Rui Jorge

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In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is de Sousa Dias and the second or paternal family name is Macedo de Oliveira.

Rui Jorge
Rui Jorge in 2023
Personal information
Full name Rui Jorge de Sousa Dias Macedo de Oliveira[1]
Date of birth (1973-03-27) 27 March 1973 (age 52)[1]
Place of birth Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal[1]
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Left-back
Youth career
1982–1991 Porto
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1998 Porto 86 (2)
1991–1992 → Rio Ave (loan) 32 (2)
1998–2005 Sporting CP 191 (5)
2005–2006 Belenenses 15 (0)
Total 324 (9)
International career
1993–1994 Portugal U21 17 (0)
1994–2004 Portugal 45 (1)
Managerial career
2009 Belenenses
2010–2025 Portugal U21
2016 Portugal U23
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Portugal (as player)
UEFA European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2000
Runner-up 2004
Representing  Portugal (as manager)
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 2015
Runner-up 2021
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Rui Jorge de Sousa Dias Macedo de Oliveira OIH (born 27 March 1973), known as Rui Jorge, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a left-back, currently a manager.

He spent 14 seasons in the Primeira Liga in a 15-year senior career, mainly in representation of Porto and Sporting CP, playing 292 matches and scoring seven goals in the competition. At international level, he appeared for Portugal at the 2002 World Cup and two European Championships.

After retiring from playing at age 33, Rui Jorge became a manager, starting with a short stint at Belenenses. He was appointed coach of the Portugal under-21 team in 2010, leaving his post in July 2025.

Club career

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Rui Jorge was born in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto District. Having been brought up at local FC Porto, he made his professional debut with Rio Ave F.C. in the Segunda Liga, returning to his first club in 1992 after one season. Never an undisputed starter with the former (only appearing in more than 20 games twice over a six-year spell), he did help the northern side to five Primeira Liga championships and two Taça de Portugal trophies.[2]

In July 1998, Rui Jorge signed with Sporting CP, where he would remain for the following seven years, being first choice during most of his stint and adding two more leagues to his trophy cabinet, with the double being claimed in 2002.[3] In the 2005–06 campaign he played with another Lisbon team, C.F. Os Belenenses, subsequently retiring from the game – aged 33, with more than 400 official appearances – and joining his final club's youth coaching staff.[4]

International career

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Rui Jorge played for the Portugal under-21 side which lost the 1994 UEFA European Championship final to Italy (2–1)[5] and the Olympic team who finished fourth at the 1996 Summer Olympics in the United States.[6] He also had 45 caps at full level, two while at Porto and 43 when with Sporting,[7] and scored once in a 7–1 away win over Andorra on 1 September 2001.[8] His first game for the latter was a 0–0 draw with Norway on 20 April 1994 in a friendly, and he represented his country at UEFA Euro 2000, the 2002 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2004.

Rui Jorge's participation at Euro 2004 on home soil was jeopardised when he tested positive in February that year for Budesonide, commercially known as Pulmicort. He said that the substance came from a medically recommended spray for his rhinitis.[9] His suspension was lifted in May, with the fault placed on Sporting for not notifying authorities of his medical exemption;[10] at the tournament, he was one of four players – three from defence – dropped by Luiz Felipe Scolari after the opening 2–1 loss to Greece,[11] and did not return for the remainder of the competition, which Portugal lost in the final to the same team.[12]

Coaching career

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In May 2009, Rui Jorge was appointed Belenenses' head coach for the final two matches of the season, taking over from Jaime Pacheco after a 0–5 home loss against S.C. Braga,[13] with the team eventually ranking second-bottom (being later reinstated). At the end of the campaign, he returned to the youth system.[14]

On 19 November 2010, Rui Jorge replaced Oceano at the helm of the Portuguese under-21s.[15] He led them to the 2015 European Championships in the Czech Republic after ten wins in as many matches in the qualifying phase,[16] and coached them to the second place in the finals following a penalty shootout defeat against Sweden.[17]

Rui Jorge coached the Portuguese at the 2016 Olympic tournament in Brazil, where they lost 4–0 to Germany in the quarter-finals.[18][19] He was also in charge for the 2017 edition of the under-21 continental tournament, which ended in group stage exit.[20] On 10 October 2017, six years after the last loss for that stage of the competition, he was on the bench as the team lost 3–1 in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 2019 European Championship qualifiers.[21]

In November 2020, having already qualified for the 2021 European Championship, Rui Jorge celebrated a decade in the job; at that point he was the most experienced under-21 manager in Europe, and had served longer than all but four senior managers in the world.[22] At the finals in Hungary and Slovenia the following June, his team finished as runners-up.[23]

Rui Jorge left his post on 16 July 2025, after quarter-final elimination in the 2025 European Under-21 Championship at the hands of the Netherlands, who played 75 minutes with one player less.[24][25]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[26][1]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Rio Ave (loan) 1991–92 32 2 3 0 — 35 2
Porto 1992–93 8 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 13 0
1993–94 24 0 6 1 10 1 1 0 41 2
1994–95 15 0 3 0 5 0 1 0 24 0
1995–96 22 2 5 0 2 0 2 0 31 2
1996–97 11 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 16 0
1997–98 6 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 11 0
Total 86 2 18 1 26 1 6 0 136 4
Sporting CP 1998–99 26 2 1 0 0 0 — 27 2
1999–00 34 2 5 0 1 0 — 40 2
2000–01 31 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 43 0
2001–02 30 0 4 0 5 0 — 39 0
2002–03 22 1 2 0 3 0 1 0 28 1
2003–04 29 0 0 0 4 0 — 33 0
2004–05 19 0 1 0 13 0 — 33 0
Total 191 5 18 0 30 0 4 0 243 5
Belenenses 2005–06 15 0 0 0 — 15 0
Career total 324 9 39 1 56 1 10 0 429 11

