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 | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | 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) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Portugal | 75 | (5) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Anderson Luís de Souza (born on August 27, 1977), known to everyone as Deco, is a retired professional football player. He mainly played as an attacking or central midfielder. Deco was born and grew up in Brazil, but he later became a Portuguese citizen and played for the Portugal national team. Many people think he was one of the best midfielders of his time. Today, he works as a sporting 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 again with Barcelona in 2006. He was named the best player and best midfielder in Europe when Porto won the Champions League. He was also 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.
Deco became a Portuguese citizen in 2002 after living there for five years. He then chose to play for the Portugal national team. He played 75 games for Portugal, taking part in two European Championships and two FIFA World Cups. He helped Portugal reach the final of UEFA Euro 2004 and finish fourth in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Deco's Amazing Football Journey
Early Days and Big Dreams
Deco was born in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. He started his football journey as a young player at Corinthians. In 1997, a scout from Benfica saw him play and suggested they sign him. Benfica bought his rights and loaned him to Alverca. He helped Alverca get promoted to the top league by scoring 13 goals in 32 games.
After his loan, he returned to Benfica but then moved to Salgueiros. Deco later said that Benfica didn't want him at the time. At Salgueiros, he had some injuries, but soon after, Porto bought him in 1999. He joined Porto just in time to win the league title!
Conquering Europe with Porto
In his very first season with Porto, Deco scored a goal in just 30 seconds during a game against Molde FK in the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League.
Under the famous coach José Mourinho, Deco became a key player for Porto. In the 2002–03 season, he scored 10 goals. He was super important when Porto won the UEFA Cup final against Celtic that year.
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 making assists in the Champions League that season. Because of his amazing performances, he won the best player and best midfielder awards in the competition.
Barcelona's Star Midfielder
Right after the Euro 2004 final, Deco moved to Barcelona. Barcelona paid €15 million and also gave them player Ricardo Quaresma.
On May 14, 2005, Deco played in the 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 two goals in the 2006 Supercopa de España, which Barcelona won. He won the UEFA Best Midfielder Award again for his great play 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.
Playing in England with Chelsea
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On June 30, 2008, Deco joined the English team Chelsea on a three-year deal. 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 very first game for Chelsea, helping them win 4-0 against Portsmouth. He scored again in his second game with a curving free-kick against Wigan Athletic. These great starts earned him the Premier League Player of the Month award for August. He even scored a cool bicycle kick goal against Bolton Wanderers.
Later, Deco had some injuries and lost his regular spot in the team. He even said he didn't enjoy his time at Chelsea and wanted to leave.
Back to Brazil with Fluminense
On August 6, 2010, Deco moved back to Brazil and signed a two-year contract with Fluminense. He joined his former teammates Juliano Belletti there. While playing for Fluminense, Deco helped them win the Brazilian Championship in 2010 and 2012.
On August 26, 2013, Deco announced his retirement from football, ending a 17-year career. This decision came just a day before his 36th birthday. His very last game was four days before his retirement announcement.
Playing for Portugal
Deco was never called to play for the Brazil national team. After living in Portugal for six years, he became a Portuguese citizen and could play for their national team.
His first international game for Portugal was against Brazil! He came on as a substitute and scored the winning goal from a free-kick, helping Portugal win 2-1. This was Portugal's first win against Brazil since the 1966 World Cup. After this game, he became a regular player for Portugal.
Some people, like famous player Luís Figo, questioned why Deco, who was born in Brazil, was playing for Portugal. Deco replied, "I was born in Brazil, and it would be a lie to say that I'm Portuguese now and not Brazilian. But I love Portugal and I love playing for the national team."
Despite the early discussions, Deco became a very important player for Portugal. He scored 5 goals in 75 games for Portugal. His international career ended after the 2010 World Cup.
World Cup 2006 Adventure
In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Deco scored the first goal in Portugal's game against Iran. He received two yellow cards in a tough game against the Netherlands, which meant he couldn't play in the next game against England. Portugal won that game and reached the semi-finals, where Deco was able to play.
Euro 2008 Highlights
On June 11, Deco scored the first goal in Portugal's second game of UEFA Euro 2008 against the Czech Republic. Portugal won 3-1 and made it to the quarter-finals. However, their journey ended there against Germany.
In February 2010, Deco announced that he would retire from international football after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
World Cup 2010 and Retirement
Deco played for Portugal in their first game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against the Ivory Coast. He got injured during that match and missed the next two group games. He was fit again for the next round, but the coach chose another player instead.
Deco retired from international football having played 75 games and scored 5 goals for Portugal.
Deco's Playing Style
Deco was a very smart and creative midfielder. He had excellent vision and great technical skills. He could play in many different midfield positions, like an attacking midfielder or a deep playmaker. Even though he wasn't the fastest or strongest player, he had amazing ball control and dribbling skills. He was great at passing and could cross the ball well, which helped him create chances for his teammates.
Deco was known for seeing passes that other players couldn't. He could also quickly change the speed of the game. As he got older, he became stronger, which helped him keep the ball from bigger opponents. He also scored goals sometimes with powerful shots from a distance and was good at free-kicks.
Life After Football
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On August 16, 2023, it was announced that Deco would become the sporting director for his old club, Barcelona. He signed a three-year contract for this role.
Fun Facts About Deco
Deco is related to other former footballers, Alecsandro and Richarlyson. He is also an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which helps young people through sports. He has his own charity, the Deco Institute, in Brazil, where he grew up.
After retiring from playing, Deco started his own sports agency called D20 Sports Management. This agency helps other football players.
You can find Deco in the EA Sports' FIFA football video game series. He was even included in the "Ultimate Team Legends" in FIFA 16.
Honours and Awards
Porto
- Portuguese League: 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04
- Portuguese Cup: 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03
- Portuguese Super Cup: 2001, 2003
- UEFA Champions League: 2003–04
- UEFA Cup: 2002–03
Barcelona
- Spanish League: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Spanish Super Cup: 2005, 2006
- UEFA Champions League: 2005–06
Chelsea
- English League: 2009–10
- FA Cup: 2008–09, 2009–10
- FA Community Shield: 2009
Fluminense
- Brazilian Championship: 2010, 2012
- Rio de Janeiro State League: 2012
Individual Awards
- Ballon d'Or runner-up: 2004
- 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
- Premier League Player of the Month: August 2008
- Golden Foot: 2016 (as a football legend)
See also
In Spanish: Deco para niños
