Grafite facts for kids
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Grafite training with VfL Wolfsburg in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edinaldo Batista Libânio | ||
| Date of birth | 2 April 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.89 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998 | Campo Limpo Paulista | ||
| 1999–2000 | Matonense | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001 | Ferroviária | 0 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Santa Cruz | 22 | (5) |
| 2002–2003 | Grêmio | 6 | (0) |
| 2003 | Anyang LG Cheetahs | 9 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Goiás | 20 | (12) |
| 2004–2006 | São Paulo | 44 | (17) |
| 2006–2007 | Le Mans | 51 | (17) |
| 2007–2011 | VfL Wolfsburg | 107 | (59) |
| 2011–2015 | Al-Ahli | 79 | (63) |
| 2015 | Al Sadd | 9 | (4) |
| 2015–2016 | Santa Cruz | 46 | (20) |
| 2017 | Atlético Paranaense | 9 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Santa Cruz | 9 | (0) |
| Total | 411 | (197) | |
| National team | |||
| 2005–2010 | Brazil | 4 | (1) |
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Edinaldo Batista Libânio (born on April 2, 1979), known as Grafite, is a former Brazilian footballer. He played as a striker, meaning he was a forward player whose main job was to score goals. After retiring from playing, he became a sports commentator for TV Globo and SporTV.
Grafite achieved great success during his career. In 2005, he won the Copa Libertadores and the Club World Championship with São Paulo FC. Later, with the German club VfL Wolfsburg, he helped them win the 2008–09 Bundesliga title. He was also the top scorer in that league and was named Germany's Player of the Year.
Playing for Clubs
Starting His Career
Grafite was born in Jundiaí, Brazil. He grew up in a simple family in the countryside of São Paulo State. He started earning money by selling rubbish bags door-to-door. His football talent soon got him his first professional contract in 1999 with SE Matonense. He played for them in the first division of the State Championship.
In 2000, he briefly played for Ferroviária. Later that year, he joined Santa Cruz FC in the city of Recife. He scored 5 goals in 22 league matches there. Even though the team was moved down to a lower league, Grafite's skills caught the eye of Grêmio Porto Alegre.
Challenges and Comebacks
Grafite joined Grêmio but faced a tough start. He got a serious knee injury early in 2002, which kept him from playing for several months. When he returned, his team was knocked out of the Libertadores tournament. He played a few more matches for Grêmio without scoring. In September, he went back to Santa Cruz on loan.
With Santa Cruz, he tried to help them get promoted back to the top league, but they didn't succeed. He scored three goals during this time. In early 2003, Grafite moved to South Korea to play for FC Seoul, then called Anyang LG Cheetahs. His time there was short, and he soon returned to Brazil.
Finding Success in Brazil
Back in Brazil, Grafite joined Goiás EC in 2003. He called this period his "rebirth as a footballer." He became part of a strong attacking team with players like Dimba and Araújo. Grafite scored 12 goals that season, helping Goiás finish ninth, which was a big success for the club. He even won an award called the Bola de Prata for being the best player in his position.
In 2004, Grafite moved to one of Brazil's top teams, São Paulo FC. In 2005, he won the São Paulo State Championship, which was his first major title.
Important Moments at São Paulo
During a match in 2004, Grafite had a difficult moment. He accused an opposing player, Leandro Desábato, of saying racist things to him. Grafite reported the incident to the police, and the player was arrested. This event brought a lot of attention to the issue of racism in sports.
In the same month, Grafite was invited to play for the Brazil national team for the first time. He played in a friendly match against Guatemala and scored a goal, helping Brazil win 3–0.
By the end of 2005, Grafite won two more big titles with São Paulo: the Copa Libertadores and the Club World Championship. He played in the final of the Club World Championship against Liverpool in Japan, which São Paulo won 1–0.
Moving to Europe
In January 2006, Grafite joined the French club Le Mans UC 72. They had just been promoted to the first division. He scored three goals in eleven matches that season. In the 2006–07 season, he was a key player, scoring 12 goals. This made him the top scorer for his club and the third-highest scorer in France. In August 2007, he moved to the German club VfL Wolfsburg.
Amazing Time at VfL Wolfsburg
Grafite signed a four-year contract with VfL Wolfsburg. In his first season, he scored 11 goals. The next season, 2008–09, was incredible. Under coach Felix Magath, Wolfsburg won the German championship for the first time ever! Grafite was a huge part of this success, scoring 28 goals in 25 matches, making him the league's top striker.
