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Nilton Varela

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nilton Varela
Personal information
Full name Nilton Varela Lopes
Date of birth (2001-05-25) 25 May 2001 (age 25)
Place of birth Lisbon, Portugal
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Positions
Team information
Current team
Beerschot
Number 75
Youth career
2009–2012 Sporting
2012–2016 Belenenses
2016–2017 Sporting
2017–2019 Belenenses
2019 B-SAD
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 B-SAD 42 (2)
2022–2024 Porto B 39 (3)
2024–2025 Estrela da Amadora 41 (0)
2026– Beerschot 8 (0)
International career
2019 Cape Verde U19 2 (0)
2020 Portugal U19 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 April 2026

Nilton Varela Lopes (born 25 May 2001) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left-back or winger for Challenger Pro League club Beerschot.

Club career

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Varela alternated between Lisbon-based clubs Sporting CP and C.F. Os Belenenses in his youth. He made his professional debut with Belenenses SAD in a 2–0 Primeira Liga loss away to Sporting on 10 November 2019.[1] The following 26 January, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 home win over Portimonense SC, with his uncle scoring the other.[2] He was a regular in the second half of the season as Petit replaced Pedro Ribeiro as manager, earning his place from unrelated Spaniard Francisco Varela.[3]

In March 2022, Portugal's Constitutional Court ordered B-SAD to pay over €30,000 in compensation to C.F. Os Belenenses for his development as a player.[4]

Varela transferred to FC Porto B on 19 August 2022, on a two-year deal.[5]

On 30 January 2024, Varela returned to the Primeira Liga, joining Estrela da Amadora.[6] At the beginning of the 2025–26 season, he terminated his contract, leaving the club.[7]

On 26 January 2026, after over six months as a free agent, Varela moved to Belgium, joining Challenger Pro League club Beerschot on a contract until June 2028.[8]

International career

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Born in Portugal, Varela is of Cape Verdean descent.[9] He represented the Cape Verde under-19 teams in a friendly 2–0 loss to the Portuguese equivalent on 30 January 2019.[10] He then switched to represent the latter, making an appearance in a 3–1 win over France under-19 on 25 February 2020.[11]

Personal life

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Varela made his professional debut for Belenenses SAD alongside his uncle Silvestre Varela, a winger who played mainly for FC Porto and was a long-time international for Portugal.[1] He was also his teammate at Porto B.[5]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Nilton Varela e a estreia com o tio: "É um dia que vai ficar marcado na minha vida"" [Nilton Varela and debut with uncle: "It's a day that will remain etched in my life"]. Record (in Portuguese). 10 November 2019. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  2. "Família Varela penaliza erros do Portimonense" [Varela family punish Portimonense's errors] (in Portuguese). Bancada. 26 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  3. Gouveia Pereira, Miguel (23 May 2020). "Francisco Varela não deve voltar ao Belenenses SAD" [Francisco Varela must not return to Belenenses SAD]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  4. "Belenenses SAD condenado a pagar mais de 30 mil euros ao Belenenses pela formação de Nilton Varela" [Belenenses SAD ordered to pay over 30 thousand euros to Belenenses for Nilton Varela's development]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  5. 1 2 "FC Porto anuncia Nilton Varela como reforço da equipa B" [FC Porto announce Nilton Varela as B-team addition]. Record (in Portuguese). 19 August 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  6. "Deixa FC Porto B e reforça Estrela da Amadora... para seguir pisadas do tio" [Leaves FC Porto B and reinforces Estrela da Amadora... to follow his uncle's footsteps]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  7. "Estrela da Amadora e Nilton Varela chegam a acordo após rescisão unilateral" [Estrela da Amadora and Nilton Varela reach agreement after unilateral termination]. MaisFutebol (in European Portuguese). 3 November 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  8. "Beerschot signs Nilton until the summer of 2028". K Beerschot VA. 26 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  9. "Criolos No Estrangeiro: Futebol Portugal – Nilton Varela estreia-se na primeira liga portuguesa de futebol" [Creoles Abroad: Portugal Football – Nilton Varela debuts in Portuguese football's Primeira Liga] (in Portuguese). Criolo Sports. 11 November 2019. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  10. "Seleção Sub-19 - Ficha de Jogo, resultados e equipas". www.fpf.pt.
  11. "Seleção Sub-19 - Ficha de Jogo, resultados e equipas". www.fpf.pt.
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