1977/08/27
Anderson "Deco" Luis de Souza
San Bernado de Campo, Brazil
1.74 m
Attacking/Central Midfielder
"Magico"
Cila (divorced), Jaciara
Barcelona, Spain
Club information
F.C. Porto (1999-2004)
Salgueiros (1998-1999)
FC Alverca (1997-1998)
Corinthians (1996-1997)
Facts & Background
Contents |
About Deco
Anderson Luis de Souza, known as "Deco", is a native Brazilian but naturalised Portuguese football player. He was born on August 27, 1977 in San Bernado de Campo, Brazil. Deco started his professional career in 1997 at the age of 19 with Brazilian team Corinthians. In 1999, he was transferred to Porto and won the 2004 Champions League. Currently playing for Barcelona, he is one of the best European midfielder. He plays internationally for Portugal and was runner-up of the 2004 Euro.
Deco's Biography
Club Football
FC Porto (1999-2004)
1999-2000
Even if Deco scored only once his first season, he showed everyone how talented he was and earned his nickname “Magico” from the Porto fans. His progression was amazing and he became quickly a playmaker, under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, wining the respect of his team-mates through his willingness to assist. He won the league title, and the same year, he won the Portuguese Supercup.
2000-2001
Deco scored 6 goals in all competitions, and led his team to win the Portuguese Cup. He also finished runner-up in the Portuguese SuperLiga.
2001-2002
Deco scored a total of 13 goals in all competitions in 30 matches, but didn't win any competitions during that season.
2002-2003
Probably the best season for Deco since he moved to Portugal. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances in the Liga and won the title with Porto. However, he also got 17 yellow cards and one red card! With his team, he won the Cup and Supercup of Portugal. Moreover, he led his team to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final, wining 3-2 over Celtic.
2003-2004
For the second year in a row, Porto won the league title and the Supercup of Portugal. For the first time in his life, Deco was playing in the UEFA Champions League, and he led Porto to the final by scoring the second goal of the match. Porto won 3-0 against Monaco. Deco was the Champions League's top assist provider and also had the most fouls in the competition. That season, Deco won the UEFA Most valuable Player, and was named Best Midfielder in the competition. On July 6, 2004, Deco signed a four-year deal with Barcelona for a €15m fee.
Barcelona (2004-present)
Prior to his transfer to Barcelona, Deco announced on a Portuguese radio that he would probably join Chelsea. But a week later, he told a Portuguese newspaper that he would rather go to Barcelona. When his transfer was completed, Deco's fans were afraid he would stay on the bench because of the new star of the club, Ronaldihno. Instead of playing as an attacking midfielder, Deco was used as a pure midfielder and showed his exceptional abilities to adapt. In December 2004, he was runner-up of France Football Ballon D'Or, losing to Shevchenko but beating his team-mate Ronaldihno!
On May 14, 2005, for his first season, Deco won the league title with Barcelona and his first Spanish Supercup. He missed only 3 games in that season and scored 6 goals! The same year, his friends and former team-mates Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and José Mourinho won the English league title with Chelsea, and knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League.
2005-2006
In the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona knocked Chelsea out, and Deco led his team to win the final 2-1 over Arsenal. For the second time in his life, Deco won the Champions League and was named UEFA Best Midfielder, becoming the first player to win the same award with 2 different teams (first time was with Porto). Barcelona went on to win the championship of La Liga with ease and the Spanish Supercup. He scored 5 goals in all competitions in 40 appearances.
2006-2007
Barcelona finished runner-up of La Ligua and didn't win any other competitions. Although, Deco scored an amazing goal against Cheasea in the UEFA Champions League. On February 26, 2007, rumors were Deco was seeking for a move to the English Premier League with Chelsea but he declared he had no intension what so ever to leave Barcelona.
International Football with Portugal
Deco holds both Brazilian and Portuguese citizenships, but was never called up to the Brazilian National Team. He played his first international game on March 29, 2003. Ironically, it was against Brazil! He played only 8 minutes but scored an amazing free kick leading to a 2-1 win for Portugal, their first victory over Brazil in 37 years. Since then, he has been one of the main player of the Portugal Nationa Team.
Euro 2004 was Deco's first international competition, and Portugal was hosting it. After losing the opening game against Greece, Deco's team-mates won 2-0 over Russia and beat Spain 1-0. Deco did a very successful tournament, leading his team to final, which Portugal lost over Greece. In the 2006 World Cup, Deco scored his only goal of the competition against Iran. Portugal made it to the semi-finals, the first one over 40 years, since the days of Eusebio. They lost 1-0 over France, and lost against Germany for the third place. Portugal qualified for the 2008 Euro final stage, after finishing at the second place in Group A, 1 point behind Poland. Deco scored 3 goals in 37 appearances.
International Goals
| Date | Team | Competition | Goals Scored |
|---|---|---|---|
Awards and Honours
FC Porto
- Portuguese Liga: 1999, 2003, 2004
- Portuguese Liga: Runner Up: 2000, 2001
- Portuguese Cup: 2000, 2001, 2003
- Portuguese Cup Runner Up: 2004
- Portuguese SuperCup: 1999, 2001, 2003
- Portuguese SuperCup Runner Up: 2000
- UEFA Cup: 2003
- UEFA Champions League:2004
FC Barcelona
- Spanish Liga: 2005, 2006
- Spanish SuperCup: 2005, 2006
- UEFA Champions League: 2006
- FIFA Club World Cup Runner Up: 2006
- UEFA SuperCup Runner Up: 2006
Portugal national team
- UEFA European Championship Runner Up: 2004
Personal Awards
| Previous Winner | Award | Year | Successor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pavel Nedved | UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder | 2003-2004 | Kaka |
| Buffon | UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player | 2003-2004 | Steven Gerrard |
| Kaka | UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder | 2005-2006 | Clarence Seedorf |
Career Statistics
| Team | Season | Domestic League | Domestic Cups | International | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | G | A | M | G | A | M | G | A | M | G | A | ||
| Total | |||||||||||||
M = Matches, G = Goals, A = Assists
Personal Info
When Deco started his career in 1997, he moved to Portugal with his wife, Cila, who he had met 3 years earlier. They have 2 sons named João Henrique and Pedro Gabriel. In 2005, Deco met Jaciara in a private party in Brazil. He then decided to divorce with Cila, and went back to Porto with Jaciara. They got married in April 2005, and they have two children.
Wife / Girlfriend
When Deco started his career in 1997, he moved to Portugal with his wife, Cila, who he had met 3 years earlier. They have 2 sons named João Henrique and Pedro Gabriel. Then, in 2005, Deco met Jaciara in a private party in Brazil. He decided to divorce with Cila, and went back to Porto with Jaciara. Deco and Jaciara were married in April 2005, and they have one daughter named Yasmin and one son named David Luís.
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