Manuel Keliano (born 16 January 2003) is an Angolan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Russian club Akhmat Grozny and the Angola national team.
 Keliano with Akhmat Grozny in 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 16 January 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Luanda, Angola | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Akhmat Grozny | |||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 42 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Primeiro de Agosto | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Primeiro de Agosto | 24 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Estrela da Amadora | 30 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Akhmat Grozny | 23 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Angola | 22 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 June 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Club career
editKeliano began his senior career with the Angolan club Primeiro de Agosto in 2022, making 32 appearances and scoring 2 goals in all competitions in his debut season and helped them come in second at the Girabola.[1] On 19 July 2023, Keliano moved to the Portuguese club Estrela da Amadora in the Primeira Liga, on a contract until 2026.[2] He made his professional debut with Estrela da Amadora in a 2–0 Primeira Liga loss to Benfica on 19 August 2023.[3]
On 5 July 2025, Keliano signed a four-year contract with Russian Premier League club Akhmat Grozny.[4]
International career
editKeliano was called up to the Angola national team for the 2022 African Nations Championship.[5]
In January 2024, he was selected to take part in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Ivory Coast.[6][7] Angola finished first in their group, which included Riyad Mahrez's Algeria and Edmond Tapsoba's Burkina Faso.[8][9]
On 3 December 2025, Keliano was called up to the Angola squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.[10]
Honours
editCareer statistics
edit- As of 10 May 2026[15]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Primeiro de Agosto | 2022–23 | Girabola | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6[a] | 0 | 32 | 2 |
| Estrela da Amadora | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 11 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 22 | 0 | ||
| Total | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| Akhmat Grozny | 2025–26 | Russian Premier League | 23 | 1 | 5 | 1 | – | 28 | 2 | |
| Career total | 77 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 93 | 4 | ||
- ↑ Four appearances in CAF Champions League, two appearances in CAF Confederation Cup
International
edit- As of matches played on 5 June 2026[16]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | 2023 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 22 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Angola goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Keliano goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 July 2024 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha , South Africa |  Comoros | 1-0 | 2-1 | 2024 COSAFA Cup |
| 2 | 7 July 2024 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha, South Africa |  Namibia | 5-0 | 5-0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup |
| 3 | 5 June 2026 | Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco |  Mauritania | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
References
edit- ↑ "Manuel Keliano está a caminho do Estrela da Amadora". www.ojogo.pt. 9 July 2023.
- ↑ "Estrela da Amadora contrata Manuel Keliano e renova com Kialonda Gaspar". SAPO Desporto.
- ↑ "Live Commentary - Benfica vs Estrela | 19.08.2023". Sky Sports.
- ↑ "Мануэль Келиано – игрок футбольного клуба "Ахмат"" [Manuel Keliano is a player of Akhmat] (in Russian). FC Akhmat Grozny. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
- ↑ "Manuel Keliano pode ser o próximo jovem angolano a dar o salto para Portugal". record.pt.
- ↑ "CAN 2024. La liste officielle de l'Angola pour la Coupe d'Afrique des Nations". Ouest-France (in French). 2023-12-28. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ↑ "CAN-2023: Pedro Gonçalves anuncia lista de Angola | Abola.pt". Abola (in Portuguese). 2023-12-17. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ↑ "CAN 2023 : l'Angola s'offre le Burkina Faso et la 1ère place !". Afrik Foot (in French). 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
- ↑ "CAN 2024: revivez Angola-Burkina Faso et la victoire des Palancas Negras contre les Étalons". RFI (in French). 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
- ↑ "Angola name final 28-man squad for TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025 as Beaumelle targets historic breakthrough". Confederation of African Football. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ↑ "COSAFA Cup 2024-Angola Squad". Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ↑ "EN, FR, PR: Angola storm to HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Cup 2024 title". Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ↑ "Angola 2025 COSAFA Cup Squad". Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ↑ "Angola crowned champions of COSAFA region for second year in a row". Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ↑ Manuel Keliano at Soccerway
- ↑ Manuel Keliano at National-Football-Teams.com
External links
edit- Manuel Keliano at BDFutbol
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