2015–2020 Southampton 120 (1)
2019 → Inter Milan (loan) 4 (0)
2020 → Arsenal (loan) 5 (1)
2020– Arsenal 36 (1)
2023 → Fulham (loan) 6 (0)
International career‡
2006–2007 Portugal U16 11 (1)
2007–2008 Portugal U17 11 (0)
2009 Portugal U18 5 (0)
2009–2010 Portugal U19 17 (0)
2010–2011 Portugal U20 18 (0)
2011–2012 Portugal U21 10 (0)
2014–2021 Portugal 34 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:24, 4 March 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:42, 27 March 2021 (UTC)

Cédric Ricardo Alves Soares CvIH ComM (born 31 August 1991), known simply as Cédric (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɛðɾik]), is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Premier League club Arsenal and the Portugal national team.

Cédric's career started with Sporting CP, going on to appear in 93 competitive games over the course of four Primeira Liga seasons and scoring two goals. He signed for Southampton in 2015.

Having earned 72 caps across all youth levels, Cédric made his senior debut for Portugal in 2014. He appeared for the country at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2016, winning the latter tournament.

Club career

Sporting

Born in Singen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany to Portuguese parents, Cédric returned to Portugal at the age of two.[4][5] He joined Sporting CP's youth system in 1998, aged seven.[6]

Cédric made his Primeira Liga debut with the first team on 8 May 2011, starting in a 0–1 home loss against Vitória de Setúbal.[7] For 2011–12 he, alongside teammate Adrien Silva, was loaned to fellow top division club Académica,[8] where he played regularly and won that season's Taça de Portugal, playing the full 90 minutes in the 1–0 triumph against Sporting.[9]

Subsequently, Cédric returned to the Lisbon side, being first-choice in the following years under several managers.[10] He scored his first goal in the Portuguese top division on 15 December 2012, netting with his left foot from 30 metres in a 1–1 draw away to Nacional.[11]

In the domestic cup final on 31 May 2015, against Braga, Cédric was sent off in the 14th minute after conceding a penalty with a foul on Djavan, but Sporting eventually won in a shoot-out.[12]

Southampton

Cédric playing for Southampton in 2017

On 18 June 2015, Cédric was announced as the second summer signing for Southampton on a four-year contract,[13] with the English club paying up to €6.5 million (£4.7 million) for his services.[14][15] He made his debut on 30 July, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–0 home win over Vitesse for the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.[16] Ten days later, he first appeared in the Premier League, assisting the opening goal for Graziano Pellè in a 2–2 draw away to Newcastle United before being substituted for Cuco Martina at half-time.[17]

Cédric scored his first goal for Southampton on 18 March 2018, in a 2–0 victory away to Wigan Athletic in the sixth round of the FA Cup, the first match under new manager Mark Hughes.[18]

Inter Milan (loan)

On 26 January 2019, Cédric moved to Inter Milan on loan for the rest of the season, with an option to purchase for £9.5m in the summer.[19] He made his first appearance five days later, playing 15 minutes and converting his attempt in the 4–3 shoot-out loss against Lazio in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia (1–1 after 120 minutes).[20]

Arsenal

Cédric joined fellow Premier League team Arsenal on a six-month loan on 31 January 2020.[21] On 24 June, it was announced that Cédric had sealed a permanent move to Arsenal on a long-term deal, as a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract.[22]

Cédric made his Arsenal debut on 1 July, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute and scoring a 20-yard strike with his left foot, four minutes after coming on, in a 4–0 victory over Norwich City.[23] After playing for Southampton as a substitute in their FA Cup third-round tie against Huddersfield Town, Cédric was cup-tied and thus unable to take part in Arsenal's victorious 2019–20 FA Cup campaign.[24][25]

On 29 August, Cédric came on as a substitute, scoring Arsenal's third penalty in their shoot-out win against Liverpool in the Community Shield after the game ended 1–1.[26] On 18 January 2021, Cédric made his first Premier League start of the season in a 3–0 win over Newcastle.[27] He had a run in the team at left-back while Kieran Tierney was out injured.[28][29]

