Manuel Curto

Manuel José da Luz Correia Curto (born 9 July 1986) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Club career Born in Torres Vedras, Lisbon District, Curto spent seven years in S.L. Benfica's youth system, where he operated as a forward. In the following years, however, he played in a more defensive position.

After several seasons in the lower leagues, Curto joined G.D. Estoril Praia in the Segunda Liga. In the 2010–11 campaign he made his Primeira Liga debut with Associação Naval 1º de Maio, his first match in the competition occurring on 24 September 2010 as he played nine minutes in a 3–1 away loss against S.C. Braga.

On 20 March 2011, Curto scored twice from the penalty kick spot to help hosts Naval come from behind 2–0 to earn a 2–2 draw with S.C. Beira-Mar, but the Figueira da Foz club eventually suffered relegation, returning to the second division after a six-year stay. He met the same fate in 2011–12 with his following team, U.D. Leiria.

International career Curto was part of the Portugal squad that won the 2003 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He scored in group-stage wins over Denmark (3–2) and Austria (1–0), then featured 21 minutes for the hosts in the 2–1 final defeat of Spain.

In the FIFA U-17 World Cup held that same year in Finland, Curto scored a hat-trick in a 5–5 draw against Cameroon in the group phase. The tournament's top scorer alongside Cesc Fàbregas and Carlos Hidalgo at five, he also found the net in the quarter-finals, but Portugal lost 5–2 to Spain.

Honours Portugal U17 UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2003