Gaspar Azevedo

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Gaspar

| image =

| fullname = José Gaspar da Silva Azevedo

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|6|1|df=y}}

| birth_place = Santo Tirso, Portugal

| height = 1.90 m

| position = Centre-back

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 = 1987–1993

| youthclubs1 = Trofense

| years1 = 1993–1995

| years2 = 1995–1996

| years3 = 1996–1997

| years4 = 1997–2001

| years5 = 1998–1999

| years6 = 1999–2000

| years7 = 2000–2001

| years8 = 2001–2002

| years9 = 2002–2004

| years10 = 2004–2005

| years11 = 2005–2007

| years12 = 2007–2012

| years13 = 2012–2013

| years14 = 2013–2014

| clubs1 = Trofense

| clubs2 = Tirsense

| clubs3 = Vitória Setúbal

| clubs4 = Porto

| clubs5 = → Leça (loan)

| clubs6 = → Alverca (loan)

| clubs7 = → Paços Ferreira (loan)

| clubs8 = Alverca

| clubs9 = Gil Vicente

| clubs10 = Ajaccio

| clubs11 = Belenenses

| clubs12 = Rio Ave

| clubs13 = Covilhã

| clubs14 = Varzim

| caps1 =

| caps2 = 25

| caps3 = 28

| caps4 = 9

| caps5 = 22

| caps6 = 26

| caps7 = 14

| caps8 = 22

| caps9 = 61

| caps10 = 16

| caps11 = 34

| caps12 = 130

| caps13 = 31

| caps14 = 28

| totalcaps = 429

| goals1 =

| goals2 = 2

| goals3 = 0

| goals4 = 1

| goals5 = 2

| goals6 = 1

| goals7 = 2

| goals8 = 1

| goals9 = 9

| goals10 = 0

| goals11 = 0

| goals12 = 7

| goals13 = 1

| goals14 = 1

| totalgoals = 27

| nationalyears1 = 1996–1997

| nationalteam1 = Portugal U21

| nationalcaps1 = 2

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| club-update =

| nationalteam-update =

}}

José Gaspar da Silva Azevedo (born 1 June 1975), known simply as Gaspar, is a Portuguese retired professional footballer who played as a central defender.

Club career

Gaspar was born in Santo Tirso, Porto District. During the vast majority of his career, he rarely spent more than one season with the same club. He represented C.D. Trofense, F.C. Tirsense (where he made his Primeira Liga debut), Vitória de Setúbal, FC Porto (which were crowned league champions at the end of the 1997–98 campaign, but he was only fourth of fifth choice in his position), Leça FC – in a brief return to the Segunda Liga – F.C. Alverca (he represented the Lisbon side on two occasions),{{cite news|url=https://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-nos/fc-porto/detalhe/gaspar-ser-do-fc-porto-nao-me-vai-favorecer-no-alverca|title=Gaspar: "Ser do FC Porto não me vai favorecer no Alverca"|trans-title=Gaspar: "Being of FC Porto will not bring me benefits at Alverca"|newspaper=Record|first1=Vanda|last1=Cipriano|first2=Vasco|last2=Antão|language=pt|date=17 August 1999|access-date=15 May 2019}} F.C. Paços de Ferreira and Gil Vicente FC.{{cite news|url=https://tribunaexpresso.pt/a-casa-as-costas/2019-03-09-Cheguei-ao-balneario-cheirava-mal-comeco-a-dizer-cheira-mal.-Porque--No-WC-o-filho-da-mae-do-Candido-limpou-se-a-minha-camisola|title="Cheguei ao balneário, cheirava mal, começo a dizer 'cheira mal'. Porquê? No WC, o filho da mãe do Cândido limpou-se à minha camisola"|trans-title="I enter the locker room, it smelled, I start saying ‘it smells’. Why? In the WC, that son of a bitch Cândido wiped himself on my shirt"|newspaper=Expresso|first=Alexandra|last=Simões de Abreu|language=pt|date=9 March 2019|access-date=15 May 2019}}

In the 2004–05 campaign, Gaspar played for AC Ajaccio in France, appearing in 16 Ligue 1 matches, then switched back to his country with C.F. Os Belenenses.{{cite news|url=https://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-nos/belenenses/detalhe/gaspar-ja-fui-abordado|title=Gaspar: "Já fui abordado"|trans-title=Gaspar: "I have been approached"|newspaper=Record|language=pt|date=10 June 2005|access-date=15 May 2019}} At the age of already 32 he would settle at Rio Ave FC, helping the Vila do Conde team to return to the top division in his first season while adding a round-of-16 presence in the Taça de Portugal.{{cite news|url=https://www.cmjornal.pt/desporto/detalhe/marcelinho-bisa-e-da-quartos?ref=Mais%20Sobre_BlocoMaisSobre|title=Marcelinho bisa e dá 'quartos'|trans-title=Marcelinho grabs brace to give 'last-eight'|newspaper=Correio da Manhã|language=pt|date=11 February 2008|access-date=18 January 2024}}

From 2008 to 2011, Gaspar only missed five league matches for Rio Ave, also netting three goals as the club consecutively managed to retain its league status.{{cite news|url=https://www.record.pt/futebol/futebol-nacional/liga-betclic/rio-ave/detalhe/paulo-santos-a-esperanca-de-vida-tambem-aumentou-504174|title=Paulo Santos: «A esperança de vida também aumentou»|trans-title=Paulo Santos: "Life expectancy is also bigger"|newspaper=Record|language=pt|date=19 November 2010|access-date=31 October 2023}} In July 2012, having made a total of 322 appearances in the Portuguese top tier (19 goals), he signed for one year with S.C. Covilhã of division two.

Post-retirement

After retiring, Gaspar worked in precision metalworking.

Honours

Porto

Primeira Liga: 1997–98{{cite web|url=https://maisfutebol.iol.pt/depois-do-adeus/rubrica/gaspar-um-historico-da-liga-na-metalomecanica-de-precisao|title=Gaspar: um histórico da Liga na metalomecânica de precisão|trans-title=Gaspar: League legend in precision metalworking|publisher=Mais Futebol|first=Vítor Hugo|last=Alvarenga|language=pt|date=5 May 2016|access-date=20 October 2022}}
Taça de Portugal: 1997–98