Cédric scored his second goal for Arsenal on the final day of the 2021–22 Premier League season, finishing off a Bukayo Saka corner for Arsenal’s third goal in an eventual 5–1 win over Everton at the Emirates Stadium.[30]

Fulham (loan)

On 31 January 2023, Cédric joined fellow Premier League team Fulham on loan for the remainder of the season.[31] He made his debut on 11 February against Nottingham Forest, coming on as a late substitute for Kenny Tete.[32] His first start came on 28 February, in the FA Cup fifth round win against Leeds United.[33]

International career

Cédric was part of the Portuguese under-20 team called up for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia, eventually finishing the tournament in second place.[34][35]

He played ten times with the Portuguese under-21s, his debut occurring on 1 September 2011 in a 2–0 win in Moldova for the 2013 UEFA European Championship qualifiers.[36] His maiden appearance with the senior team was on 11 October 2014, as he started in a 1–2 friendly defeat to France in Paris.[37][38]

Cédric was selected by manager Fernando Santos for his UEFA Euro 2016 squad.[39] His first game in the tournament took place on 25 June, when he started alongside Southampton teammate José Fonte in the round-of-16 clash against Croatia (1–0 win after extra time).[40] He went on to retain his position until the final, won at the expense of hosts France.[41]

He scored his first goal for his country on 17 June 2017, netting in the 86th minute of an eventual 2–2 group stage draw to Mexico at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup at the Kazan Arena in Russia.[42] In May 2018, he was named in Portugal's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[43]

In March 2021, Cédric was recalled to the national team for the first time since 2019, for the World Cup qualifying games.[44] On 27 March, he started and provided an assist in a 2–2 draw against Serbia; this was his first game for Portugal since October 2018.[45][46]

In October 2022, he was named in Portugal's preliminary 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[47]

Media

Cédric was involved in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.[48][49]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 4 March 2024
Appearances and goals by club season, and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sporting CP 2010–11[50] Primeira Liga 2 0 0 0 1 0 2[c] 0 — 5 0
2012–13[50] Primeira Liga 13 1 0 0 3 0 7[c] 0 — 23 1
2013–14[50] Primeira Liga 28 1 0 0 3 0 — — 31 1
2014–15[50] Primeira Liga 24 0 3 0 0 0 7[d] 0 — 34 0
Total 67 2 3 0 7 0 16 0 — 93 2
Académica (loan) 2011–12[50] Primeira Liga 24 0 5 0 0 0 — — 29 0
Sporting CP B 2012–13[50] Segunda Liga 2 0 — — — — 2 0
Southampton 2015–16[51] Premier League 24 0 0 0 2 0 1[c] 0 — 27 0
2016–17[52] Premier League 30 0 0 0 3 0 1[c] 0 — 34 0
2017–18[53] Premier League 32 0 4 1 0 0 — — 36 1
2018–19[54] Premier League 18 1 2 0 2 0 — — 22 1
2019–20[25] Premier League 16 0 1 0 2 1 — — 19 1
Total 120 1 7 1 9 1 2 0 — 138 3
Inter Milan (loan) 2018–19[54] Serie A 4 0 1 0 — 4[c] 0 — 9 0
Arsenal (loan) 2019–20[25] Premier League 5 1 0 0 — — — 5 1
Arsenal 2020–21[55] Premier League 10 0 2 0 2 0 9[c] 0 1[e] 0 24 0
2021–22[56] Premier League 21 1 1 0 4 0 — — 26 1
2022–23[57] Premier League 2 0 0 0 1 0 1[c] 0 — 4 0
2023–24[58] Premier League 3 0 0 0 1 0 1[f] 0 0 0 5 0
Total 41 2 3 0 8 0 11 0 1 0 64 2
Arsenal U21 2023–24 — — — — 1[g] 0 1 0
Fulham (loan) 2022–23[57] Premier League 6 0 2 0 — — — 8 0
Career total 264 5 21 1 24 1 33 0 2 0 344 7
  1. ^ Includes Taça de Portugal, FA Cup, Coppa Italia
  2. ^ Includes Taça da Liga, Football League/EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Appearance in FA Community Shield
  6. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  7. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 27 March 2021[59]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Portugal 2014 2 0
2015 6 0
2016 8 0
2017 9 1
2018 8 0
2021 1 0
Total 34 1
As of match played 27 March 2021. Portugal score listed first, score column indicates score after each Cédric goal.[59]
List of international goals scored by Cédric Soares
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 18 June 2017 Kazan Arena, Kazan, Russia 20  Mexico 2–1 2–2 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup [42]

