Top facts about Deco, the Barcelona legend

Anderson Luis de Souza, better known as Deco, is a Brazilian Portuguese professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or midfielder many years ago in big teams such as Barcelona and so on. After retiring from football, Deco founded the D20 Sports football agency for Brazilian and Portuguese footballers.

Deco was a famous Portuguese footballer who played in big clubs not so long ago. He excited football fans around the world by showing off his skills and techniques. His outstanding performances for various clubs as well as the Portuguese national team attracted Deco a lot of fans.

The Portuguese midfielder has recorded memorable scenes for the fans of different teams such as

, Barcelona and Chelsea, and that is why he is always in the minds and memories of the fans.

Undoubtedly, Deco is one of the top footballers in the world who has proved this by winning various individual and team honours. Here are some facts about Deco for football fans.

Top facts about Deco:

The first

fact about Deco

is that he is one of the players who won the Champions League with two clubs, Porto in 2004 and Barcelona in 2006.

He was named Porto's best player and midfielder during the season. Deco became the first player to win the European Footballer of the Year award with Porto and

, ​​and this is an interesting fact about Deco.

Deco early life

Deco, a former Barcelona player, was born on 27 August 1977 in Brazil, meaning that

Deco’s age

is 44.

Deco's parents

were Brazilian and none of them had Portuguese citizenship.

Regarding

Deco's childhood

, it should be mentioned that he spent his childhood in Brazil, where he played his first football game for a Brazilian team. Long after, Deco left Brazil for Portugal and became a citizen of that country.

Deco was the third boy in a family of six children. Unlike many other Brazilian kids, he was blessed with a phenomenal talent with the football, signing his first professional contract with Corinthians when he was just 15.

Deco Personal life

Deco's first wife, Cila, lived with him in Portugal. Deco and Cila have two sons, Joao Henrique and Pedro Gabriel, who now live in Brazil with their mother, Cila (Deco's first wife).

A few years later, Deco met a woman named Jacquira at a party in Salvador, Brazil, and separated from Silla. Deco later married Jacquira and continued to live in Porto. They married in April 2005 and have a son, David, and a daughter, Yasmin.

Deco and Jacquira divorced in 2008 after three years of living together. Deco married his ex-girlfriend Anna Paula in 2009. After this marriage, she had her fifth child, Sofia.

He also owns a charity called Deco. The institute is located in Indiatoba, Brazil. A town near Sao Paulo. These tips were about a small part of

Deco’s personal life

as a famous football player.

Deco professional career

Deco was born in Brazil. He played for the Corinthians for a short time as a teenager. After Deco went to Portugal. He played for Benfica Football Club for a short time.

After Deco left Benfica, another Portuguese club, Porto, bought him in 1999. Deco won the National League and the Champions League at Porto Football Club. After Porto, Deco joined the powerful and great Barcelona team. Deco's next destination was Chelsea in the English League.

Deco club career

Deco spent his footballing career at various clubs such as Corinthians,

, Porto, Barcelona, ​​Chelsea and Fluminense. Deco began his career at Porto and then continued at big clubs such as Barcelona and

. Finally, Deco said goodbye to the world of football with the Fluminense club in his native country, Brazil.

Porto

Deco scored in his first season in Porto, after 30 seconds against Mulde Football Club in the 1999-2000 UEFA Champions League. Deco, who was an influential figure for Porto in the 2002-03 season, scored 10 goals in 30 games and received 17 yellow cards and 1 red card. Deco was one of the key players in Porto's victory over Celtic in the UEFA Cup final that year.

In the 2003-04 season, Deco helped Porto regain the Portuguese Football League title and lead the team to the 2004 UEFA Champions League final. In the final, Porto won 3-0 against

and Deco scored the second goal of the match.

He holds the record for most assists in the Champions League. He suffered the most mistakes in the Champions League that season. Deco also won the UEFA Footballer of the Year award and the 2004 Midfielder of the Year award. These were amazing facts about Deco in the Porto team.

Barcelona

After Porto, Deco decided to move to Chelsea, but suddenly his decision changed.Finally, a day after the Euro 2004 final, an agreement was reached between Porto and Barcelona. Barcelona agreed to pay 15 million euros in cash. Deco signed a four-year contract with Barcelona on 6 July 2004.

In the Barcelona team, Deco was led by Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard. Deco spent many successful years at Barcelona with players such as

and Ronaldinho. By joining the Barcelona team, he had doubled the expectations of the team's fans.

On 14 May 2005, Deco took on Levante, who won his 17th La Liga title with Barcelona that year. Deco was also selected as a Barcelona player in the 2005-06 season. Deco once again won the European Midfielder of the Year award for his outstanding performance in Barça's Champions League season

With this cup, Deco went to the exclusive team of players who have won an award or become a champion more than once with different teams. He had previously won the Champions League with Porto. Although Barcelona failed to win the Club world cup, Deco won the club world Golden ball award. That was another fact about Deco.

