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Barça defender Nelson Semedo has taken the fast lane to elite football

Semedo turned 24 this week, his first birthday as a Barça player

He only really started playing football properly when he was 16

Nelson Semedo, en un entrenamiento / | sport
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Nelson Semedo turned 24 this week. It was his first birthday spent as a Barcelona player. A birthday which served to remember the incredible journey he has had in his short career. His path to the elite has been rapid if we keep in mind that he only entered the world of football as a 16-year-old, eight years ago. 

Semedo, who began playing at 16, joined Benfica at 18 and was in the first team at 21. Just two years later, aged 23 and after winning titles with the Portuguese club and playing in the Confederations Cup with his country, he was signed by Barça. The Catalan club paid 30 million euros for him. 

 

It's been a quick rise to the top. And everything began when Hélder Cristovao transformed him into a full-back, despite Semedo's doubts. "When he told me I should be a full-back I didn't like it and I thought about leaving. However, he convinced he and thanks to him I am now playing for Barcelona," Semedo said in an interview with BTV recently.