José Manuel Quitongo (born 18 November 1974) is an Angolan footballer. A winger, he spent the majority of his playing career in Scotland, where he made 61 appearances in the Scottish Premier League for Heart of Midlothian, St Mirren and Kilmarnock, scoring five goals. Known as a journeyman due to the number of clubs he has represented, Quitongo featured prominently for Hamilton Academical in three separate stints with the side. In five seasons with Hamilton, he scored 15 goals in 95 Scottish Football League appearances.

José Quitongo
Personal information
Full name José Manuel Quitongo[1]
Date of birth (1974-11-18) 18 November 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth Luanda, Portuguese Angola
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
1985–1992 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1994 Benfica 0 (0)
1992–1993Estoril (loan) 2 (0)
1994–1995 Waterford United ? (?)
1995 Köping 20 (1)
1995 Darlington 1 (0)
1995–1997 Hamilton Academical 62 (9)
1997–1999 Heart of Midlothian 30 (3)
2000 Hamilton Academical 15 (1)
2000–2002 St Mirren 57 (7)
2002–2003 Kilmarnock 8 (0)
2003 Dibba Al-Hisn ? (?)
2003–2004 Hamilton Academical 18 (5)
2004 Waterford United 17 (1)
2005–2006 Alloa Athletic 35 (5)
2006 Albion Rovers 1 (0)
2006 Partick Thistle 1 (0)
2006 Dumbarton 2 (1)
2006–2007 Pro Lissone ? (?)
2007 Livingston 2 (0)
2007–2008 Stenhousemuir 10 (0)
2009–2010 Glenafton Athletic ? (?)
2010 Pollok 2 (0)
2011 Lesmahagow ? (?)
2013–2014 Muirkirk ? (?)
Managerial career
2013–2014 Muirkirk
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Having left Angola when he was ten-years-old, Quitongo went on to play in Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Sweden, England, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Scotland.

Career

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Born in Luanda in Portuguese Angola, Quitongo began his career in Portugal with Benfica, playing 20 games, during his time at Benfica he played alongside Portuguese legends Rui Costa and Nuno Gomes[2] before moving to Darlington. He made just one appearance for Darlington before moving to Hamilton Academical in November 1995.[3]

In October 1997 Quitongo moved to Hearts, playing 30 league games (mostly as substitute) before returning to Hamilton in January 2000.[3] He moved to St Mirren in July 2000, making 57 league appearances before signing for Kilmarnock in August 2002.[3] He made just nine appearances before leaving the club. After spells playing for Dibba Al-Hisn in the United Arab Emirates, he signed to Hamilton for a third time in October 2003,[4] where he remained until the summer of 2004.[3] He signed for League of Ireland club Waterford United for the remainder of the 2004 season.[5]

In January 2005, he signed for Alloa Athletic, moving to Partick Thistle in March 2006.[3] However, he made just one appearance, as a substitute, for Thistle before being released at the end of the season.[3]

In April 2006 Quitongo was called up to the senior Angola squad.[6] However, he missed out on selection for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.[7] In August 2006 he signed for Dumbarton after playing in two games as a trialist, but made only three substitute appearances before leaving in June 2007.[3]

In September 2007, Quitongo joined Livingston, but made only two substitute appearances before signing for Stenhousemuir in November. After being released by the club at the end of the 2007–08 season, Quitongo joined Junior club Glenafton Athletic at the start of 2009–10, but left the club in May 2010.[8][9]

After a spell out of the professional game where he ran his own football academy in Blantyre, Quitongo was appointed player-manager of Muirkirk Juniors in December 2013. He left the club in October 2014.[10] He signed for amateur Sunday team Budhill United in September 2016.[11]

Personal life

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His sons Jai and Rico are both footballers.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "José Quitongo". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Jose Quitongo". Youth Football Scotland. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Jose Quitongo at Soccerbase
  4. ^ Quitongo Returns St Mirren Mad
  5. ^ Jose Quitongo London Hearts Supporters Club
  6. ^ "Akwa named for Cosafa Cup". BBC. 21 April 2006. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Double heartbreak for Quitongo". BBC. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  8. ^ Robert Guthrie. "Glenafton Athletic home page". Glenafton Athletic. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
  9. ^ Quitongo looks for new club Archived 29 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine SFL Daily Update, 21 May 2010
  10. ^ Jose Quitongo leaves Muirkirk Juniors Cumnock Chronicle, 22 October 2014
  11. ^ Budhill would like to welcome its new addition to the team Jose Quitongo Budhill United, 21 September 2016
  12. ^ "Wandering eyes, from Benfica all the way to Muirkirk . . ". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 12 July 2017.