Honours

Club

Académica

Sporting

Southampton

Arsenal

International

Portugal U20

Portugal

Orders

References

  1. ^ "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  2. ^ "FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017: List of players: Portugal" (PDF). FIFA. 20 March 2018. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Cédric Soares: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  4. ^ Martins, José (19 October 2014). "Cedric setzt sich hohe Ziele" [Cedric sets high goals for himself]. Kicker (in German). Olympia-Verlag. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  5. ^ Pereira, Sérgio (21 October 2014). "Memórias do miúdo que foi para o Sporting por causa da Alemanha" [Memoirs of the kid who joined Sporting because of Germany]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). IOL.PT. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  6. ^ "Talentos da formação ultrapassam 110 milhões em vendas" [Academy talents total more than 110 million in sales]. Record (in Portuguese). 18 June 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Setúbal conquista Alvalade e a permanência" [Setúbal take Alvalade and survival] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  8. ^ Barreira, Manuel (17 June 2011). "Cédric emprestado à Académica" [Cédric loaned to Académica]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Académica shock Sporting to lift Portuguese Cup". PortuGOAL.net. 19 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Álvaro Magalhães: "Cédric é titular indiscutível no Sporting"" [Álvaro Magalhães: "Cédric is an undisputed starter in Sporting"]. Record (in Portuguese). 29 April 2014. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  11. ^ Ruela, João (15 December 2012). "Cédric e Rui Patrício salvam um ponto na Choupana" [Cédric and Rui Patrício rescue point in Choupana]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  12. ^ a b Calaveiras, Carlos (31 May 2015). "Sporting ganha Taça de Portugal" [Sporting win Portuguese Cup] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Saints land Portugal defender Cédric". Southampton F.C. 18 June 2015. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  14. ^ "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Sporting CP. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  15. ^ "Southampton sign Cedric Soares from Sporting Lisbon". BBC Sport. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  16. ^ Williams, Adam (30 July 2015). "Southampton 3–0 Vitesse". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  17. ^ Davis, Matt (9 August 2015). "Newcastle United 2–2 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  18. ^ Sanders, Emma (18 March 2018). "Wigan Athletic 0–2 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  19. ^ Stone, Simon (26 January 2019). "Cedric Soares: Southampton defender joins Inter Milan on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  20. ^ "Coppa Italia, Inter-Lazio 4–5 dcr: Icardi replica a Immobile, dal dischetto sbaglia Nainggolan" [Italian Cup, Inter-Lazio 4–5 apk: Icardi answers Immobile, Nainggolan misses from the spot]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Arsenal sign defender Cedric Soares from Southampton on loan". BBC Sport. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Four players extend stay at club". Arsenal F.C. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  23. ^ Johnston, Neil (1 July 2020). "Arsenal 4 Norwich City 0". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  24. ^ "Cedric Soares insists Arsenal win over Liverpool was 'natural' ahead of FA Cup semi-final". The Independent. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  25. ^ a b c "Games played by Cédric Soares in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  26. ^ "ARSENAL BEAT LIVERPOOL 5-4 ON PENALTIES TO WIN THE FA COMMUNITY SHIELD". The Football Association. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  27. ^ "Arsenal beat Newcastle to go 10th". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  28. ^ Mondal, Subhankar (9 February 2021). "Armand Traore comments on Arsenal defender Cedric Soares". HITC. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  29. ^ The Athletic Staff. "Arsenal aiming to sign young left-back to learn from Kieran Tierney in summer". The Athletic. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  30. ^ Wright, Nick (22 May 2022). "Arsenal 5-1 Everton: Gunners miss out on top-four finish despite emphatic victory over Everton". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  31. ^ "Fulham sign Arsenal's Soares on loan". BBC Sport. BBC. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  32. ^ Howarth, Matthew (11 February 2023). "Solomon seals Fulham win and hopes for 'better 2023'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  33. ^ Johnston, Neil (28 February 2023). "Fulham march into quarter-finals by beating Leeds". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  34. ^ "Mundialistas revelados". FPF.pt (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 10 June 2011. