Born inSão Bernardo do Campo, Deco spent time atCorinthians as a youngster, competing in theCopa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior for them. In the 1997 edition,Benfica sentToni to scout the tournament, and he soon noticed Deco, recommending his signing.[5] In June 1997, Benfica purchased his rights fromCSA and immediately sent him on loan (along with fellow Brazilian Caju) to theirfarm team,Alverca.[5][6] After helping them win promotion to thetop tier in1997–98 season by scoring 13 goals in 32 appearances, he returned to Benfica in July 1998. However, he left forSalgueiros in exchange forNandinho, who went in the opposite direction.[5] When asked byNuno Gomes in an interview forFourFourTwo why he did not stay and become a legend at Benfica, Deco said, "Benfica decided, it wasn't my decision. They didn't want me. The coach wasGraeme Souness at the time. I was young and Benfica needed some players."[7]
At Salgueiros, Deco was plagued by injuries and only made a few appearances, untilPorto purchased him in March 1999, in time to win theleague title.[8] His release from Benfica and subsequent success with Porto was considered byAntónio Simões as an "historical mistake", while Toni stated he saw in Deco, a successor forRui Costa the club needed since his departure.[5]
A deal was achieved between Porto and Barcelona the day after theEuro 2004 final. Barcelona agreed on a €15 million fee in cash, plus the complete rights ofRicardo Quaresma to Porto, which tagged Quaresma for €6 million.[10]
On 14 May 2005, Deco played in the draw againstLevante, which gave Barcelona their 17thLa Liga title. He also was named Barcelona's player of the season in the2005–06 season.
On 30 June 2008,Premier League team Chelsea signed Deco from Barcelona on a three-year contract for €10 million (£8 million).[13][14] He was the first signing of new Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who was formerly the head coach of thePortugal national team.
Deco scored on his debut with a 30-yard goal in a 4–0 league victory overPortsmouth.[15] Deco followed up his performance by scoring in his second game for Chelsea, a curling free-kick againstWigan Athletic. These performances led to him winning the Premier League Player of the Month award for August.[16] Deco made his Champions League debut for Chelsea on 16 September. Deco injured himself during a training session, but he returned from the thigh injury on 19 October and came on as a substitute againstMiddlesbrough. He was sent off in the 3–1 defeat byRoma on 4 November 2008. He then scored abicycle kick againstBolton Wanderers on 6 December.
Deco eventually lost his place in the2008–09 starting line up, due in part to some poor performances, but also to the sacking of Scolari. In a June interview, Deco said, "I do not want to stay. I have not liked my experience at Chelsea." This was soon followed byInter Milan, managed by former Chelsea manager José Mourinho, declaring Inter was attempting to sign Deco along with fellow countrymanRicardo Carvalho, who had also declared his desire to leave and, like Deco, desired to link-up with Mourinho again. Both players previously played under Mourinho at Porto.[17] However, Inter club presidentMassimo Moratti ruled out signing either of the Portuguese internationals on the basis of their age, tellingGazzetta dello Sport, "Deco and Carvalho? They are two champions but at this time I don't feel there's a need to buy them."[18]
On 26 August 2013, Deco retired, ending a 17-year career. The decision came on the day before his 36th birthday. His final match was four days prior, againstGoiás.[21]
Deco was never called up to theBrazil national team, as the Brazil squad for the2002 FIFA World Cup included other attacking midfielders such asRonaldinho,Rivaldo andJuninho. After completing six years of residence in Portugal, he was able to gain Portuguese citizenship and play fortheir national team. As none of his great-grandparents, grandparents or parents were Portuguese, underFIFA's player eligibility rules his citizenship was the only factor to allow him to play for Portugal. He was subsequently mentioned several times in the media as an option for the Portugal national team.
