20 Deco
Deco started his career at Nacional Atletico Clube in Sao Paulo, where he was scouted and signed by Corinthians.
He arrived in Portugal in 1997, but made his biggest impact on the game when he joined up with Porto in the 1998/99 season under Jose Mourinho.
The diminutive midfielder was given the role of leading an ambitious Porto team and was a key figure in the 2002/03 season, playing a crucial role in Porto’s 3-2 Uefa Cup Final victory over Celtic, and then scoring the second goal in their Champions League Final win against Monaco.
He moved to Spain to play for Barcelona in 2004, where he stayed until being deemed surplus to requirements in July 2008 and signed for Chelsea.
Deco was never called up to the Brazilian national squad so, after receiving Portuguese citizenship, he made his first appearance for Portugal squad in March 2003, against Brazil of all teams.
He played only eight minutes in his debut game, but in that time scored a vital free-kick that saw Portugal claim a 2-1 victory over his birth country. Since then he has played over 70 matches for Portugal.
