José Nunes

José Carlos de Araújo Nunes (born 7 March 1977) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a central defender.
He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 129 games and two goals over the course of five seasons, representing Salgueiros, Gil Vicente and Braga. He spent most of his professional career, however, with Mallorca in Spain, signing in 2006 and appearing in 258 official matches in eight La Liga campaigns.

Football career

Born in Castelo de Paiva, Aveiro, Nunes began his professional career with modest clubs in the second and third divisions. He made his Primeira Liga debuts in the 2001–02 season, with soon-to-be-extinct S.C. Salgueiros.

After two solid seasons with Gil Vicente FC, Nunes signed with fellow league side S.C. Braga in July 2004, moving in January 2006 to Spain's La Liga with RCD Mallorca. He made his debut for his new team on the 29th, starting in a 0–3 home loss to FC Barcelona and adding four league goals in his first full campaign in the Balearic Islands.

An undisputed starter from his arrival – he was also awarded club captaincy early on– Nunes continued to figure prominently in 2009–10 as Mallorca won its first ten home league games of the season, with the player scoring twice, although one of those was an away fixture, a 2–4 defeat at Barcelona; eventually he netted four goals in 33 matches, helping the team to a fifth-place finish (fourth until the last minute of the last round).

In mid-August 2011, Nunes suffered a serious knee injury during a friendly with S.S.C. Napoli, initially being sidelined for seven months but recovering in less than four. He still contributed with two goals in 14 appearances during the campaign, to help Mallorca finish eighth.