Anderson Luis de Souza popularly known as Souza Deco was born on August 27, 1977 in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. This Portuguese Brazilian footballer was nicknamed “The Bus Conductor” by his fans, referring to his controlling skills. Souza Deco represents the Portugal national football team and played his first international match against Brazil on March 29, 2003 at Estadio das Antas. He scored a goal of a free kick, which led to Portugal’s first win over Brazil since the 1966 World Cup. At the 2006 World Cup, in a match against Iran, he scored the Portugal’s first goal. On June 11, 2008, in Portugal’s second match at the Euro 2008, he made the opening goal for Portugal against Czech Republic. As of August 2008, Souza Deco has played a total of 56 international matches and made 4 goals.
Souza Deco started his football career with Nacional Atlético Clube, where his football skills won him a stint with Sport Club Corinthians Paulista. In 1997, he came to Portugal along with Caju, a fellow Brazilian player, when he was signed by SL Benfica, Lisbon. He was then loaned out to FC Alverca for a season after which he was acquired by S.C. Salgueiros. Souza Deco played 12 matches in 1998-99 season for the club and scored 2 goals. His performances caught the attention of FC Porto staff and he joined the club in 1999. He contributed to the club’s win at the 1999 Portuguese Liga and 1999 Portuguese Supercup. He was also a part of the team that won the Portuguese Cup in 2000, 2001 and 2003.
In the 2002-03 season, Souza Deco was a pivotal figure in the FC Porto club and made 10 goals in 30 matches earning him the 2003 Portuguese Golden ball. He helped FC Porto win the 2003 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup and 2003 Portuguese Supercup. He was also an important player in the 3-2 win of Porto against Celtic F.C in the UEFA Cup. In the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, Souza Deco scored the second goal of the match, thus helping in Porto’s 3-0 win against Monaco. He went on to win the UEFA Most Valuable Player for the 2003-04 season, the 2004 Portuguese footballer of the Year and the 2004 UEFA Best Midfielder awards.
Souza Deco signed a four-year deal with F.C Barcelona on July 6, 2004 and in December 2004 he came second in France Football’s Ballon D’Or 2004 award. On 14 May 2005, Deco was a part of the team that played against Levante UD, which gave Barcelona their 17th La Liga title. He was awarded with Barcelona’s player of the season (2005-06) title.
He contributed for the team’s winning of the Spanish Supercup in 2005 and 2006. He was also a part of the team that won 2006 UEFA Champions League and 2006 Spanish Liga, and the runners-up in 2006 UEFA Supercup and 2006 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Club World Cup. He was awarded the Golden Ball and Man of the Match award at the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. Souza Deco went on to win the 2006 UEFA Best Midfielder Award joining the list of exclusive players who won the award more than once with different teams.
Souza Deco signed a three year contract for Chelsea on June 30, 2008 and made his Premier League debut for Chelsea on August 17, 2008 in a 4-0 match against Portsmouth.