Chelsea

On 30 June 2008, Chelsea bought Deco from Barcelona on a three-year contract for € 10 million (88 million). He was the first acquisition of Luiz Felipe Scolari, the new Brazilian coach of Chelsea, who was previously the head coach of the Portuguese national football team.

Deco scored his first game for Chelsea and his first game in the English Premier League against Portsmouth from 30 yards out.

Deco improved his performance by scoring in his second game for Chelsea through a free-kick against Wigan Athletic. These outstanding performances led to the English Premier League Player of the Month award in August. Deco made his Champions League debut for Chelsea on 16 September.

"I am very happy at the club and I want to show everyone what I can do," Deco said after talking to new Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti. He made his debut for Chelsea in the first leg of the new Premier League season against

in the second half.

Deco scored Chelsea's next game against Sunderland with a powerful right-footed shot and Chelsea won the game. Deco made his 100th appearance in the UEFA Champions League against

.

He joined 13 other players who played in the Champions League 100 times. Deco was a consistent player for Chelsea throughout the autumn, but consecutive injuries stopped him throughout the Christmas season.

Deco made his debut against Portsmouth with an injury and sent a spectacular header to Didier Drogba with a header. Deco made a great showing in Chelsea's 7–1 win over

, creating opportunities for his team-mates and helping the Chelsea midfield flow.

Deco, along with players such as Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, played a key role in Chelsea winning the English Premier League in 2020.

Deco eventually lost his place in the starting line-up due to poor performance and the dismissal of Felipe Scolari from Chelsea. In an interview in June, Deco said, "I're no longer willing to stay at Chelsea.

I do not like my experience at Chelsea. After the interview, Jose Mourinho, who was the head coach of Inter, announced that he wants to hire Deco with his compatriot, Ricardo Carvalho. The two players previously played under Mourinho in Porto. However, the president of Inter club said: "Deco and Carvalho are two champions, but at the moment I do not feel the need to buy them.

Shortly after the news, Deco said he wanted to stay at Chelsea until at least the end of his contract, but he said that the conditions for his presence at Chelsea had to change.

Fluminense

On 6 August 2010, Deco joined Brazilian club Fluminense on a two-year deal, joining his former team-mates Juliana Belti at Chelsea and Barcelona.

On August 26, 2013, Deco said goodbye to the world of football at

and ended his 17-year football career. The decision was made the day before his 36th birthday. His last match was against Goias four days ago. Deco won the Brazilian Football League with Fluminense in 2010 and 2012

Deco has also been accused of doping in recent years, but after various tests, it was determined that Deco had never doped.

Deco international career

Deco was born in Brazil but was never called up to the Brazilian national team because the Brazilian team had very strong attacking midfielders like Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Juninho at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

After spending six years in Portugal, Deco was able to obtain Portuguese citizenship and play for the Portuguese national team. As mentioned, none of Deco's parents were Portuguese citizens.

After months of public debate and despite the opposition of many fans of the Portuguese national team, Deco was invited for his first national game against the Brazilian national team.

He came on as a substitute for Sergio Conceiç .o. In this game, the Portuguese national team won 2-1. This was the first victory of the Portuguese national team against Brazil since the 1966 FIFA World Cup. After that match, Deco was a regular in the Portuguese national team.

Despite initial criticism, Deco became one of the most important and influential players in the Portuguese national team. He scored 5 goals in 75 games for Portugal in the national team.

2006 World Cup

At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Deco scored Portugal's first goal against Iran in the 63rd minute before Cristiano Ronaldo's 80th-minute penalty. In the first elimination round of the competition, Deco received two yellow cards in the game against the Netherlands and was later sent off.

As a result, he was suspended from the quarter-final against

. After the victory against England in the quarter-finals, the Portuguese national team and Deco lost in the semi-finals and could not reach the final.

Euro 2008

On 11 June, Deco scored the opening goal in Portugal's second match at Euro 2008 against the Czech Republic. The match ended in a 3-1 victory for Portugal, and Deco helped his team reach the quarter-finals. At this stage, the Portuguese national team was eliminated from the Euro 2008 competition by defeating the German national team.

In February 2010, Deco announced that he would retire from the national team after the 2010 World Cup.

2010 World Cup

Deco played for Portugal in his opening match against Côte d'Ivoire. During the match, he suffered an injury and missed two group stage games against North Korea and

.

He prepared for the round of 16 match against Spain and his injury was completely healed, but Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz chose Thiago Alcantara to replace Deco. After this World Cup, Deco officially said goodbye to the national games.

Deco style of play

Deco was a creative and technical attacking midfielder. Over the years, he played as an attacking midfielder or midfielder for various teams such as Barcelona, ​​Porto and Chelsea. An interesting

fact about Deco

is that Porto coach Jose Mourinho played an important role in discovering Deco's talent.

