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| Álvaro Labourinho | |
|---|---|
| Name | Álvaro Labourinho |
| Fullname | Álvaro Labourinho |
| Birth date | 1 January 1990 |
| Birth place | Luanda, Angola |
| Height | 1.82 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
| Youthclubs | Primeiro de Agosto; Sporting CP; Atlético Luanda |
| Years | 2008–2020 |
| Clubs | Petro de Luanda; Nacional de Madeira; Kabuscorp; Académica do Lobito |
| Nationalyears | 2012–2018 |
| Nationalteam | Angola |
| Nationalcaps | 34 |
Álvaro Labourinho is an Angolan former professional footballer and coach known for his midfield versatility and tactical adaptability. Across a playing career spanning clubs in Angola and Portugal, he earned recognition with the Angola national team at the African Cup of Nations and in regional competitions. After retirement he transitioned to coaching and talent development within Angolan football clubs and academies.
Labourinho was born in Luanda and raised in a household with ties to Congo River port communities and the neighborhood clubs of Luanda Province. He attended Escola Primária 1.º de Maio and later enrolled at Instituto Médio de Economia de Luanda, where he combined secondary studies with youth training at local academies linked to Primeiro de Agosto and community initiatives modeled after programs run by FIFA development partners. As a teenager he joined the youth setup of Sporting CP's satellite project in Luanda, training under coaches with previous experience at Benfica and FC Porto academies, while participating in international youth tournaments organized by UEFA scouts and Confederação Africana de Futebol development officers.
Labourinho began his senior club career with Petro de Luanda, progressing from the youth ranks into the first team during the 2008 season under manager Aleksandr Starostin. At Petro he featured alongside players transferred from TP Mazembe and faced clubs such as Sagrada Esperança and Interclube in the Girabola. In 2011 he signed for Nacional da Madeira in Portugal, appearing in matches against Sporting Braga, FC Porto, and Benfica B in Segunda Liga fixtures. Returning to Angola in 2014, he joined Kabuscorp and later played for Académica do Lobito, competing in CAF Confederation Cup qualifiers against Asec Mimosas and Mamelodi Sundowns. Throughout his club career Labourinho recorded goals and assists linked to decisive league finishes, participating in domestic cup ties such as the Taça de Angola and regional tournaments involving teams from Namibe Province and Huíla Province.
Labourinho made his debut for the Angola national football team in 2012 in a friendly against Mozambique national football team and later featured in qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. He was included in the Angola squads for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations campaigns, where he competed against national sides including Nigeria national football team, Ivory Coast national football team, and Tunisia national football team. Labourinho also represented Angola in regional competition at the COSAFA Cup and in Olympic qualifying fixtures versus Cameroon national football team and Ghana national football team. His international goals helped secure key points during qualifying stages overseen by CAF officials and attracted attention from scouts associated with La Liga and the Primeira Liga.
After retiring as a player Labourinho transitioned into coaching, earning certifications through programs affiliated with FIFA and the Federação Angolana de Futebol. He began as an assistant coach at Académica do Lobito before taking head coach responsibilities for a youth side in the Luanda Football Association’s development league. Labourinho worked with coaching colleagues who previously served at Primeiro de Agosto and Petro de Luanda, implementing training curricula influenced by methodologies from UEFA Pro Licence holders and workshops run by former professionals from Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur academies. His managerial work included talent identification projects that connected local academies to exchanges with Sporting CP and scouting collaborations involving agents with ties to Major League Soccer academies.
Labourinho was noted for a box-to-box midfield profile combining passing range, positional intelligence, and transitional play, drawing comparisons in Angola to former midfielders who featured for Benfica and FC Porto. His ability to press opponents and link defense to attack made him a regular selection in squads coached by tacticians influenced by systems from Spain national football team and Brazil national football team traditions. Post-retirement, Labourinho's legacy is preserved through coaching clinics run in partnership with UNICEF youth sport programs and through alumni networks that include former teammates from Petro de Luanda and Nacional da Madeira. His role in developing young Angolan talent contributed to player pathways leading to transfers to clubs in Portugal, France, and South Africa.
Category:Angolan footballers Category:Living people