Nilton Fernandes

Nilton Rogério Cardoso Fernandes (7 March 1979 – 31 March 2024), known simply as Nilton, was a Cape Verdean former footballer who played as a midfielder.

He spent most of his career in Portugal, amassing Primeira Liga totals of 110 matches and one goal with four teams.

Club career
Born in the island of Brava, Nilton played youth football with Portuguese club Boavista FC, who loaned him to Gondomar S.C. and AD Esposende to kickstart his senior career. Upon his return, he appeared in 12 Primeira Liga games in the 1999–2000 season, helping to a fourth-place finish.

In the following years, Nilton alternated between the top division and the Segunda Liga, representing C.D. Aves (where he scored his first goal, contributing to a 3–2 home win against C.F. Estrela da Amadora on 13 May 2001 as his team was eventually relegated), Gil Vicente FC, F.C. Marco, S.C. Salgueiros and F.C. Penafiel. He left the country in the summer of 2006, scoring a career-best six goals for FC Koper and winning the Slovenian Football Cup.

From 2007 until his retirement five years later, aged 33, Nilton played for Ethnikos Achna FC (Cyprus), NK Maribor (Slovenia), PFC Chernomorets Burgas (Bulgaria), Akritas Chlorakas (Cypriot Second Division) and Maccabi Ironi Bat Yam FC (Israeli second level).

Nilton Fernandes passed away on Sunday, March 31, in the United States of America (USA), victim of a kidney cancer.

Honours
Koper
 * Slovenian Football Cup: 2006–07

Maribor
 * Slovenian PrvaLiga: 2008–09