Gil Vicente F.C.

Early years Gil Vicente Futebol Clube was founded on 3 May 1924, after the creation of other short-lived clubs in Barcelos, such as Barcellos Sporting Club and União Foot-ball Club Barcellense. A group of friends who would gather in the theater square (Largo do Teatro, currently Largo Doutor Martins Lima), naming the club after the theater, itself named after the Portuguese playwright. The initial name of the club was Gil Vicente Football Barcelense, including a mention of its city that was lost through time. Despite the foundation in 1924, only in 1931 did the club register in the Braga Football Association, participating in the following year in the district league after the city cup against Barcelos Sporting Club. The first record of a game abroad is in April 1953 against Tuy Racing Club. In 1998-99 Gil Vicente finally obtained its first national silverware. The team won the Second Division with 68 points, 7 points clear of second place. Led by Álvaro Magalhães and with goal scoring forwards Almami Moreira and Diocleciano Tavares, both with 12 goals, the team also had a highlight 3–2 home win against Sporting CP in the fourth round of the Portuguese Cup. The club celebrated the promotion and its 75th birthday with a friendly against S.L. Benfica in June 1999. Magalhães remained at the helm as Gil Vicente obtained a club record Primeira Liga fifth place in the 1999–2000 season, which would have been enough for a UEFA Cup spot in the previous season. The team was also a protagonist of the last matchday. Already out of contention for the fourth place, the team hosted FC Porto, who was 1 point behind leaders Sporting CP, who were on a 18-year spell without a league title. Gil Vicente beat FC Porto 2–1 with goals by Lemos, Carlitos and former player Drulović. In the following two seasons, the club returned to more typical league finishes in the bottom half of the table. Vítor Oliveira returned to manage the club in December 2001, taking over the job of Luís Campos. In the 2002-03 season the team achieved eighth place with 44 points. The season included 2 wins against Sporting, including a 3–0 away win at Estádio José Alvalade, with goals from Manoel, Gaspar, and Paulo Alves. In February 2003, Luís Loureiro became the first squad player to be receive a call up to the Portugal national football team. In the following two seasons, Gil Vicente achieved consecutive 12th and 13th places, with 40 points, both seasons marked by coaching changes: from Mário Reis to Luís Campos and then to Ulisses Morais. In the 2005–06 Primeira Liga, Gil Vicente fielded an ineligible player being Angolan forward Mateus in the "Mateus Affair". They therefore lost the right to participate in the 2006–07 Primeira Liga, and Belenenses were allowed to stay up. Gil Vicente were accused by the special sports instances that rule Portuguese football of illegally resorting to regular courts on the dispute of Mateus, according to Gil Vicente, illegal contract with his former employer, FC Lixa. Still convinced this is not a sports-related case but rather work-related, Gil Vicente continued in the courts. Along with the relegation, they were also suspended from the Taça de Portugal for one season. On 29 May 2011, the club returned to the top flight as champions of the 2010–11 Liga de Honra with a 3–1 home win over C.D. Fátima in front of a club record crowd; manager Paulo Alves beat C.D. Feirense on goal difference to the title, and the key players were strikers Hugo Vieira and Zé Luís. The club finished as runners-up of the 2011–12 Taça da Liga, eliminating Sporting CP from the groups, S.C. Braga on penalties in the semi-final and losing 2–1 to S.L. Benfica in the final in Coimbra. A four-year spell in the top flight ended in 2014–15, when Gil Vicente lost 2–1 at F.C. Penafiel in the penultimate round of matches. On 29 April 2018, the club slipped into the third tier for the first time since 1971, but had a place in the 2019–20 Primeira Liga secured as a result of the appeal against the "Matheus Affair". On May 8, 2022, Gil Vicente qualified for a European competition for the first time in their history, after finishing fifth in the 2021–22 Primeira Liga season. They played UEFA Europa Conference League, eliminating Riga FC from Latvia in the third round (5-1 overall), before being eliminated in the playoff by AZ Alkmaar from the Netherlands (1-6 overall). Other sports While today only the football section exists, Gil Vicente has had a roller hockey team, and athletes representing the club in cycling and pedestrianism. ==Stadium==

