Sergio Paulo Barbosa Valente ‘Duda’ (Porto, 1980) has been a saint and a symbol of Málaga Club de Fútbol, during his 13 seasons with the Club, over three different stages. After playing for Cádiz between 1999 and 2001, he joined Peiró’s Málaga at barely 21 years old, forming part of the squad that achieved the only title in Malaguista history (Intertoto Cup, 2003). He was loaned out to Levante for a year, returning to the Club to become a key player between 2003 and 2006, the year when the team was relegated to the Second Division.
Following success and title wins with Sevilla FC, Duda returned to the team in the First Division to become an indispensable player in the nine years, including this one, that MCF has been in the Spanish footballing elite. He was crucial in the epic permanency of 2009/10, in which he was ‘pichichi’, with eight goals (and seven assists), and took part in the World Cup with Portugal in South Africa. And, of course, he enjoyed Málaga’s best League positions (4th in 2011/12 and 6th in 2012/13), and the unforgettable participation in the UEFA Champions League in 2012/13.
Captain of the first team in recent years, and an icon to the Blue and Whites’ fans, Duda has reached spectacular individual records with the Club. He has played the most games in the history of the Club (348), the most First Division games (314) and the Copa del Rey (23), and is the third highest goal-scorer in the elite (35 goals), following the mighty ‘Double D’, Darío Silva and Dely Valdés. Not forgetting his countless goal assists thanks to his silky left foot, enabling the first-class Portuguese player to forever remain in the memory of Malaguismo. Thank you for everything, ‘capi’. You are a legend.
