Vágner Love facts for kids
Vágner Love with CSKA Moscow, 2009
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Vágner Silva de Souza | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 June 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Avaí | ||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Palmeiras | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Palmeiras | 56 | (39) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2011 | CSKA Moscow | 158 | (79) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | → Palmeiras (loan) | 12 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | → Flamengo (loan) | 19 | (19) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Flamengo | 46 | (22) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | CSKA Moscow | 11 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Shandong Luneng | 31 | (19) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Corinthians | 45 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Monaco | 12 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Alanyaspor | 42 | (33) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Beşiktaş | 18 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Corinthians | 49 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Kairat | 36 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Midtjylland | 9 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Sport Recife | 62 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Atlético Goianiense | 21 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Avaí | 41 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Retrô | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Brazil U20 | 6 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Brazil | 20 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 04:09, 10 July 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 September 2015 |
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Vágner Silva de Souza (born June 11, 1984), known as Vágner Love, is a Brazilian professional football player. He plays as a forward for Retrô, a club in Brazil's Série C league. Experts describe him as a player with great speed, skill, and a powerful shot.
He got the nickname 'Love' when he played for Palmeiras. Vágner Love scored 117 goals in 241 official games for CSKA Moscow over eight seasons. He won 14 trophies in Russia. He also scored in the 2005 UEFA Cup Final, becoming the youngest player to score in a UEFA Cup final.
Vágner Love scored four goals in 20 games for the Brazil national team. He helped Brazil win the Copa América in both 2004 and 2007.
Contents
- Vágner Love's Club Journey
- Starting with Palmeiras
- Playing for CSKA Moscow
- Playing for Flamengo
- Back to CSKA
- Moving to Shandong Luneng
- Joining Corinthians
- Playing for Monaco
- Time at Alanyaspor
- Joining Beşiktaş
- Second Time at Corinthians
- Playing for Kairat
- Short Spell at Midtjylland
- Return to Brazil with Sport Recife
- Atlético Goianiense
- Vágner Love's International Career
- Career Statistics
- Trophies and Awards
- Images for kids
- See also
Vágner Love's Club Journey
Starting with Palmeiras
Vágner Love began his football career at Palmeiras. In 2003, he helped his team return to Série A, Brazil's top football division. He scored 19 goals that season, making him the top scorer in Série B.
Playing for CSKA Moscow
In August 2004, Vágner Love joined Russian Premier League club CSKA Moscow. He made an immediate impact, scoring a goal in his first game on August 4, 2004. He also scored in both legs against Rangers to help CSKA qualify for the Champions League group stage. He scored 9 goals in 12 league games that season.
In December 2004, CSKA moved to the UEFA Cup knockout stage. Vágner Love scored three goals there. He was linked with a move back to Brazil due to homesickness, but CSKA kept him.
On May 18, 2005, Vágner Love scored the final goal in CSKA's 3–1 win over Sporting CP in the 2005 UEFA Cup Final. This made him the youngest player to score in a UEFA Cup final. He won his second trophy with CSKA that month, the 2004–05 Russian Cup. Later in 2005, he scored seven goals to help CSKA win the 2005 Russian Premier League title.
On March 11, 2006, Vágner Love played as CSKA beat Spartak to win the 2006 Russian Super Cup. CSKA also won the 2005–06 Russian Cup, with Vágner scoring in the 3–0 final victory. They won back-to-back league titles in 2006, with Vágner scoring nine goals. He finished the 2006 season with 15 goals in 38 games.
Vágner scored and won the 2007 Russian Super Cup as CSKA beat Spartak 4–2. He was CSKA's top scorer in the league in 2007, with 13 goals. He won his third Russian Cup in early 2008, scoring in the final against Amkar Perm.
He was the top scorer in the 2008 season with 20 goals. He also led the scoring in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup with 11 goals. On May 31, 2009, he won his fourth Russian Cup with the club.
Loan to Palmeiras
On August 28, 2009, Vágner Love returned to Palmeiras on a loan deal. He scored 5 goals in 12 games. His loan ended early due to safety concerns after an incident with fans in São Paulo.
