Hélder Manuel Marques Postiga (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɛldɛɾ puʃˈtiɣɐ]; born 2 August 1982) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a striker.
After beginning at Porto, where he won eight items of silverware along the way, he amassed Primeira Liga totals of 195 games and 54 goals over 11 seasons, with that club, Sporting CP and Rio Ave. He also played in six foreign countries, most notably in Spain where he totalled 27 goals in 99 La Liga matches for three teams.
A Portugal international since 2003, Postiga represented the country in two World Cups and three European Championships, helping the nation to reach the final at Euro 2004.
Born in Vila do Conde, Postiga began his career at nearby Varzim. In 1995, he joined Porto's youth system and continued to progress until he reached the reserve squad. At the time, coach Octávio Machado picked him for the first team on some occasions and the player performed well.
After José Mourinho was hired as manager, Postiga became a first-team regular. The 20-year-old scored 19 times in 2002–03, playing alongside Derlei as Porto won the treble. This included 13 in a victorious league run as well as five in an eventual conquest of the UEFA Cup, although he missed the final due to suspension. Following his successful season, he made his senior international debut for Portugal.
On 25 June 2003, Postiga moved to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur for £6.25 million (€9 million), a fee that could have risen to £8.36 million (€12 million). He signed a five-year contract, with manager Glenn Hoddle remarking: "He is a player who will add definite striking quality to our squad and is a young player of proven ability. I'm sure our supporters will enjoy watching him over the coming seasons."
Postiga made his debut on 16 August 2003 in a 1–0 away defeat to Birmingham City, starting but being replaced by fellow new signing Bobby Zamora after 57 minutes. His first goal came on 3 December, the second of a 3–1 home win against Manchester City in the round of 16 of the League Cup, while his only in the league contributed to a 2–1 victory over Liverpool on 17 January 2004, also at White Hart Lane.
In summer 2004, Postiga returned to Porto in a deal that sent Pedro Mendes in the other direction, with the striker being valued at €7.5 million. New coach Víctor Fernández included him in the team for the upcoming campaign, but he had another disappointing year; however, following José Couceiro's appointment as manager, he managed to score three goals.
In 2005, after a promising preseason, Postiga was demoted to the B team as Co Adriaanse was not happy with his performances. In January of the following year, trying to earn a place in the 2006 World Cup, he moved on loan to Saint-Étienne, where he netted twice in Ligue 1, against Metz and Le Mans, both resulting in 1–0 away wins.
Back at Porto for 2006–07, Postiga found himself back in the main squad due to a managerial change. A regular starter in the beginning, he nonetheless fell out of favour towards the end of the season, losing his place to Brazilian Adriano though he still managed to score 11 league goals; in his two spells, he appeared in 165 games in all competitions and netted 48 times.
In mid-January 2008, after having again fallen out of favour, Postiga moved to Panathinaikos on a six-month loan. His first goal for the club came in the Athens derby against AEK Athens, in which he equalised (1–1).
On 1 June 2008, Postiga moved to Portuguese rivals Sporting CP, signing a three-year contract for a reported transfer fee of €2.5 million, with the Lisbon side acquiring 50% of the player's rights. He scored his first official goal for his new club on 1 September, the only in a victory at Braga.
Postiga's second season as a Lion was disastrous, both collectively – Sporting finished fourth – and individually (he only found the net on 19 April 2010, closing the 2–1 home win over Vitória de Setúbal after just one minute on the pitch); although he began as a starter, he soon lost his job to youth graduate Carlos Saleiro.
On 31 August 2011, the last day of the summer transfer window, Postiga joined Real Zaragoza of La Liga for €1 million. At the Spanish side, he reunited with his compatriots Fernando Meira and Rúben Micael.
After three disallowed goals in as many matches, Postiga opened his scoring account on 16 October 2011, netting twice in a 2–0 home defeat of Real Sociedad; this included a bicycle kick in the 11th minute of the game. He finished the season as club top scorer, in an eventual narrow escape from relegation.
On 10 November 2012, Postiga scored a brace to help the Aragonese to a 5–3 defeat of ten-men Deportivo de La Coruña. He scored a career-best 14 goals during the campaign, but his team was relegated.
On 8 August 2013, Postiga joined Valencia for a fee of £2.6 million, replacing Tottenham-bound Roberto Soldado. On 1 September, in only the third match of the season, he netted twice late into the first half of the game against Barcelona at the Mestalla Stadium, but in an eventual 2–3 home loss.
Postiga was loaned to Lazio for the remainder of the campaign on 30 January 2014, with the option of a permanent move afterwards. He made his debut in Serie A on 26 March, playing 20 minutes in a 2–0 away defeat to Genoa.