Nelson Semedo will be remembered at Wolves for his consistent and reliable performances on the pitch, and quiet, humble and hardworking application and leadership off it.
The Portuguese joined the club in September 2020 and went on to represent the Old Gold 182 times, and while the road wasn’t always smooth, the defender’s placing within the club rose year on year. Last season he took captain responsibilities in the most difficult of circumstances and helped Wolves to Premier League survival.
The 31-year-old spanned multiple eras during his time in the West Midlands, signing under Nuno Espirito Santo and going on to play under four other permanent head coaches – Bruno Lage, Julen Lopetegui, Gary O’Neil and Vitor Pereira.
Back at the start, Semedo went almost an entire season before playing in front of supporters at Molineux, given the global pandemic, so it was fitting that his first goal for the club arrived once they had returned – in limited numbers for the 2020/21 final day against Manchester United.
With football returning to normality, he grew in stature in the Wolves dressing room, performing consistently on the right side of Lage’s defence while regularly representing Portugal throughout his time at the club.
Growing into a senior member of the dressing room, and a voice in the leadership group, the right-back excelled under O’Neil, gaining the plaudits of his teammates enough to be crowned Players’ Player of the Season following a thoroughly impressive 2023/24 campaign.
A third and final goal for the club arrived in the FA Cup against Brentford and helped steer Wolves on their way to a memorable derby victory over West Bromwich Albion in the following round at the Hawthorns – a day which will live long in the memory of Old Gold supporters.
Last season, Semedo continued his solid performances and, with the dressing room in need of a leader upon the arrival of Pereira as head coach, the Portuguese stood up to be counted.
As Pereira’s leader on the pitch, Semedo helped guide Wolves to a much improved second half of the campaign, which included six wins in a row. His final match as a Wolves player, against Brentford in May, brought an emotional goodbye to the South Bank. Wolves were safe in the top flight once more and Semedo had concluded his story in a fitting way – a fine servant for the football club.
