Deco

Anderson Luís de Souza (born 27 August 1977), also known as Deco (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈdɛku]), is a former professional footballer who primarily played as an attacking or central midfielder. Born and raised in Brazil, he played for the Portugal national team. He currently works as sporting director for Barcelona. Deco is widely considered one of the best midfielders of his generation. Deco is one of the few players to have won the UEFA Champions League with two clubs, with Porto in 2004 and Barcelona in 2006. He was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and UEFA Best Midfielder in Porto's Champions League-winning season and was named Man of the Match in the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final. Deco was the first player to win the UEFA Best Midfielder Award with two clubs, Porto and Barcelona. He was awarded the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball and the Man of the Match award in the final despite losing to Internacional. Deco received Portuguese citizenship in 2002 having completed five years of Portuguese residence, and subsequently opted to play internationally for the Portugal national team. He earned 75 caps for them, playing at two UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups, reaching the final of Euro 2004, and achieving a fourth-place finish at the 2006 World Cup.