Felipe Lopes

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Felipe Lopes

| image = Felipe lopes.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption = Lopes as a VfB Stuttgart player

| fullname = Felipe Aliste Lopes{{WorldFootball.net|felipe_28}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|8|7|df=y}}

| birth_place = Osasco, Brazil

| height = 1.89 m

| position = Centre-back

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Guarani

| years1 = 2005–2006 | clubs1 = Guarani | caps1 = 24 | goals1 = 0

| years2 = 2006–2007 | clubs2 = Anderlecht | caps2 = 0 | goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2007–2012 | clubs3 = Nacional | caps3 = 98 | goals3 = 4

| years4 = 2012–2016 | clubs4 = VfL Wolfsburg | caps4 = 14 | goals4 = 0

| years5 = 2013 | clubs5 = → VfB Stuttgart (loan) | caps5 = 3 | goals5 = 0

| years6 = 2016–2017 | clubs6 = Chaves | caps6 = 6 | goals6 = 0

| years7 = 2017–2020 | clubs7 = Nacional | caps7 = 33 | goals7 = 2

| totalcaps = 178 | totalgoals = 6

| club-update =

}}

Felipe Aliste Lopes (born 7 August 1987) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

He also possessed Portuguese nationality due to the many years spent in the country with Nacional, with which he appeared in 181 official matches and scored nine goals.

Club career

Born in Osasco, São Paulo, Lopes started playing professionally with Guarani FC, competing with the club in the Série B. In 2006, aged only 19, he moved abroad and joined R.S.C. Anderlecht, being part of the squad that won the Belgian Pro League but failing to make an appearance.{{cite web|url=https://ge.globo.com/ESP/Noticia/Futebol/Campeonatos/0,,MUL35676-4840,00.html|title=FOTO: Anderlecht é bi na Bélgica|trans-title=PHOTO: Anderlecht win it again in Belgium|publisher=Globo Esporte|language=pt|date=12 May 2007|access-date=6 February 2025}}

In the summer of 2007, Lopes signed for C.D. Nacional in Portugal, making his Primeira Liga debut on 21 December that year, starting in a 1–0 home win against FC Porto and being sent off in the 87th minute.{{cite news|url=http://www.record.xl.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-nos/nacional/detalhe/nacional--fc-porto-1-0-lipatin-58.html|title=Nacional-FC Porto, 1–0 (Lipatin 58')|newspaper=Record|language=pt|date=21 December 2007|access-date=12 August 2016}} He finished his first season, however, with only seven league games (eight in all competitions).

Lopes became first-choice for the Madeirans subsequently, in a roster filled with compatriots.{{cite news|url=https://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-betclic/nacional/detalhe/felipe-lopes-ruma-ao-futebol-italiano|title=Felipe Lopes ruma ao futebol italiano|trans-title=Felipe Lopes heads to Italian football|newspaper=Record|language=pt|date=24 December 2009|access-date=6 February 2025}}{{cite news|url=https://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-betclic/nacional/detalhe/felipe-lopes-esta-em-duvida|title=Felipe Lopes está em dúvida|trans-title=Felipe Lopes a doubt|newspaper=Record|language=pt|date=6 May 2010|access-date=6 February 2025}} He appeared in 25 matches in the 2008–09 campaign as the team finished in a best-ever fourth position with the subsequent qualification for the UEFA Europa League,{{cite news|url=https://www.dnoticias.pt/2021/3/22/254944-manuel-machado-e-o-novo-treinador-do-nacional-da-madeira/|title=Manuel Machado é o novo treinador do Nacional da Madeira|trans-title=Manuel Machado is the new manager of Nacional da Madeira|newspaper=Diário de Notícias|first1=Rúben|last1=Santos|first2=Paulo|last2=Vieira Lopes|language=pt|date=22 March 2021|access-date=6 February 2025}} and bettered those totals in the following years.

