FIFA World Cup™ Germany 2006 player's profile

With his neat touch and sublime vision, Deco is a key figure in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Portuguese team. In 2006, his primary objective will be to help Portugal equal, if not better, their feat of 40 years ago when they reached the semi-finals of the 1966 FIFA World Cup™ in England.
Born in August 1977 in Sao Bernado do Campo, Brazil, Deco began his footballing career with humble Sao Paulo club Nacional in 1995.

In 1997, he spent a brief but successful spell at Corinthians, where he helped the Sao Paulo club win Brazil’s most important U-20 tournament. He soon moved abroad to join up Portuguese giants Benfica, but actually ended up playing for the lesser known Alverca, where he enjoyed an excellent season. The midfield maestro’s fine form attracted considerable interest from FC Porto, but a move to ‘The Dragons’ would have to wait, as he instead spent the 1998/99 season at minnows Salgueiros.

Porto finally got their man in 1999, and were rewarded with five extraordinarily successful seasons. Deco helped his team-mates win two national championships (2003 and 2004), three Tacas de Portugal (2000, 2201 and 2003), two Supertacas de Portugal (2002 and 2004), the UEFA Cup (2003) and the UEFA Champions League (2004).

A Brazilian national, Deco also holds Portuguese citizenship, and so in 2003 he was called up to the Portugal squad at the behest of fellow Brazilian and national team coach Scolari. The cultured playmaker accepted Scolari’s invitation, deciding to switch his allegiances to play for the Portuguese rather than wait any longer for an opportunity to arise with Brazil.

Dream debut
Ironically, Deco made his international debut in a friendly against Brazil on 29 March 2003. The game took place in the midfielder’s adopted city of Oporto, at the Estadio das Antas, as the Portuguese ran out 2-1 winners. As destiny would have it, Deco replaced Sergio Conceicao 15 minutes into the second half and scored the goal that gave Portugal their first victory over Brazil in 37 years.

As of March 2006, Deco has played over 30 times for his adopted national team and scored just twice – the first coming in his aforementioned debut, and the second in the 7-1 thrashing of Russia in a FIFA World Cup™ qualifying match in October 2004.

In the wake of his success at Porto, Deco attracted interest from many big European clubs, and it was Barcelona who were first in line to secure his signature. Deco would soon prove himself to be an indispensable player and became an established first choice in the Barcelona midfield. He played 35 out of 38 league matches in only his first season with the Catalan club, helping Frank Rijkaard’s team win the Spanish championship in the process.

Ever since Portugal’s UEFA Euro 2004 campaign, where the hosts finished as runners up to surprise champions Greece, Deco has performed an important role for his country and is virtually peerless in the team’s midfield. So much so, several Portuguese newspapers have coined the phrase ‘Deco Dependence’, underlining just how critical he will be to Portugal’s chances of success in Germany this summer.

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UEFA Champions League 2005-06 player's profile

When you are described as a 'near deity' and nicknamed 'Super Deco', you must be doing something right. That is the status Brazilian-born playmaker Anderson Luís de Souza 'Deco' enjoyed at FC Porto as he led them to UEFA Champions League glory before switching to FC Barcelona.

National team
After being granted Portuguese citizenship in March 2003, Deco crowned a spectacular debut for the UEFA EURO 2004™ hosts Portugal with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over his native Brazil. Brought on at half-time in Portugal's opening EURO 2004™ game against Greece for Rui Costa, Deco took the stalwart's starting place for the rest of the tournament as the hosts reached the final. Has remained in the lineup since.

Club
He played for Nacional São Paulo and Corinthians Alagoano in his native Brazil before moving to FC Alverca in 1997. He quickly joined SC Salgueiros where he came to the attention of FC Porto, joining them in 1998/99.

1999: Deco scored just once in his debut season, 1999/00, before hitting six and 13 in the ensuing campaigns. Porto coach José Mourinho hailed his display in the 2003 UEFA Cup final victory against Celtic FC as "fantastic" - his sublime pass for Dmitri Alenichev's goal typical of a superb individual performance for the Portuguese double-winners. In 2003/04 the playmaker was an inspiration in the Champions League final, scoring the second goal and named man of the match in the 3-0 win against AS Monaco FC. He also appeared in 28 SuperLiga games as Porto retained the title.

2004/05: The day after playing in the EURO 2004™ final, he signed a four-year deal at Barcelona, going on to enjoy a debut season. He missed just three league games and contributed six goals on the way to the league title before signing a two-year contract extension that takes him to June 2010.

Did you know?
Porto reportedly rejected a €19m bid from Paris Saint-Germain FC for Deco in summer 2003.

©uefa.com 1998-2006. All rights reserved.

UEFA EURO 2004™ player's profile

When you are described as a 'near deity' and nicknamed 'Super Deco', you must be doing something right. That is the status Brazilian-born playmaker Anderson Luís de Souza 'Deco' enjoyed at FC Porto as he led them to UEFA Champions League glory before switching to FC Barcelona.

National team
After being granted Portuguese citizenship in March 2003, Deco crowned a spectacular debut for the UEFA EURO 2004™ hosts Portugal with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over his native Brazil - their first over the South Americans since the FIFA World Cup of 1966. Brought on at half-time in Portugal's opening EURO 2004™ game against Greece for Rui Costa, Deco took the stalwart's starting place for the rest of the tournament as the hosts reached the final.

Club
He played for Nacional São Paulo and Corinthians Alagoano in his native Brazil before moving to FC Alverca in 1997. He quickly moved on to SC Salgueiros where he came to the attention of FC Porto, joining them in the 1998/99 season.

1999: While he had the attacking flair associated with a Brazilian, Deco won the respect of his Porto team-mates through his willingness to assist in all areas of the field. He scored just once in his debut season, 1999/00, before hitting six and 13 in the ensuing campaigns. Porto coach José Mourinho hailed Deco's display in the 2003 UEFA Cup final victory against Celtic FC as "fantastic" - his sublime pass for Dmitri Alenichev's goal typical of a superb individual performance. Domestically, he averaged a goal every three games as Porto won the double.

2003/04: The playmaker continued to blaze a trail, not least in the Champions League final where he was an inspiration in the 3-0 victory against AS Monaco FC. Deco scored the second goal and was named man of the match. Domestically, he appeared in 28 games as Porto retained the title. The day after playing in the EURO 2004™ final, he signed a four-year deal at Barcelona.

Did you know?
Porto reportedly rejected a €19m bid from Paris Saint-Germain FC for Deco in summer 2003.

©uefa.com 1998-2006. All rights reserved.

BBC's UEFA EURO 2004 player's profile

Gifted playmaker Deco has been the star of Porto's brilliant 2004 Champions League campaign.

Deco was born in Brazil but accepted an offer to play for Portugal, where he has played since 1998.

He capped a memorable international debut by scoring Portugal's winning goal against his native Brazil in 2003.

Interest in signing Deco from foreign clubs intensified after his magnificent display in Porto's 2003 Uefa Cup final success over Celtic.

He has been a regular goalscorer for both club and country, but it is his ability to create goals for others that has made him one of Europe's hottest properties.

Deco's style is similar to the great Brazilian playmakers of the past with fantastic skill on the ball and tremendous free-kicks.

©bbc.co.uk 2004. All rights reserved.