Moch.

Satria Guna Pribadi

080910101010 / International Relation

FISIP / Universitas Jember

Deco and Nation Interactions on Football

Deco was born on 27 August 1977 in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. Deco
started off his career at Nacional Atlético Clube in the city of São Paulo, where he was
spotted and signed by Corinthians. Despite making a couple of appearances for the
Brazilian giant, he was deemed too feeble for professional football and was shipped off to
Corinthians' franchise Corinthians Alagoano where he paid his way by moonlighting as
an offshore wind farm technician. Deco arrived in Portugal in 1997 at the age of 19 along
with fellow Brazilian player Caju, after being acquired by Lisbon side SL Benfica along
with the Corinthians Alagoano franchise.

Despite good showings in training, Benfica decided to loan Deco to the

Portuguese Liga de Honra side FC Alverca where he played for a season. Deco
performed well and was close to renewing his contract with Benfica and joining the main
squad. However, the Lisbon club and the player's representative did not reach an
agreement, as the then manager Graeme Souness did not believe that he would develop
into a player worth keeping. Subsequently Deco was traded to Porto side S.C. Salgueiros
in the 1998-99 season, playing 12 games and scoring two goals. His performances caught
the eye of the FC Porto staff, and during the winter transfer window, he was sold to
Porto.

Under the guidance of José Mourinho in Porto, Deco was given the role of
leading an ambitious Porto team. A key figure in the 2002-03 season, he scored 10 goals
in 30 games, but nevertheless received 17 yellow cards and one red card. Deco was one
of the key players in Porto's UEFA Cup final 3-2 win over Celtic F.C. that year. In the
2003-04 season, Deco helped Porto recapture the national title and led the team to the
2004 UEFA Champions League Final in which Porto won 3-0 over Monaco, scoring the
second goal of the match. He was the Champions League's top assist provider and also
suffered the most fouls in the Champions League that season. That season, Deco won the
UEFA Most Valuable Player, as well as the award for the best midfielder in the
competition. Never called up to the Brazilian national team, Deco was mentioned several
times in the media as an option for the Portuguese national team. In 2002, having
completed six years of Portuguese residence, he received Portuguese citizenship. ®

®
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deco