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  35. ^ "Oscar treble wins thrilling final for Brazil". FIFA. 20 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  36. ^ "Portugal prove too good for Moldova". UEFA. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  37. ^ Nunes, Luís Miguel (6 October 2014). "Cédric na seleção: "Chegou a minha hora"" [Cédric in the national team: "My time has come"]. Relvado (in Portuguese). SAPO. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  38. ^ "France get the better of Portugal". UEFA. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  39. ^ "Portugal name Bayern Munich signing Renato Sanches for Euros squad". ESPN FC. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  40. ^ Atkin, John (25 June 2016). "Quaresma snatches extra-time win for Portugal". UEFA. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  41. ^ a b McNulty, Phil (10 July 2016). "Portugal 1–0 France". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  42. ^ a b Ames, Nick (18 June 2017). "Héctor Moreno's stoppage-time header earns Mexico draw against Portugal". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  43. ^ "Nearly half Portugal's Euro squad to miss World Cup". Special Broadcasting Service. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  44. ^ "March internationals: Who's playing and when?". www.arsenal.com. 21 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  45. ^ "Internationals: Cedric provides assist". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  46. ^ "Ronaldo rages after no goal and no VAR in 2–2 draw at Serbia". AP News. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  47. ^ "The list of pre-selected squad for the 2022 World Cup: know all the names". Record. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  48. ^ "Full 'All Or Nothing' trailer released". Arsenal F.C. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  49. ^ All or Nothing: Arsenal | Official Full Trailer 🎬. Amazon Prime Video Sport. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022 – via YouTube.
  50. ^ a b c d e f "Cédric Soares: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  51. ^ "Games played by Cédric Soares in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  52. ^ "Games played by Cédric Soares in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  53. ^ "Games played by Cédric Soares in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  54. ^ a b "Games played by Cédric Soares in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  55. ^ "Games played by Cédric Soares in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  56. ^ "Games played by Cédric Soares in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  57. ^ a b "Games played by Cédric Soares in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  58. ^ "Games played by Cédric Soares in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  59. ^ a b "National football team player Cédric Soares". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  60. ^ McNulty, Phil (26 February 2017). "Manchester United 3–2 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  61. ^ Sanders, Emma (29 August 2020). "Arsenal 1–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  62. ^ "Brazil 3–2 Portugal". FIFA. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  63. ^ "Presidente Cavaco Silva condecorou selecção nacional de futebol sub-20" [President Cavaco Silva decorated national under-20 football team] (in Portuguese). Arquivo Presidência. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  64. ^ "Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas" [Portuguese Honorary Orders] (in Portuguese). Presidency of the Portuguese Republic. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  65. ^ "Marcelo condecora jogadores com Grau de Comendador da Ordem do Mérito" [Marcelo decorates players with Grau de Comendador da Ordem do Mérito]. SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). 10 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  66. ^ "Seleção recebe insígnias de Marcelo no Porto" [National team receive insignia from Marcelo in Porto]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 25 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2017.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cédric Soares.
  • Profile at the Arsenal F.C. website
  • Cédric Soares at Premier League
  • Cédric Soares at ForaDeJogo (archived) Edit this at Wikidata
  • Cédric Soares at Soccerbase Edit this at Wikidata
  • National team data (in Portuguese)
  • Cédric Soares at National-Football-Teams.com Edit this at Wikidata
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Portugal squad – UEFA Euro 2016 winners (1st title)
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Portugal squad – 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup third place
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Portugal squad – 2018 FIFA World Cup
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