After many months of public discussion which split Portuguese public opinion, and despite the opposition of a large number of Porto rivals' supporters, he was called up for his first international, coincidentally against Brazil. He came on as a substitute forSérgio Conceição and scored the free-kick which won the match 2–1.[22] This was Portugal's first win over Brazil since the1966 FIFA World Cup. Since that match, he became a regular in the national team. BeforeUEFA Euro 2004,Luís Figo criticised Deco's inclusion[23] and said, "Se você nasceu chinês, bem, você tem que jogar pela China."(English: "If you're born Chinese, well, you have to play for China.") Deco responded, "Eu nasci no Brasil e seria uma mentira dizer que sou português agora e não brasileiro. Mas amo Portugal e adoro jogar pela seleção." (English:"I was born in Brazil and it would be a lie to say that I'm Portuguese now and not Brazilian. But I love Portugal and I love playing for the national team.")
Despite the early criticism, Deco was one of the highlights of the Portugal national team. He scored 5 goals in 75 caps for Portugal by June 2010, when his international career ended after the second-round defeat to Spain at the2010 World Cup.
In the2006 World Cup, Deco scored the first goal in Portugal's secondGroup D match againstIran in the 63rd minute prior toCristiano Ronaldo's 80th-minute penalty. During the first knockout stage of the competition, Deco received two yellow cards inthe match against theNetherlands with the first given for a rash tackle onJohn Heitinga, suspending him from the quarter-final win againstEngland, as he had already picked up a caution in the match with Iran. The win againstEngland in the quarter-final stage led to Portugal's defeat in the semi-final, which Deco was able to participate in.
On 11 June, Deco scored the opening goal in Portugal's second match ofEuro 2008, aGroup A clash with theCzech Republic. The match ended 3–1 to Portugal, with Deco aiding his team in their passage to the quarter-finals where Portugal's campaign came to an end againstGermany, the eventual runners-up of the tournament.
In February 2010, Deco announced he would be retiring from international football after the2010 World Cup.[24]
Deco played for Portugal in their opening game against theIvory Coast. During the match, he was injured and was ruled out of the remaining two group matches, againstNorth Korea and Brazil. He was fit again for the round of 16 match againstSpain, but Portugal head coachCarlos Queiroz choseTiago over him.
Deco retired from international football with 75 caps and 5 goals.
As a player, Deco was a versatile, tactically intelligent and creative midfielder with excellent vision and technical ability.[25][26] A generous and hard-working team-player capable of playing in several midfield positions. He was initially used as acentral midfielder under manager José Mourinho during his time with Porto, although he was also capable of playing as anattacking midfielder, as adeep-lying playmaker or as awinger on either flank.[27] What he lacked in pace as well as physical, defensive and athletic attributes,[27][28] he made up for in stamina, as well as excellent ball control,dribbling skills, passing range andcrossing ability, which allowed him to beat players, find space and create chances for teammates.[29][30][31] Deco was an excellent visionary with the ball, who opened up spaces for his teammates through finding passing lanes that no one else saw, and also had a notable ability to switch the tempo of play in rapid style.
A diminutive midfielder,[32] in later years, as he lost his acceleration, agility and mobility, he also went through a physical development, which, along with his balance, allowed him to protect the ball against larger opponents. He also contributed offensively with occasional goals due to his accurate mid-range shooting ability,[33] and his adeptness atfree-kicks.[34] Despite his talent, Deco was also known to be injury-prone and inconsistent at times, and was also accused of drifting in and out of matches. Furthermore, his work-rate and fitness were often brought into question in his later career.[28][32][35] Deco was also well known for his tendency to commit tactical fouls,[30] and he was accused ofdiving throughout his career.[31]
Deco is the brother-in-law of fellow former footballersAlecsandro andRicharlyson. Deco is an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. He also has a charitable organisation, the Deco Institute, based in the Brazilian city ofIndaiatuba, nearSão Paulo, where he grew up.[38]
After retiring, Deco set up D20 Sports Management, asports agency registered inDublin, Ireland. The agency, whose clients include Brazil internationalFabinho and Burkina Faso internationalEdmond Tapsoba, recorded €300,000 profit in 2017.[39]
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