On 5 January 2012, Lopes agreed to a three-and-a-half-year contract at VfL Wolfsburg for an undisclosed fee.{{cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en/news/11/transfer-zone/2012/01/05/2832087/wolfsburg-sign-ibrahim-sissoko-from-academica-de-coimbra|title=Wolfsburg sign Ibrahim Sissoko from Academica de Coimbra & Felipe Lopes from Nacional|publisher=Goal|date=5 January 2012|access-date=19 October 2012}} He made his Bundesliga debut on 21 January in a 1–0 home victory over 1. FC Köln, playing the full 90 minutes.{{cite web|url=http://espnfc.com/uk/en/report/320884/report.html?soccernet=true&cc=5739|title=VfL Wolfsburg 1–0 FC Cologne|publisher=ESPN Soccernet|date=21 January 2012|access-date=19 October 2012}}

On 22 January 2013, Lopes was loaned out to fellow top-division side VfB Stuttgart until the end of the season, with the club securing an option to sign him permanently in June,{{cite web|url=http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldungen/news/2013/ausleihe-felipe-lopes-vfb-stuttgart-vfl-wolfsburg-bestaetigung/page/2044-1-1-1358865629.html|title=Felipe Lopes on loan at VfB|publisher=VfB Stuttgart|date=22 January 2013|access-date=22 January 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202094031/http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldungen/news/2013/ausleihe-felipe-lopes-vfb-stuttgart-vfl-wolfsburg-bestaetigung/page/2044-1-1-1358865629.html|archive-date=2 February 2014}} but finally not activating the clause.{{cite web|url=http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldungen/news/2013/verabschiedung-spieler-vfb-stuttgart-und-kurzinterview-marc-ziegler/page/2293-1-1-.html|title=Thanks and all the best!|publisher=VfB Stuttgart|date=18 May 2013|access-date=19 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202094039/http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldungen/news/2013/verabschiedung-spieler-vfb-stuttgart-und-kurzinterview-marc-ziegler/page/2293-1-1-.html|archive-date=2 February 2014}} Returned to the Volkswagen Arena, he did not make a single competitive appearance in two years after suffering a stroke while he watched the third-place play-off of the 2014 FIFA World Cup (he also did not collect one single minute in 2013–14).{{cite web|url=http://www.focus.de/sport/fussball/physiotrainer-michele-hat-mein-leben-gerettet-fussballprofi-felipe-lopes-redet-ueber-seinen-schlaganfall_id_4216380.html|title=Wolfsburg-Profi erzählt von Schlaganfall beim WM-Schauen|trans-title=Wolfsburg pro tells of stroke while he watched the WC|publisher=Focus|language=de|date=21 October 2014|access-date=12 August 2016}}{{cite news|url=http://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/felipe-aliste-lopes/ich-kann-so-gut-werden-wie-frueher-46066334.bild.html|title=FELIPE „Ich kann so gut werden wie früher“|trans-title=FELIPE "I can be as good as before"|newspaper=Bild|first=Daniel|last=Peters|language=de|date=1 June 2016|access-date=12 August 2016}}

Lopes returned to Portugal and its top division in summer 2016, agreeing to a one-year deal with newly promoted G.D. Chaves.{{cite web|url=http://www.maisfutebol.iol.pt/liga/transferencias/chaves-anuncia-contratacao-de-felipe-lopes|title=Chaves anuncia contratação de Felipe Lopes|trans-title=Chaves announce signing of Felipe Lopes|publisher=Mais Futebol|language=pt|date=4 July 2016|access-date=23 July 2016}} He rejoined Nacional ahead of the 2017–18 season,{{cite news|url=https://www.dn.pt/arquivo/diario-de-noticias/defesa-felipe-lopes-esta-de-regresso-ao-nacional-8753099.html|title=Defesa Felipe Lopes está de regresso ao Nacional|trans-title=Defender Felipe Lopes is back at Nacional|newspaper=Diário de Notícias|language=pt|date=6 September 2017|access-date=6 February 2025}} achieving promotion from the LigaPro.{{cite web|url=https://maisfutebol.iol.pt/geral/20-07-2018/nacional-felipe-lopes-aponta-aos-60-pontos-e-a-liga-europa|title=Nacional: Felipe Lopes aponta aos 50 pontos e à Liga Europa|trans-title=Nacional: Felipe Lopes aims for 50 points and the Europa League|publisher=Mais Futebol|language=pt|date=20 July 2018|access-date=6 February 2025}}