Miguel Lopes

For the Brazilian basketball player, see Miguel Lopes (basketball).

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Almeida Costa and the second or paternal family name is Lopes.

Hugo Miguel Almeida Costa Lopes (born 19 December 1986) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a right-back.

Miguel Lopes

Lopes with Akhisar Belediyespor in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Hugo Miguel Almeida Costa Lopes[1]
Date of birth	(1986-12-19) 19 December 1986 (age 38)[1]
Place of birth	Lisbon, Portugal[1]
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s)	Right-back
Youth career
1995–1999	Oriental
1999–2002	Olivais Moscavide
2002–2004	Alverca
2004–2005	Benfica
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2006	Benfica B	24	(4)
2006–2007	Operário	21	(7)
2007–2009	Rio Ave	50	(2)
2009–2012	Porto	14	(1)
2010–2011	→ Betis (loan)	21	(0)
2012	→ Braga (loan)	10	(0)
2013–2017	Sporting CP	24	(0)
2013–2014	→ Lyon (loan)	19	(0)
2015–2016	→ Granada (loan)	26	(0)
2016–2017	→ Akhisarspor (loan)	31	(3)
2017–2019	Akhisarspor	49	(1)
2019–2021	Kayserispor	40	(1)
2022–2025	Estrela Amadora	60	(0)
International career
2009	Portugal U21	3	(0)
2012	Portugal	4	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Portugal UEFA European Championship 2012 Poland-Ukraine
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:24, 19 May 2025 (UTC)

During his career, he played for two of the Big Three in the Portuguese Primeira Liga – Porto and Sporting CP – as well as serving loans in Spain and France. Starting in 2016, he then spent five seasons in the Turkish Süper Lig with Akhisarspor and Kayserispor, before returning to his country with Estrela da Amadora.

Lopes represented Portugal at Euro 2012.

Club career

Early career

Born in Lisbon, Lopes started his professional career with S.L. Benfica's B team. The following summer, he moved to the lower leagues with CD Operário.^[2]

After some solid displays, Lopes signed in the 2007–08 season with Segunda Liga's Rio Ave FC. In his first year, he was an habitual starter as the Vila do Conde side returned to the Primeira Liga after two years.

In 2008–09, Lopes helped Rio Ave to home draws against Benfica and FC Porto,^[3][4][5] and was again featured regularly, thus prompting interest from bigger clubs.

Porto

On 23 January 2009, Lopes agreed to a four-year deal with Porto which was made effective on 1 July.^[6] In his debut season, having to compete with Uruguayan Jorge Fucile for a starting berth, he appeared sparingly in the league but did manage to play 19 official matches, 14 as a starter.^[7]

In late August 2010, deemed surplus to requirements by new Porto manager André Villas-Boas as practically all Portuguese players, Lopes moved to Spanish side Real Betis on a one-year loan deal.^[8] He passed his medical and was unveiled on 2 September,^[9] eventually appearing in exactly half of the Segunda División games during the campaign as the Andalusians returned to La Liga as champions after three years.^[10][11]

Lopes spent the first part of 2011–12 unregistered by Porto. In the January transfer window he was loaned to fellow top-division side S.C. Braga,^[12] going on to start in seven of his league appearances as they finished third and qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the second time in their history.^[13]

Lopes returned to Porto for the 2012–13 season.^[14] On 29 September he scored through a rare header, opening the score in an eventual 2–2 draw at former team Rio Ave.^[15]

Sporting CP

In January 2013, Lopes joined fellow Big Three side Sporting CP on a five-and-a-half-year contract, with Marat Izmailov moving in the opposite direction.^[16] On 7 July, he agreed to a one-year loan deal at Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1.^[17]

On 31 May 2015, Lopes was featured in the final of the Taça de Portugal against Braga, coming on as a substitute after the first-half dismissal of Cédric Soares. Although he was beaten by Rafa Silva who put the opposition 2–0 up, his side eventually won in a penalty shootout.^[18]

Lopes returned to Spain on 6 August 2015, joining Granada CF on a one-year loan deal.^[19]

Turkey

The following season, still owned by Sporting, Lopes signed with Akhisarspor in the Süper Lig.^[20] Subsequently, the move was made permanent.^[21]

On 10 May 2018, Lopes helped the club win their first professional trophy, the Turkish Cup. In the final, he scored once in the 3–2 win over Fenerbahçe SK.^[22]