Playing for Flamengo
On January 15, 2010, Vágner Love signed a short loan deal with Flamengo. He scored two goals in his debut on January 23, 2010. He played very well for Flamengo, scoring 23 goals in 26 matches. His partnership with Adriano was called "Império do Amor" (The Love Empire).
In July 2010, Vágner returned to CSKA. He scored two goals in the Europa League. On May 11, 2011, he scored a goal in the Russian Cup semi-finals against Spartak. Less than two weeks later, he won his fifth Russian Cup with CSKA.
On January 25, 2012, he officially signed with Flamengo. He scored 13 goals in 36 games in the 2012 Brazilian Championship.
Back to CSKA
On January 12, 2013, Vágner Love returned to CSKA Moscow. He signed a new three-year contract. He continued his goal-scoring form and helped CSKA win the Premier League title in 2013. This was the club's first league title since 2006.
Moving to Shandong Luneng
On July 24, 2013, Vágner Love moved to Chinese Super League team Shandong Luneng. The transfer fee was reported to be €12 million.
Joining Corinthians
On February 8, 2015, Vágner Love joined Corinthians in Brazil. He became the club's top scorer during the national championship. Corinthians went on to win the Série A that year.
Playing for Monaco
On January 13, 2016, Ligue 1 club Monaco signed Vágner Love on an 18-month deal. On March 20, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win against Paris Saint-Germain.
Time at Alanyaspor
On August 30, 2016, Vágner Love moved to Turkish club Alanyaspor. After not scoring in his first seven games, he scored 23 goals in the next 20 matches. This earned him the Golden Boot award.
Joining Beşiktaş
On January 26, 2018, Vágner Love transferred to Turkish club Beşiktaş.
Second Time at Corinthians
On January 25, 2019, Love returned to Corinthians until the end of 2020. He left the club in June 2020.
Playing for Kairat
On July 8, 2020, Vágner Love signed a six-month contract with Kazakhstan Premier League club Kairat. On November 3, 2020, Love scored Kairat's first goal in a 3–1 win. This win helped them clinch their first Kazakhstan Premier League title since 2004. Kairat extended his contract until the end of the 2021 season.
Short Spell at Midtjylland
On January 20, 2022, Love joined Midtjylland in Denmark on a free transfer. His contract lasted until the end of the 2021/22 season. He left the club on May 22, 2022.
Return to Brazil with Sport Recife
On July 26, 2022, Love returned to Brazil, joining Sport Recife in Série A. On January 6, 2023, he renewed his contract for another season.
Atlético Goianiense
On January 5, 2024, Love signed a one-year contract with Atlético Goianiense, a club recently promoted to Série A.
Vágner Love's International Career
Vágner Love was first called up for the Brazil national football team for the 2004 Copa América. He made his debut as a substitute in a 4–1 win against Costa Rica. Brazil went on to win the competition.
He was not chosen for the 2006 FIFA World Cup squad. After the tournament, Vágner Love was named in the new manager Dunga's first squad. He scored his first goal for Brazil against Wales that same year.
In 2007, he was part of Brazil's squad for the 2007 Copa América. On July 7, 2007, he scored the final goal in a 6–1 win against Chile in the quarter-finals. He played his last match for the national team that year against Uruguay. He played 20 games for Brazil and scored 4 goals.