Deco was a versatile midfielder who sometimes played as a winger for teams such as Barcelona. He was highly creative and technically skilled in long-range shooting or free-kicks.

Deco was known for making technical mistakes during his football career. He suffered many long-term injuries on various teams, but that did not stop him.

Some quick facts about Deco

Anderson Luis de Souza, known as Deco is a soccer player who was born in Brazil, the cradle of world football, but acquired Portuguese citizenship as a teenager.

After acquiring the citizenship of the transcendent country, Deco was called up to the Portuguese national team to play his first game for Portugal in 2003.

A noticeable fact about Deco is that he made his professional debut for the Brazilian Corinthians football team in 1996.

It is interesting to know that Anderson Luis de Souza is the real name of Deco, the former star of FC Barcelona and the Portuguese national team.

Deco is one of the players who can play in any position or situation, and this is an obvious fact about Deco. Deco is one of the most famous football players in the world who has an extraordinary ability in long shots or free kicks.

Another fact about Deco is that he played for Barcelona alongside well-known players such as Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o, and Ronaldinho.

Deco was at Porto under one of the most successful coaches in the world, Jose Mourinho.

A fun

fact about Deco

is that he is famous for having 3 wives and 5 children.

When Pep Guardiola became Barcelona's head coach, Deco was on the team's surplus list.

Former Portugal striker, Luis Figo, was one of the people who opposed Deco's presence in the Portuguese national team.

After one of Porto's games, Deco and Jose Mourinho had a verbal argument for 90 minutes. It should be noted that Deco believes that Jose Mourinho is the best coach in the world. Deco and Jose Mourinho are both from Portugal.

Deco was a calm and moral player who received few yellow and red cards during his career in football. Deco played against the Iranian national team in the 2006 World Cup and managed to score in this game.

Deco was one of the footballers who suffered a series of injuries, which is a bitter fact about Deco. Before moving to Fluminense, Deco wanted to go to Inter but failed.

During his football career, Deco was one of the most expensive players. After retiring from the world of football, Deco played the role of an expert on football issues.

Deco Honours

During his football career, Deco played in various clubs such as Porto, Barcelona, Chelsea, etc., and along with these teams, he won various personal and team honors. Here are some facts about Deco Honours.

Deco won the 1998 Portuguese League title with Porto under Jose Mourinho and in his first year. Subsequently, the Portuguese player's talents flourished and he won the Portuguese League with Porto in 2002 and 2003.

Deco won the Champions League in 2004 with a beautiful and technical game against Porto, winning the most important club-level title with Porto. He also won the Portuguese Cup with Porto in 1999, 2001 and 2003.

The Super Cup is a competition between a league champion and a cup winner. The Porto team won the Portuguese Football Super Cup with Deco in 2001 and 2003.

By joining the Barcelona team, Deco was on the way to gaining many personal and team honours. Along with great players such as Lionel Messi, Xavi and Ronaldinho, he won the La Liga twice with the Catalans.

With Barcelona winning the Champions League in 2006, Deco won the Champions League for the second time. He also won the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona in 2005 and 2006. Deco spent many dream seasons in the Barcelona team and became a famous footballer.

Chelsea was a big club in London and one of the most successful teams in the English Premier League at the time. Chelsea was the team Deco chose after Barcelona to continue playing alongside players such as Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Malouda.

Deco won the English Premier League in 2010 under Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea. This was not the end of Deco with Chelsea. He won the FA Cup with Chelsea in 2010 and 2008 to enhance his showcase of honour.

After a successful spell at Chelsea, Deco returned to his native Brazil and finished playing for Fluminense. Deco won the Brazilian Football League with this Brazilian team in 2010 and 2012, and also won the Brazilian National Cup with this team in 2012.

At the national level, Deco was not very successful with the Portuguese national team. Although Deco was an influential and important player in the Portuguese national team, he could not win many honours. Deco made it to the Portuguese national team, along with players such as Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo, as runners-up at Euro 2004.

Deco body measurements

About

Deco body measurements

, it should be mentioned that this player is 174 cm or 5 feet and 9 inches tall and weighs 70 kg. Deco's physical features were directly related to his style of play.

Deco social media

Regarding

Deco social media

, it should be mentioned that he has an Instagram page (

) with 827K followers. In the page we can see various pictures of him with the fans and his family.

He also has a Twitter account (

) with 87K followers. He posts new stuff about his professional career every now and then on his Twitter page.

Deco net worth and salary

Regarding

Deco's net worth

acquired during his football career, it must be mentioned that he initially joined Porto on a € 8 million deal, and with a stellar performance at the club, he joined Barcelona on a € 21 million contract.

Later, he joined Chelsea in the English Premier League for less than Barcelona and with a contract worth 10 million euros. Towards the end of his football career, he moved to Brazil with a free transfer to Fluminense, where he said goodbye to the world of football.

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