Denílson (footballer, born 1977) facts for kids
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Denilson in 2021
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Denílson de Oliveira Araújo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 24 August 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Diadema, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| São Paulo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1998 | São Paulo | 191 | (26) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2005 | Real Betis | 196 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | → Flamengo (loan) | 17 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Bordeaux | 31 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Al Nassr | 15 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | FC Dallas | 8 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Palmeiras | 55 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Itumbiara | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Hải Phòng | 1 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Kavala | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 514 | (60) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2003 | Brazil | 61 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Denílson de Oliveira Araújo (born on August 24, 1977), known simply as Denílson, is a Brazilian football expert and former professional player. He played as a winger, which is a player who plays on the sides of the field.
Denílson had a 17-year career, playing mostly for São Paulo in Brazil and Real Betis in Spain. In 1998, he became the world's most expensive player when he moved to Real Betis. He also played for teams in five other countries.
He played more than 60 games for the Brazilian national team. He joined the team before he turned 20. Denílson represented Brazil in six big international tournaments, including two World Cups. He was part of the team that won the 2002 World Cup. Denílson was famous for his amazing dribbling skills.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out at São Paulo
Denílson was born in Diadema, São Paulo, Brazil. He started his professional football career very young, at just 17 years old, with his local team São Paulo. He quickly helped his team win the 1994 Copa CONMEBOL tournament.
Becoming the World's Most Expensive Player
In 1998, Denílson made headlines when Real Betis in Spain paid a huge amount of money for him. This made him the most expensive football player in the world at that time. He played his first game in Spain on August 29, 1998. In his first season, he played 35 games and scored two goals.
Real Betis was later moved down to a lower league in 2000. Denílson went back to Brazil for a short time to play for Flamengo. He returned to Betis in January 2001 and helped them get promoted back to the top league. He continued to play regularly for Betis, often coming on as a substitute.
In the 2004–05 season, Betis finished fourth in the league and won the Spanish Cup. This meant they could play in the UEFA Champions League. However, Denílson was not playing as much by then.
Playing in France and Saudi Arabia
In 2005, Denílson moved to the French club Bordeaux. He played regularly in his only season there, helping Bordeaux finish second in the league.
After leaving Bordeaux, he signed with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. He played there for a few months.
Time in Major League Soccer
On August 24, 2007, Denílson joined FC Dallas in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. He became a "designated player," which means he was one of the team's highest-paid players. He played his first MLS game on September 1. The next week, he scored his first goal from a penalty spot in a 2–0 win.
After the season, FC Dallas decided not to keep Denílson at his high salary.
Later Career Years
In February 2008, Denílson signed a contract with Palmeiras in Brazil. He hoped to get back to his best form there. He helped Palmeiras win the São Paulo State Championship.
In 2009, Denílson had a trial with Premier League team Bolton Wanderers in England, but he did not sign with them. He then played briefly for Itumbiara in Brazil. Later that year, he signed a short contract with Hải Phòng in Vietnam. He scored a goal from a free kick in his first game but left after only three weeks due to an injury.
In January 2010, Denílson signed with Kavala in Greece. However, he was released a few months later without playing any games for them.
International Career for Brazil
Denílson first played for the Brazilian national team in November 1996 when he was 19 years old. In 1997, he was chosen for the 1997 Copa América and the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup. Brazil won both tournaments, and Denílson played in many games.
The next year, he was part of the team that played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Brazil finished as runners-up in that tournament.
Denílson was also selected for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. He played in five games, always coming on as a substitute. Brazil won their fifth World Cup title that year. He played for one minute in the final game against Germany.
After 2003, Denílson was not called up to the national team again. He played a total of 61 games for Brazil and scored 8 goals.
Denílson's Playing Style
Denílson was a very creative player who used his left foot well. He usually played as a winger on the left side of the field. He was known for his speed, exciting style, and amazing dribbling skills. He often used tricks and feints, like the step over, to get past opponents.
