Deco Profile

Deco Anderson Luís de Souza, more commonly known as Deco, is the glue that holds the Portuguese midfield together. Known both for his vast experience at the highest level, as well as his skills as an attacking midfielder, Deco is one of only a handful of players to have won the Champions League with two separate clubs.

Playing Position: Attacking Midfielder
Club: Chelsea
Jersey Number: 20

Deco Bio

Deco was born in Sao Paolo in 1977. As a youngster the Brazilian played for the Nacional Atlético Clube in Sao Paolo, and soon came to the attention of top flight franchise, Corinthians.

The Brazilian was originally considered to be to small and weak to be an effective footballer, and looked set for an amateur career in the lower leagues of Brazilian football. Fate intervened when his club was purchased by Portuguese outfit Benfica.

As a result of the takeover, Deco moved to Portugal and was soon loaned off to yet another second division side.

Deco Career

Deco played in the Portuguese second division for one season before being traded to first division side Salgueiros, with Benfica manager Graeme Souness declaring that the Brazilian would never mature into a top class footballer.

Deco immediately set about proving Souness wrong, and after a single season with Salgueiros was picked up by FC Porto. Porto coach, Jose Mourinho, recognised Deco’s latent talent, and provided the Brazilian with the task of leading the Porto midfield.

Mourinho’s faith in Deco paid dividends four years later when the Brazilian played an instrumental role in helping Porto recapture the national league title and win the 2003/2004 Champions League title. Deco was subsequently rewarded with the UEFA Best Player Award for his contribution to Porto.

In 2004 Deco decided to leave Porto in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s departure to Chelsea. The Brazilian excelled at the Camp Nou, winning the La Liga title and the Champions League trophy in his first year with the club.

Deco stayed at Barcelona until 2008, when he was called on by former Portugal national coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, to join Chelsea. The Brazilian’s first season at Chelsea was not a happy one, however, he eventually settled into the team following Carlo Ancelloti’s arrival at Stamford Bridge.

Despite being born in Brazil, Deco is eligible to play for the Portugal national team due to having never been selected for Brazil. Ironically, Deco scored the goal that allowed Portugal to beat Brazil for the first time since 1966 during a 2003 friendly.

Deco Playing Style

Deco is known for his sublime passing skills and workmanlike attitude, with the quality of his game having a direct impact on the overall performance of the teams he competes in. The striker is nevertheless known for disciplinary problems, and has a knack for being carded by referees.