International

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Rui Jorge: International goals
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 1 September 2001 Camp d'Esports, Lleida, Spain  Andorra 1–5 1–7 2002 World Cup qualification[27]

Managerial statistics

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As of 21 June 2025[28][1]
Team From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Belenenses 12 May 2009[13] 25 May 2009[14] 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1 050.00
Portugal U21 19 November 2010[15] 16 July 2025 127 90 19 18 325 105 +220 070.87
Portugal U23 28 March 2016 13 August 2016 5 3 1 1 9 6 +3 060.00
Career totals 134 94 20 20 336 114 +222 070.15

Honours

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Player

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Porto

Sporting CP

Manager

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Portugal

Orders

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Rui Jorge at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b c "Década e meia de Rui Jorge nos Sub-21: sem títulos conquistados mas com 65 internacionais 'AA' maturados" [One decade and a half of Rui Jorge at the Under-21s: no titles won but with 65 ripe 'AA' internationals]. Record (in Portuguese). 16 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Almeida, Isaura (28 April 2020). "A última vez que o Sporting foi campeão foi há 18 anos" [Last time Sporting were champions was 18 years ago]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  4. ^ Gouveia, Ricardo (19 July 2006). ""Mister" Rui Jorge vai treinar juniores do Belenenses: "Queria jogar mais um ano..."" [Mister Rui Jorge will coach Belenenses juniors: "I wanted to play another year..."] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  5. ^ Cunha, Pedro Jorge (29 June 2015). "Seleção Sub-21: (pre)destinados à glória" [Under-21 national team: (pre)destined to glory] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Portugal-Brasil: o pesadelo das Olimpíadas de 96 segundo Ronaldo e Bebeto" [Portugal-Brazil: the nightmare of the 96 Olympics according to Ronaldo and Bebeto] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 27 March 2003. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  7. ^ Pombo, Diogo (14 June 2015). "Rui Jorge e os miúdos que pôs a jogar bem à bola" [Rui Jorge and the kids he got playing some good ball]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Andorra 1–7 Portugal: Gomes four". ESPN FC. 1 September 2001. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Rui Jorge tests positive". UEFA. 23 April 2004. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Jorge cleared for Euro 2004". BBC Sport. 17 May 2004. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  11. ^ "Scolari sees new Portugal". BBC Sport. 16 June 2004. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  12. ^ Fernandes, Mariana (4 July 2019). "A final do Euro 2004 foi há 15 anos: onde estão e o que fazem os 23 convocados de Scolari?" [The Euro 2004 final happened 15 years ago: where are the 23 called by Scolari and what are they doing?]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Rui Jorge: «Tinha de aceitar»" [Rui Jorge: "I had to accept"]. Record (in Portuguese). 12 May 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Rui Jorge recusa convite para 2009/10" [Rui Jorge rejects invitation for 2009/10]. Record (in Portuguese). 25 May 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Rui Jorge takes Portugal U21 reins". UEFA. 19 November 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  16. ^ Machado, Carlos (9 September 2014). "Portugal end group in perfect fashion". UEFA. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  17. ^ a b Kell, Tom (30 June 2015). "Spot-on Sweden beat Portugal to win U21 EURO". UEFA. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  18. ^ "Rui Jorge: Olympics are a special test". FIFA. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  19. ^ Dowley, Conor (13 August 2016). "Portugal vs. Germany 2016: Final score 4–0, Serge Gnabry leads another Olympic rout". SB Nation. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Portugal vence Macedónia, mas falha objetivo das meias-finais" [Portugal beat Macedonia, but miss semi-finals goal] (in Portuguese). TSF. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  21. ^ "Bósnia-Portugal, 3–1: Primeira derrota em apuramentos em 6 anos" [Bosnia-Portugal, 3–1: First defeat in qualifiers in 6 years]. Record (in Portuguese). 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  22. ^ "Uma década de Rui Jorge ao leme da Seleção de sub-21: "Os dez anos falam por si"" [A decade of Rui Jorge at the helm of the under-21 national team: "The ten years speak for themselves"]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 19 November 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Germany U21 1–0 Portugal U21". BBC Sport. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  24. ^ Marshall, Matthew (21 June 2025). "Portugal beaten 1–0 by the Netherlands in the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championship quarter-finals". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Rui Jorge deixa sub-21 sem êxitos e com 65 internacionais promovidos" [Rui Jorge leaves under-21s triumphless and with 65 internationals promoted]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 16 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  26. ^ Rui Jorge at ForaDeJogo (archived) Edit this at Wikidata
  27. ^ "Andorra-Portugal: Seleção lusa com excelentes recordações" [Andorra-Portugal: Lusitanian national team with excellent memories] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  28. ^ Rui Jorge coach profile at Soccerway (archived)
  29. ^ a b "Histórico da Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira" [Supercup Cândido de Oliveira all-time record] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 11 August 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  30. ^ "Sporting 1–3 CSKA Moscow". BBC Sport. 18 May 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
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