Career Statistics
Club Performance
| Club | Season | League | State league | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Palmeiras | 2002 | Série A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2003 | Série B | 29 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | 1 | 33 | 22 | ||
| 2004 | Série A | 11 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 6 | – | – | 30 | 26 | |||
| Total | 42 | 27 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 8 | – | 1 | 1 | 65 | 48 | |||
| CSKA Moscow | 2004 | Russian Premier League | 12 | 9 | – | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 13 | |
| 2005 | 21 | 7 | – | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 14 | |||
| 2006 | 23 | 9 | – | 7 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 15 | |||
| 2007 | 23 | 13 | – | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 17 | |||
| 2008 | 26 | 20 | – | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | – | 33 | 29 | ||||
| 2009 | 13 | 3 | – | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 7 | |||
| 2010 | 15 | 9 | – | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 11 | |||
| 2011–12 | 25 | 9 | – | 5 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 11 | |||
| Total | 158 | 79 | – | 24 | 7 | 57 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 244 | 117 | |||
| Palmeiras (loan) | 2009 | Série A | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 5 | ||
| Flamengo (loan) | 2010 | Série A | 5 | 4 | 14 | 15 | — | 10 | 4 | — | 29 | 23 | ||
| Flamengo | 2012 | Série A | 36 | 13 | 10 | 9 | — | 5 | 2 | — | 51 | 24 | ||
| CSKA Moscow | 2012–13 | Russian Premier League | 9 | 5 | – | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 12 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | 2 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |||
| Total | 11 | 6 | – | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 7 | |||
| Shandong Luneng Taishan | 2013 | Chinese Super League | 10 | 6 | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 6 | |||
| 2014 | 21 | 13 | – | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | – | 33 | 22 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 19 | – | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | – | 43 | 28 | ||||
| Corinthians | 2015 | Série A | 31 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 50 | 16 | |
| Monaco | 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 12 | 4 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 4 | ||
| Alanyaspor | 2016–17 | Süper Lig | 28 | 23 | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 23 | |||
| 2017–18 | 14 | 10 | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | 16 | 11 | |||||
| Total | 42 | 33 | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | 44 | 34 | |||||
| Beşiktaş | 2017–18 | Süper Lig | 10 | 3 | – | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 13 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | 8 | 3 | – | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | – | 16 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 18 | 6 | – | 1 | 0 | 10 | 5 | – | 29 | 11 | ||||
| Corinthians | 2019 | Série A | 28 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 4 | – | 59 | 11 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 7 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 4 | – | 62 | 12 | |||
| Kairat | 2020 | Kazakhstan Premier League | 14 | 7 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | — | 16 | 10 | ||
| 2021 | 22 | 7 | — | 6 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 17 | |||
| Total | 36 | 14 | — | 6 | 5 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 27 | |||
| Midtjylland | 2021–22 | Danish Superliga | 9 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| Sport Recife | 2022 | Série B | 17 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 7 | ||||
| 2023 | 33 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 11 | 5 | 59 | 23 | |||
| Total | 50 | 18 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 11 | 5 | 76 | 30 | |||
| Atlético Goianiense | 2024 | Série A | 6 | 1 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 7 | |
| Avaí | 2024 | Série B | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 3 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 2 | |||
| Total | 28 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 41 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 555 | 252 | 113 | 53 | 67 | 29 | 120 | 60 | 15 | 6 | 870 | 400 | ||
International Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 16 | 3 | |
| Total | 20 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vágner Love goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 September 2006 | White Hart Lane, London, England |  Wales |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 27 March 2007 | Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden |  Ghana |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 7 July 2007 | Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela |  Chile |
6–1 | 6–1 | 2007 Copa América |
| 4 | 17 October 2007 | Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  Ecuador |
1–0 | 5–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Trophies and Awards
Vágner Love has won many important titles and awards throughout his career:
Palmeiras
CSKA Moscow
- Russian Premier League: 2005, 2006, 2012–13
- Russian Cup: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13
- Russian Super Cup: 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013
- UEFA Cup: 2004–05
Shandong Luneng
- Chinese FA Cup: 2014
Corinthians
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2015
- Campeonato Paulista: 2019
Kairat
- Kazakhstan Premier League: 2020
- Kazakhstan Cup: 2021
Sport
- Campeonato Pernambucano: 2023
Avaí
- Campeonato Catarinense: 2025
Brazil National Team
- Copa América: 2004, 2007
Individual Awards
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série B top scorer: 2003
- Pan American Games top scorer: 2003
- Campeonato Paulista top scorer: 2004
- Russian Premier League top scorer: 2008
- Sport-Express Russian Footballer of the Year: 2008
- Russian Premier League Team of the Year: 2008, 2012–13
- UEFA Cup top scorer: 2008–09
- Campeonato Carioca top scorer: 2010
- Russian Premier League Player of the Month: March 2013, May 2013
- Süper Lig top scorer: 2016–17
- Süper Lig Team of the Season: 2016–17
Images for kids
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Antonio Nocerino and Vágner Love
See also
In Spanish: Vágner Love para niños