However, he was not known for scoring many goals. Even though he showed great talent when he was young, some experts felt he did not reach his full potential in European football compared to his early career in Brazil.
Media Appearances
Denílson was sponsored by the sports company Nike. He appeared in their commercials, including a famous "Secret Tournament" advertisement before the 2002 World Cup. In this commercial, he played alongside many other famous football players like Ronaldinho and Ronaldo.
In March 2017, Denílson became a brand ambassador for 888poker, a poker company.
Life After Football
After he stopped playing professional football, Denílson started working as a sports commentator for Rede Bandeirantes, a TV network in Brazil.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | State league | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| São Paulo | 1994 | Série A | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 9 | 1 | 9 | 1 | |||
| 1995 | 18 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 59 | 5 | ||
| 1996 | 18 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 52 | 8 | ||
| 1997 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 49 | 5 | ||
| 1998 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 0 | – | 6 | 1 | 22 | 7 | |||
| Total | 50 | 4 | 73 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 40 | 6 | 191 | 26 | ||
| Real Betis | 1998–99 | La Liga | 35 | 2 | – | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 39 | 2 | ||
| 1999–00 | 32 | 3 | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 3 | |||||
| 2000–01 | Segunda División | 21 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 1 | ||||
| 2001–02 | La Liga | 34 | 3 | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 3 | ||||
| 2002–03 | 25 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | – | 29 | 3 | ||||
| 2003–04 | 28 | 2 | – | 2 | 0 | – | – | 30 | 2 | |||||
| 2004–05 | 10 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | – | – | 12 | 0 | |||||
| 2005–06 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 185 | 21 | – | 4 | 0 | 9 | 1 | – | 198 | 14 | ||||
| Flamengo (loan) | 2000 | Série A | 11 | 3 | – | – | 6 | 1 | – | 17 | 4 | |||
| Bordeaux | 2005–06 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 31 | 3 | ||||
| Al-Nassr | 2006 | Saudi Pro League | 15 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 15 | 3 | ||||
| FC Dallas | 2007 | MLS | 9 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 9 | 1 | ||||
| Palmeiras | 2008 | Série A | 30 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | – | 55 | 7 | |
| Itumbiara | 2009 | Série D | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Hai Phong | 2009 | V.League 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Career total | 332 | 39 | 88 | 15 | 23 | 2 | 35 | 5 | 40 | 6 | 516 | 59 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 1996 | 2 | 0 |
| 1997 | 18 | 5 | |
| 1998 | 16 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2002 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 61 | 8 | |
- Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Denílson goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 June 1997 | Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia |  Peru |
1–0 | 7–0 | 1997 Copa América | |
| 2 | 10 September 1997 | Estádio Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil |  Ecuador |
1–0 | 4–2 | Friendly | |
| 3 | 9 October 1997 | Mangueirão, Belém, Brazil |  Morocco |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 4 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 5 | 16 December 1997 | King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  Mexico |
2–1 | 3–2 | 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup | |
| 6 | 15 July 2001 | Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero, Cali, Colombia | Peru |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2001 Copa América | |
| 7 | 18 July 2001 | Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero, Cali, Colombia |  Paraguay |
3–1 | 3–1 | 2001 Copa América | |
| 8 | 25 May 2002 | Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |  Malaysia |
3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
Honours and Awards
Denílson won several important titles during his career with different teams and with the Brazilian national team.
With São Paulo
- Copa CONMEBOL: 1994
- Campeonato Paulista: 1998
With Betis
- Copa del Rey: 2004–05
With Palmeiras
- Campeonato Paulista: 2008
With Brazil National Team
- FIFA World Cup: 2002 (Winner), 1998 (Runner-up)
- Copa America: 1997
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 1997
- CONCACAF Gold Cup third place: 1998
Individual Awards
- FIFA Confederations Cup: Golden Ball 1997 (Award for the best player of the tournament)
- South American Team of the Year: 1997
See also
In Spanish: Denílson de Oliveira para niños
