Stélvio (footballer)


Stélvio Rosa da Cruz, known simply as Stélvio, is an Angolan professional footballer who plays for the Belgian club R.E. Virton as a defensive midfielder.

Club career

Stélvio was born in Luanda. A product of S.C. Braga's youth academy, he made his Portuguese Primeira Liga debut on 11 November 2007, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute in a 3–0 home win against Sporting CP.
On 4 July 2009, after two seasons in the first team with intermittent use, Stélvio was loaned to U.D. Leiria in a season-long loan. However, in late January 2010, he moved to his homeland and signed for C.D. Primeiro de Agosto, also on loan.
On 31 August 2011, Stélvio was released by Braga. He then joined C.R. Caála, returning to the Angolan Girabola.
In July 2019, after six years in the Luxembourg National Division at the service of F91 Dudelange where he won several team honours, the 30-year-old Stélvio moved to Belgium with R.E. Virton on a one-year contract.

International career

Stélvio represented Portugal at under-21 level. He switched allegiance to his native Angola in 2009, being part of the squad that appeared in the following year's Africa Cup of Nations.
In October 2018, after an absence of eight years, Stélvio was recalled to the national team ahead of a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Mauritania. He was selected for the squad that reached the finals in Egypt by manager Srđan Vasiljević.