Eduardo life and biography

Eduardo dos Reis Carvalho (born 19 September 1982 in Mirandela), simply known as Eduardo, is a Portuguese footballer currently playing for Sporting Clube de Braga in the Portuguese first division, as a goalkeeper.

Eduardo had to wait until his mid-twenties to make the breakthrough into top-flight football. A product of Sporting Clube de Braga's youth system, he first appeared in Portugal's first division during 2006–07, when he served a six-month loan at lowly S.C. Beira-Mar.

In the following season, Eduardo was also loaned, this time to Vitória de Setúbal, and was as a key player in a Carlos Carvalhal-led side that conquered the inaugural Portuguese League Cup, thus qualifying for the UEFA Cup, with a man-of-the-match display in the final against Sporting Clube de Portugal, saving three kicks in the penalty shootout.

Eduardo returned to Braga in 2008–09, playing in all the league matches, while doing the same in the Minho side's UEFA Cup round-of-16 run. The same happened in the following year, with the club finishing in its best-ever position, second.

Something of a late bloomer at international level, Eduardo failed to make the cut for the Euro 2008 final party and he started the 2010 World Cup qualifiers behind first choice starter Quim in Carlos Queiroz's Seleccao plans.

He only made his international debut in February of last year, but quickly established himself as the Portugal No.1 and he heads to South Africa in that role after playing in eight of the fixtures that secured his nation a place in the World Cup finals.

Eduardo has played European club football with Braga, but accepts this summer's football festival will be a big test of his credentials. "I appreciate that the coach is putting his faith in me and my job has to be to prove him right," says Eduardo. "Until I perform in a major tournament, it's natural that people will question whether I can do the job."

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