Edu (footballer, born 1978) facts for kids
Edu in 2006
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 16 May 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | São Paulo, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder central midfielder |
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| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | none | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Corinthians | 23 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | Arsenal | 79 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2009 | Valencia | 50 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Corinthians | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 167 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Brazil | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Eduardo César Daud Gaspar (born 16 May 1978), known as Edu, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. He used to be a sporting director for Premier League club Arsenal.
As a player, Edu was an attacking and central midfielder. He played for Corinthians in Brazil, Arsenal in England, and Valencia in Spain. His playing career lasted twelve years.
Edu also played for the Brazil national team from 2004 to 2005. He played in fifteen matches for his country.
Contents
Edu's Football Journey
Starting in Brazil
Edu began his football career in Brazil with Corinthians. He played in the top Brazilian league, Série A.
While with Corinthians, Edu helped his team win important titles. They won the Brazilian championship in 1998 and 1999. They also won the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship, which is a big international club tournament.
Playing for Arsenal
Edu first planned to join Arsenal in 2000. However, his transfer was delayed because of issues with his passport. Months later, after sorting out his passport, he officially joined Arsenal on 16 January 2001. The transfer cost £6 million.
His first game for Arsenal was in 2001 against Leicester City. It was a tough start, as he got injured just 15 minutes into the game. He only played in four more matches that season.
Edu scored his first goal for Arsenal in November 2001. It was in a League Cup match against Grimsby. He later came on as a substitute in the 2002 FA Cup Final, which Arsenal won. He also played in 14 league games that season. Arsenal won the 2001–02 Premier League, making Edu the first Brazilian to win this title.
In the 2002–03 season, Edu played in 18 Premier League games. He was a key player as Arsenal reached the FA Cup final again. Edu scored a goal against Manchester United in the fifth round.
The 2003–04 season was one of Edu's best. He was part of the famous "Invincibles" team. This team went 49 games unbeaten in the league. They won the entire 2003–04 Premier League season without losing a single match.
Edu played in 30 league games and scored 2 goals that season. Both goals were against Chelsea. He also scored a goal in a big 5–1 win against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League. He played in a career-high 48 games for Arsenal that season, scoring 7 goals in total. Edu was on the field when Arsenal won the Premier League title at White Hart Lane in April 2004. During this season, he played his 100th game for Arsenal.
The 2004–05 season was a bit mixed for Edu. He missed the start of the season because he was playing for Brazil in the Copa América. There was also talk about him leaving the club, as his contract was ending. He scored two goals for Arsenal that season, both in May. One was a great chip against West Bromwich Albion. The other was a penalty kick in a huge 7–0 win over Everton. He also came on as a substitute when Arsenal won the 2005 FA Cup Final.
Moving to Valencia
In May 2005, it was announced that Edu would leave Arsenal. He signed a five-year deal with Valencia in Spain.
Soon after joining Valencia, Edu got an injury during pre-season training. This meant he couldn't play until April 2006. His first game for Valencia was a 5–3 win against Cádiz. In July 2009, Edu left Valencia after his contract ended.
Back to Corinthians
After leaving Spain, Edu signed a contract with his old club, Corinthians, in Brazil. This was in August 2009. He played four matches during the 2010 season. After that, his contract ended, and Edu decided to retire from professional football.
Playing for Brazil
Edu thought about playing for the England national team at one point. This was because he had a British passport and wasn't sure if he would be chosen for Brazil.
However, he finally got called up to the Brazil national team in 2004. He played his first game for Brazil on 28 April 2004 in a friendly match against Hungary.
He played for Brazil in the 2004 Copa América and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. Brazil won both of these tournaments! In the final of the Copa América 2004, Edu even scored one of the penalties in the shootout. Brazil beat Argentina in that final.
Life After Playing Football
After retiring from playing, Edu took on new roles in football.
In March 2011, Corinthians announced that Edu would become the club's director of football. He also helped the Iranian national team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. From 2016 to 2019, he was the general coordinator for the Brazil national team.
On 9 July 2019, Edu became Arsenal's first-ever technical director. Raul Sanllehi, who was the club's director of football at the time, said that Edu had great experience and knowledge. He also mentioned that Edu truly understood Arsenal and what the club stood for.
On 18 November 2022, Edu was given a new role as Arsenal's first-ever sporting director. In November 2024, it was reported that he would leave Arsenal. He was set to take on a senior role at a network of clubs led by Greek businessman Evangelos Marinakis. These clubs include Nottingham Forest, Olympiacos, and Rio Ave FC.
Edu in Media
Edu was featured in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal. This show followed Arsenal behind the scenes during their 2021–22 season. It showed what the coaches and players did both on and off the field. Edu was also part of All or Nothing: Brazil National Team.
Honours and Awards
Edu won many titles and awards during his career:
Corinthians
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1998, 1999
- FIFA Club World Championship: 2000
Arsenal
- Premier League: 2001–02, 2003–04
- FA Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05
- FA Community Shield: 2002
Valencia
- Copa del Rey: 2007–08
Brazil
- Copa América: 2004
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005
Individual
- Premier League Player of the Month: February 2004
See also
In Spanish: Edu Gaspar para niños
