Nélson Cabral Semedo was born on 16 November 1993 in Lisbon, Portugal. He came through the youth system of Sintrense and then Benfica, establishing himself as a regular senior starter at Benfica before a high-profile transfer to Barcelona in summer 2017 for a fee reported at around €35 million.
At Barcelona he spent three seasons, winning La Liga in 2017-18 and 2018-19 and contributing to deep Champions League runs. He formed part of the squad alongside Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar, and gained substantial experience in elite European football. In summer 2020 he was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers for around £35 million as part of Barcelona's financial restructuring, with the deal representing a significant investment in Premier League ambitions.
At Wolves he has been a consistent senior presence at right-back since his arrival, accumulating significant Premier League experience over five seasons. He has been one of the most reliable attacking right-backs in the Premier League during this period, combining defensive solidity with willingness to advance down the right flank and deliver crosses. His career at Wolves continued through the 2024-25 season, where he remained a senior squad figure despite the club's managerial instability.
For Portugal he debuted in 2016 under Fernando Santos and has been a long-standing senior international with over fifty caps, contributing to the squads through the 2018 World Cup, Euro 2020, 2022 World Cup and 2024 European Championship. He brings Premier League experience and senior tactical understanding as a backup option to João Cancelo under Roberto Martínez.
Standing 1.78 m, Nélson Semedo is a right-footed full-back whose combination of pace, attacking directness and defensive recovery draws stylistic comparisons with Dani Alves at a similar age — an aggressive, line-advancing right-back who contributes in the final third while maintaining his defensive responsibilities.