Deco facts for kids
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Deco playing for Fluminense in 2013
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anderson Luís de Souza | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 27 August 1977 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Nacional (SP) | |||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Corinthians | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Corinthians | 2 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 1997 | CSA | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Benfica | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | → Alverca (loan) | 32 | (12) | |||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Salgueiros | 12 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2004 | Porto | 148 | (32) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | Barcelona | 113 | (11) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Chelsea | 43 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Fluminense | 56 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 406 | (65) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Portugal | 75 | (5) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Anderson Luís de Souza (born 27 August 1977), known as Deco, is a famous former footballer. He was born in Brazil but later became a citizen of Portugal and played for their national team. Deco was a midfielder, often playing in attacking or central roles. Today, he works as a sports director for Barcelona.
Deco is one of the few players who have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs. He won it with Porto in 2004 and with Barcelona in 2006. In 2004, he was named the best player in European club football and the best midfielder in the Champions League. He was also named the "Man of the Match" in the 2004 Champions League Final. Deco was the first player to win the UEFA Best Midfielder Award with two different teams. In 2006, he won the Golden Ball award at the FIFA Club World Cup, even though his team lost the final.
Deco became a Portuguese citizen in 2002 after living in Portugal for five years. He then chose to play for the Portugal national team. He played 75 games for Portugal, scoring 5 goals. He played in two UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups. He helped Portugal reach the final of UEFA Euro 2004 and finish fourth at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Deco's Football Journey: Club Career Highlights
Starting Out: Early Club Years
Deco was born in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. As a young player, he spent time at Corinthians. In 1997, a scout from Benfica noticed his talent and suggested they sign him.
In June 1997, Benfica bought Deco's rights and immediately loaned him to Alverca. He helped Alverca get promoted to the top league in the 1997–98 season, scoring 13 goals. He returned to Benfica in July 1998 but then moved to Salgueiros. Deco later said that Benfica didn't want him to stay.
At Salgueiros, Deco had some injuries and didn't play much. But then, Porto bought him in March 1999. He joined them just in time to win the league title that season.
Shining at Porto
In his first season with Porto, Deco scored a goal very quickly, just 30 seconds into a game against Molde in the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League.
Under coach José Mourinho in the 2002–03 season, Deco scored 10 goals in 30 matches. He was a key player when Porto won the UEFA Cup that year, beating Celtic 3–2 in the final.
In the 2003–04 season, Deco helped Porto win the national title again. He also led the team to win the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, where Porto beat Monaco 3–0. Deco scored the second goal in that final. He was the top player for assists in the Champions League that season. He also won the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award and was named the best midfielder in the competition.
Moving to Barcelona
After the UEFA Euro 2004 Final, Deco moved from Porto to Barcelona. Barcelona paid €15 million and also gave Porto another player, Ricardo Quaresma.
On 14 May 2005, Deco played in a game that helped Barcelona win their 17th La Liga title. He was also named Barcelona's best player for the 2005–06 season.
Deco scored twice in the 2006 Supercopa de España, which Barcelona won. He won the UEFA Best Midfielder Award again for his great performance in Barcelona's Champions League-winning season. This made him one of the few players to win this award with different teams. He also won the Golden Ball at the FIFA Club World Cup, even though Barcelona lost the final to Internacional.
Time at Chelsea
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On 30 June 2008, Premier League team Chelsea signed Deco from Barcelona. He signed a three-year contract for about £8 million. He was the first player signed by Chelsea's new coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, who had also coached the Portugal national team.
Deco scored a fantastic goal from 30 yards in his first game for Chelsea, a 4–0 win against Portsmouth. He scored again in his second game, a free-kick against Wigan Athletic. Because of these great performances, he won the Premier League Player of the Month award for August.
Deco later had an injury but returned to play. He scored a bicycle kick goal against Bolton Wanderers in December. Deco eventually played less in the 2008–09 season, partly because of some less strong performances and because coach Scolari was replaced. In June, Deco said he didn't want to stay at Chelsea.
Playing for Fluminense
On 6 August 2010, Deco signed a two-year contract with the Brazilian club Fluminense. He joined them for free and played alongside his former teammates from Chelsea and Barcelona, Juliano Belletti. While playing for Fluminense, Deco helped them win the Campeonato Brasileiro in 2010 and 2012.