The clubs that preceded Gil Vicente had their first games in Campo da Feira and in Campo Dom Carlos (today's Campo 25 de Abril). União Foot-ball Club Barcelense had its first field in Campo da Granja, next to the city's cemetery, playing its first game on April 30, 1922, against Desportivo Famalicense, 3 days before the official inauguration during the city festival (Festa das Cruzes) with a game between FC Porto and SC Salgueiros. Eleven years later, in May 1933, with the decline of its rival club, Gil Vicente took over the field. It currently hosts the clubs youth squads, as well as training sessions and friendly games. In 1992, the city bought land in the parish of Vila Boa, Barcelos to build a new stadium. Construction for the new Estádio Cidade de Barcelos began in 2001 and in 2002 the first stand was built. The stadium cost 22 million euro. The stadium was inaugurated on 30 May 2004 with a friendly between Gil Vicente and Uruguayan club Club Nacional de Football, ending with a 2–1 loss for the home team, with goals by O.J. Morales, Chory Castro, and Paulo Alves. The first official match was a 0–1 loss against Boavista F.C. on 10 September 2004, with Zé Manel scoring the first official goal. The first Gil Vicente win came two weeks later on September 26, with a 3–1 win over Moreirense F.C., with hometown player Carlitos scoring the first official goal for Gil Vicente in the new stadium. Since then, the Cidade de Barcelos has hosted a friendly game between the Portugal and Canada, as well as 2 group stage games of the UEFA Under-21 European Championship. In 2022, the city contracted the construction of two training pitches adjacent to the stadium for 2.3 million Euro, one grass and another artificial turf, which were completed in 2024. ==Colours and crest==

The club's first kit was red. Later kits were green and white horizontally striped, yellow and red (colours of the city), and blue. The club's modern main kit is usually red, while alternative kits vary, but are usually blue and white. ==Honours==

• Segunda Liga • Winners (2): 1998–99, 2010–11 ==League and cup history==

UEFA club competition record UEFA coefficient Correct as of 21 May 2025. == Players ==

Current squad Out on loan == Gil Vicente Managers==

Source: ;List criteria: • player has played 100 games for the club in the Portuguese top flight, • player has scored 15 goals for the club in the Portuguese top flight. • played at least one top flight game for the club and won an international title while playing for the club • played in a FIFA World Cup or senior continental competition while playing for the club • played for the Portugal national football team while playing for the club Player currently in the squad. ==Managerial history==

• José Maria Furtado (1974–75) • Vieira Nunes (1 July 1981 –22 March 1982) • Professor Neca (1 July 1983 – 30 June 1984) • José Carlos (1986–88) • Mário Reis (22 November 1988 – 30 June 1989) • Rodolfo Reis (1 July 1989 – 30 June 1991) • António Oliveira (1 July 1991 – 30 June 1992) • Vítor Oliveira (1 July 1992 – 30 June 1995) • Bernardino Pedroto (1 July 1995 – 2 December 1996) • Fernando Festas (3 December 1996 – 24 March 1997) • Marconi (25 March 1997 – 30 June 1997) • Henrique Nunes (1 July 1997 – 8 March 1998) • Diamantino Miranda (9 March 1998 – 30 June 1998) • Álvaro Magalhães (1 July 1998 – 20 November 2000) • Luís Campos (20 November 2000 – 23 December 2001) • Vítor Oliveira (1 January 2002 – 30 June 2003) • Mário Reis (1 July 2003 – 11 November 2003) • Luís Campos (25 November 2003 – 28 October 2004) • Ulisses Morais (28 October 2004 – 6 March 2006) • Paulo Alves (8 March 2006 – 21 May 2008) • Professor Neca (26 May 2008 – 17 November 2008) • Manuel Ribeiro (18 November 2008 – 16 February 2009) • João Eusébio (17 February 2009 – 25 May 2009) • Rui Quinta (6 June 2009 – 27 February 2010) • Paulo Alves (5 March 2010 –2 1 May 2013) • João de Deus (1 July 2013 – 31 August 2014) • José Mota (2 September 2014 – 30 June 2015) • Nandinho (28 May 2015 – 30 June 2016) • Álvaro Magalhães (1 July 2016 – 30 June 2017) • Casquilha (1 July 2017 – 28 December 2017) • Paulo Alves (28 December 2017 – 23 February 2018) • Nandinho (1 July 2018 – 30 June 2019) • Vítor Oliveira (1 July 2019 – 2 August 2020) • Rui Almeida (3 August 2020 – 11 November 2020) • Ricardo Soares (13 November 2020 – 30 June 2022) • Ivo Vieira (1 July 2022 – 2 November 2022) • Carlos Cunha (3 November 2022 – 15 November 2022) • Daniel Sousa (16 November 2022 – 30 June 2023) • Vítor Campelos (1 July 2023 – 8 April 2024) • Carlos Cunha (9 April 2024 – 12 April 2024) • Tozé Marreco (13 April 2024 – 8 August 2024) • Carlos Cunha (9 August 2024 – 11 August 2024) • Bruno Pinheiro (12 August 2024 – 18 February 2025) == Notes ==