Deco Appreciation

There is a group of players that gain their fame through spectacular dribbles, outstanding technique, or by scoring a great number of goals.

Deco isn't necessarily one of these players. What he stands out for is his huge passing ability, his vision on the field, and his decisiveness. Oftentimes, Deco is the kind of player you don't really see on the pitch, but without whom, his team would be utterly inefficient.

Born in Brazil, Deco played for a second-division club, Corinthians Alagoano, that didn't show promise for being a good launch pad for talented soccer players.

For this reason, when Benfica offered him a deal at age 19, Deco was quick to accept, as Benfica is one of the most important teams in Portugal. He was moving to a country that spoke roughly the same language, and he had the prospects of starting a European career, which is the dream of many Brazilian players.

In his role as a playmaker, he could express his talent in passing and creating chances for his teammates, although for a number 10, he was considered rather defensive (usually, No. 10 playmakers are offensive midfielders). He moved to FC Porto in 1999, and his wonderful passes earned him the nickname "El Magico" from the fans.

Under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, Deco was set to lead his team in the new 2003-2004 season, a season in which fans fully expected FC Porto to come home with the league title, a title they haven't won in several years at that time.

A trophy-hungry team, lead by a magical passer in the field and a talented coach on the bench, FC Porto did more than just bring the title back to Porto, as they had a tremendous run in the UEFA Champions League, eventually winning it against equally surprising finalists AS Monaco.

In a match that ended 3-0 for the Portuguese side, Deco scored the second goal and was named Man of the Match.

The success in the Champions League triggered a rain of contracts for Deco from several important European clubs, and he eventually settled for FC Barcelona.

Deco's tactical prowess, defensive abilities, and passing mastery, coupled with the value of the Barcelona squad, triggered what was expected to be a European domination from the Spanish side, which won the league title in two consecutive years (2004-2005 and 2005-2006) and the UEFA Champions League in 2005-2006 (which brought Deco into the exclusive club of players winning the Champions League with two different teams).

Although he is often linked to a move from Barcelona (especially to Chelsea, where he would team up again with his former FC Porto coach, Jose Mourinho), Deco stated that he had no intention of leaving Barcelona and its wonderful fans, at least not in the near future.

In the end, that's exactly what happened, and Deco sealed a move from Barcelona to Chelsea after the Euro '08 championships. Barcelona's new coach came out with a sweeping decision. The decision was that the superstar trio Ronaldinho, Eto'o, and Deco were surplus to requirements, and they were free to leave.

This move could prove to be costly as Deco joined the Stamford Bridge outfit, and Ronaldinho moved on to A.C Milan.

Joining a squad with an embarrassment of riches in the midfield department, Deco will have his work cut out for him. With Lampard and Essien signing new five-year contracts, and Ballack having already declared his intentions of ending his career at Chelsea, Deco may well form a formidable quartet of midfielders that compliment each other's game.

Let's all now sit back and hope he enjoys a wonderful couple of years with Chelsea and dazzles us with his excellent abilities.

Salomon