On 26 August 2013, Deco announced his retirement from football, ending a 17-year career. This decision came just before his 36th birthday. His last match was four days earlier against Goiás.
Deco's International Career with Portugal
Deco was never called to play for the Brazil national team. Brazil had many other talented attacking midfielders at the time. After living in Portugal for six years, he gained Portuguese citizenship. This allowed him to play for the Portugal national team.
After much public discussion, Deco was called up for his first international game. It was against Brazil! He came on as a substitute and scored the winning goal from a free-kick, making the score 2–1. This was Portugal's first win against Brazil since the 1966 FIFA World Cup. After this game, he became a regular player for Portugal.
Before UEFA Euro 2004, some people, like Luís Figo, criticized Deco's inclusion because he was born in Brazil. Deco responded by saying he loved Portugal and loved playing for the national team, even though he was born in Brazil.
Despite the early criticism, Deco became a very important player for Portugal. He scored 5 goals in 75 games for Portugal. His international career ended after Portugal's defeat to Spain at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
2006 FIFA World Cup
In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Deco scored the first goal in Portugal's second group match against Iran. This happened in the 63rd minute. Later, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty, and Portugal won 2–0.
In the first knockout stage, Deco received two yellow cards in a tough match against the Netherlands. This meant he couldn't play in the quarter-final game against England. Portugal won that game without him. Portugal then lost in the semi-final, which Deco was able to play in.
UEFA Euro 2008
On 11 June, Deco scored the first goal in Portugal's second match of UEFA Euro 2008, against the Czech Republic. Portugal won the match 3–1, which helped them reach the quarter-finals. Portugal's journey in the tournament ended in the quarter-finals against Germany.
In February 2010, Deco announced that he would retire from international football after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
2010 FIFA World Cup
Deco played for Portugal in their first game against the Ivory Coast. He got injured during the match and couldn't play in the next two group games. He was fit again for the round of 16 match against Spain. However, the coach chose another player, Tiago, instead of him.
Deco retired from international football having played 75 games and scored 5 goals for Portugal.
Deco's Playing Style and Skills
Deco was a very smart and creative midfielder. He had excellent vision and great technical skills with the ball. He was a hard-working team player who could play in different midfield positions. He often played as an attacking midfielder or a central midfielder.
While he wasn't the fastest or strongest player, he had great stamina. He was excellent at controlling the ball, dribbling past opponents, and making accurate passes. He could find spaces and create chances for his teammates that others might not see. Deco was also good at changing the speed of the game quickly.
As he got older, Deco became physically stronger, which helped him protect the ball from bigger opponents. He also scored goals sometimes with his accurate shots from mid-range and his skill at free-kicks.
Life After Football: Post-Retirement Activities
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On 16 August 2023, it was announced that Deco would become the sporting director of his former club, Barcelona. He signed a three-year contract for this role.
Deco's Personal Life
Deco is related to other former footballers, Alecsandro and Richarlyson, through marriage. He is also an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which helps young people through sports. He has a charity called the Deco Institute in Brazil, near where he grew up.
After retiring from playing, Deco started his own sports agency called D20 Sports Management. This agency helps manage the careers of football players.
Deco in Video Games
Deco is featured in EA Sports' FIFA football video game series. He was included in the "Ultimate Team Legends" in FIFA 16.
Honours and Achievements
Deco won many trophies and awards during his career:
Porto
- Portuguese League: 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04
- Portuguese Cup: 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03
- Portuguese Supercup: 2001, 2003
- UEFA Champions League: 2003–04
- UEFA Cup: 2002–03
Barcelona
- Spanish League: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Spanish Supercup: 2005, 2006
- UEFA Champions League: 2005–06
Chelsea
- English Premier League: 2009–10
- FA Cup: 2008–09, 2009–10
- FA Community Shield: 2009
Fluminense
- Brazilian League: 2010, 2012
- Rio de Janeiro State League: 2012
Portugal National Team
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2004
Individual Awards
- Ballon d'Or runner-up: 2004 (meaning he was the second-best player in Europe)
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2003–04
- UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year: 2003–04, 2005–06
- 2004 UEFA Champions League Final: Man of the Match
- FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2006 (best player in the tournament)
- Portuguese League Footballer of the Year: 2003–04
- Premier League Player of the Month: August 2008
- Golden Foot: 2016, as a football legend
See also
In Spanish: Deco para niños