He and his teammate, Edin Džeko, formed an amazing duo. Džeko scored 26 goals, and together they scored 54 goals, which was a record for a strike partnership in Bundesliga history.
One of Grafite's goals was especially famous. In a match against Bayern Munich, he dribbled past several defenders and scored with a slow shot using his heel. This goal was voted Goal of the Year in Germany. It was even nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award for the most beautiful goal, finishing third. Grafite also won the highest individual award in German football, being named Footballer of the Year.
In September 2009, Grafite scored three goals (a hat-trick) in Wolfsburg's first-ever Champions League match against CSKA Moscow. He was only the sixth player to score a hat-trick on his Champions League debut. In total, he scored 59 goals in 107 German top-flight matches.
Playing in the Middle East
On June 19, 2011, Grafite moved to Al Ahli in the UAE Pro-League in Dubai. He signed a two-year contract.
In 2013, he was named the International Player of the Year for the 2012–13 UAE Pro-League. He also scored a goal in Al Ahli's 4–3 win in the final of the 2013 President's Cup. Grafite scored a total of 63 goals in 79 matches for Al Ahli.
Return to Santa Cruz
On July 1, 2015, Grafite returned to his former club, Santa Cruz, in Brazil. He scored 7 goals in 15 matches, helping Santa Cruz get promoted back to the first division after ten years.
In August 2017, after a short time at Atlético Paranaense, he rejoined Santa Cruz again. In January 2018, Grafite announced that he was retiring from playing professional football.
Playing for Brazil
Grafite played for the Brazil national team. After almost five years since his first game, he made his second appearance in March 2010. He came on as a substitute in a match against the Republic of Ireland.
In May 2010, Brazil's coach, Dunga, chose Grafite to be part of the 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Grafite played in one match at the tournament, coming on for the last five minutes of a 0–0 draw against Portugal.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Santa Cruz | 2001 | Série A | 22 | 5 | — | — | 22 | 5 | ||||
| Grêmio | 2002 | Série A | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Anyang LG Cheetahs | 2003 | K League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| Goiás | 2003 | Série A | 20 | 12 | — | — | 20 | 12 | ||||
| São Paulo | 2004 | Série A | 38 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5 | — | 53 | 22 | |
| 2005 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 4 | ||
| Total | 44 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 70 | 26 | ||
| Le Mans | 2005–06 | Ligue 1 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2006–07 | 34 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | 38 | 15 | |||
| 2007–08 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 51 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 56 | 20 | ||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2007–08 | Bundesliga | 24 | 11 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 12 | ||
| 2008–09 | 25 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | 31 | 35 | |||
| 2009–10 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | — | 40 | 18 | |||
| 2010–11 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 31 | 10 | ||||
| Total | 107 | 59 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 9 | — | 130 | 75 | |||
| Al Ahli | 2011–12 | UAE Pro-League | 21 | 16 | — | — | 12 | 13 | 33 | 29 | ||
| 2012–13 | 20 | 24 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 22 | 24 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 25 | 19 | — | 6 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 39 | 26 | |||
| 2014–15 | 13 | 4 | — | — | 6 | 3 | 19 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 79 | 63 | — | 6 | 3 | 28 | 20 | 113 | 86 | |||
| Al Sadd | 2014–15 | Qatar Stars League | 9 | 4 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 17 | 5 | ||
| Santa Cruz | 2015 | Série B | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 7 | ||
| 2016 | Série A | 31 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | 35 | 16 | ||
| Total | 46 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 23 | ||
| Paranaense | 2017 | Série A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| Santa Cruz | 2017 | Série B | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 408 | 200 | 13 | 8 | 65 | 26 | 34 | 22 | 520 | 256 | ||
State League
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | São Paulo | Paulista | 9 | 5 |
| 2005 | 17 | 8 | ||
| 2006 | 2 | 1 |
International
- Score and result list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Grafite goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 April 2005 | Estádio do Pacaembu, São Paulo, Brazil |  Guatemala |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
São Paulo
- Copa Libertadores: 2005
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2005
VfL Wolfsburg
- Bundesliga: 2008–09
Al Ahli'
- UAE President's Cup: 2012–13
- UAE League: 2013–14
- UAE Super Cup: 2013
- UAE League Cup: 2011–12, 2013–14
Santa Cruz
- Campeonato Pernambucano: 2016
- Copa do Nordeste: 2016
Individual Awards
- VDV Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2008–09
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2008–09
- Goal of the Year (Germany): 2009
- Footballer of the Year (Germany): 2009
See also
In Spanish: Grafite para niños