Lopes joined Kayserispor of the same league in July 2019, on a two-year contract.^[23] When he returned home for injury treatment the following March, he was unable to get back into Turkey due to COVID-19 restrictions, and his place was taken by Bosnian new signing Zoran Kvržić.^[24][25]

Later career

Lopes returned to Portugal in December 2021 after six years away, with the 35-year-old signing with C.F. Estrela da Amadora who had just been promoted to the second tier.^[26] On 11 June 2023, he scored in a 2–1 loss away to C.S. Marítimo, winning the promotion/relegation play-offs on penalties and returning to the top flight following a lengthy absence.^[27]

In his later years, Lopes featured more often than not as a centre-back.^[28] He left the club on 18 July 2025, by mutual agreement.^[29]

International career

Due to his ability to play as both a right and a left back, Lopes was selected by Portugal coach Paulo Bento for his UEFA Euro 2012 squad.^[30][31] He earned his first cap on 2 June in a 1–3 friendly loss against Turkey in Lisbon,^[32] being an unused member in the finals in Poland and Ukraine.

Personal life

Lopes' twin brother, Nuno, was also a footballer and a right-back. Both came through exactly the same youth system setup, with the exception of Benfica.^[33][2]

Career statistics

As of 18 May 2024^[34][35]

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Benfica B	2005–06[34]	Segunda Divisão	24	4	—		—		—		—		24	4
Operário	2006–07	Segunda Divisão	21	7	2	0	—		—		—		23	7
Rio Ave	2007–08	Segunda Liga	24	2	3	0	1	0	—		—		28	2
	2008–09	Primeira Liga	26	0	0	0	3	0	—		—		29	0
	Total		50	2	3	0	4	0	—		—		57	2
Porto	2009–10	Primeira Liga	12	0	2	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	19	0
	2010–11	Primeira Liga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1[a]	0	1	0
	2012–13	Primeira Liga	2	1	1	0	0	0	2[b]	0	1[a]	0	6	1
	Total		14	1	3	0	5	0	2	0	2	0	26	1
Betis (loan)	2010–11	Segunda División	21	0	1	0	—		—		—		22	0
Braga (loan)	2011–12	Primeira Liga	10	0	0	0	2	0	1[c]	0	—		13	0
Sporting CP	2012–13	Primeira Liga	14	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		14	0
	2014–15	Primeira Liga	10	0	5	0	2	0	0	0	—		17	0
	Total		24	0	5	0	2	0	0	0	—		31	0
Lyon (loan)	2013–14	Ligue 1	19	0	2	0	1	0	9[d]	0	—		31	0
Granada (loan)	2015–16	La Liga	26	0	3	0	—		—		—		29	0
Akhisarspor (loan)	2016–17	Süper Lig	31	3	3	0	—		—		—		34	3
Akhisarspor	2017–18	Süper Lig	28	0	7	1	—		—		—		35	1
	2018–19	Süper Lig	21	1	5	0	—		4[d]	0	1[e]	0	31	1
	Total		80	4	15	1	—		4	0	1	0	100	5
Kayserispor	2019–20	Süper Lig	26	0	2	0	—		—		—		28	0
	2020–21	Süper Lig	14	0	1	0	—		—		—		15	0
	Total		40	0	3	0	—		—		—		43	0
Estrela Amadora	2021–22	Liga Portugal 2	11	0	—		—		—		—		11	0
	2022–23	Liga Portugal 2	17	0	0	0	2	0	—		2[f]	1	21	1
	2023–24	Primeira Liga	17	0	1	0	1	0	—		—		19	0
	Total		45	0	1	0	3	0	—		2	1	51	1
Career total			374	18	38	1	17	0	16	0	5	1	450	20

1. Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
2. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League
5. Appearance in Turkish Super Cup
6. Appearances in Liga Portugal 2 promotion play-offs

Honours

Lopes training with Portugal at Euro 2012

Porto

• Primeira Liga: 2012–13^[35]
• Taça de Portugal: 2009–10^[35]
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2010, 2012^[35]

Betis

• Segunda División: 2010–11^[35]

Sporting CP

• Taça de Portugal: 2014–15^[18]

Akhisarspor

• Turkish Cup: 2017–18^[22]
• Turkish Super Cup: 2018^[35]