Soccer Star - Jonas Gonçalves Oliveira, Brazilian forward

Jonas Gonçalves Oliveira, also known as Jonas (born April 1, 1984 in Bebedouro), is a Brazilian forward. Jonas can also play as a striker, winger and a attacking midfielder. He currently plays for Valencia CF of Spain.

Jonas started his career at Guarani in 2005. He made his debut against Esporte Clube Santo André. While playing for Guarani, Jonas scored 12 goals in 25 matches.

Jonas attracted many Brazilian teams after his impressive performances. Among these teams were Palmeiras, Corinthians and Cruzeiro. Jonas ended up signing for Brazilian champions Santos at the end of the transfer period.

In 2006, Jonas transferred to Brazilian champions Santos, where he won the 2006 Campeonato Paulista scoring five goals in six matches. However, he had a serious knee injury that kept him out of action for six months.

In 2007 he returned to the pitch and scored four in the Paulista, making Santos champions two years in a row. Despite his performances he remained at the bench, and after spending only one year at Santos, Jonas transferred to Grêmio in 2007.

Due to a low release fee (€1.25 million), Jonas rescinded his contract with Grêmio and transferred to Spanish club Valencia on 24 January 2011. He got his first goal for Los Che on 27 February , scoring a late winner in a 2-1 away victory for Valencia against Athletic Bilbao. He scored his second goal in an 24 April game against Real Madrid, which ended 3-6. He then scored against Real Sociedad in a 3-0 win.

On 1 November 2011, Jonas scored the second fastest goal in Champions League history by netting inside 10.5 seconds, to give Valencia a 1-0 lead over Bayer Leverkusen. He just fell short of former FC Bayern Munich and Dutch national team striker, Roy Makaay's record of 10.12 seconds that he set against Real Madrid in the 2006-07 edition of the tournament. Valencia won the match 3-1.

 

 

Soccer Star - Eduardo Pereira Rodrigues, Brazilian footballer

Eduardo Pereira Rodrigues, or simply Dudu (born on 7 January 1992 in Goiânia) is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays in Ukraine for Dynamo Kyiv

Rodrigues began his career on youthside for Cruzeiro Esporte Clube and earned on 14 June 2009 his first cap in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A against Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras. On 27 April 2010 Coritiba Foot Ball Club signed the 18-year old Attacking midfielder on loan from Cruzeiro until December 2010. Dudu went back to Cruzeiro for the 2011 season. On 25 June in the match against Coritiba Dudu, playing as a suplent, has surprised the coach Joel Santana, who said: "Dudu entered really well in the match. He is such a bold boy, intelligent, he doesn't forget the instructions. He is audacious, even being a little guy. It proves that tallness isn't really important for football. Quality, ability and competence are. He showed he is such a competent player, in spite of his young age."

On 27 August 2011, it was announced on his team Cruzeiro's official homepage that Dudu will join Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv on a €5 million offer.

 

 

Soccer Star - Sandro Raniere, Brazilian international defensive midfielder

Sandro Raniere Guimarães Cordeiro or simply Sandro (born 15 March 1989) is a Brazilian international defensive midfielder, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur. He joined English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur at the end of Internacional's victorious 2010 Copa Libertadores campaign in September, 2010.

Sandro is a product of Internacional's youth academy. He signed his first professional contract and began his senior career in 2007 as an 18 year old. He has been described as a defensive midfielder who gets forward.

Sandro was one of the main players of Inter's winning 2010 Copa Libertadores campaign. Sandro was already signed to Tottenham through most of the competition, but that did not affect his performance negatively: on the contrary, he said he "live[d] with great intensity, as each game could be the last". With this in mind, he worked hard to stay in Internacional as long as possible in order to help the team reach the finals. After winning South America's top trophy, he flew to England the following week.

On 30 August 2009, Tottenham Hotspur were reported to have had a £14 million bid rejected for the player. However, on 20 October 2009, Spurs and Internacional agreed an affiliation of the two clubs, ensuring that Tottenham have first option on all academy players from the Brazilian outfit. Following this agreement, there were rumours of a near-concluded deal pending for the 2009–10 Premier League January transfer window. Six days later, on 26 October 2009, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp confirmed he was interested in Sandro, for a fee rumoured to be around £8 million.

On 10 March 2010, Internacional President Vitorio Piffero confirmed the transfer of the midfielder to Tottenham, after the Copa Libertadores. The transfer amount was speculated to be around €10 million, with only the contract yet to be signed.

On 23 March 2010, both Internacional and Tottenham announced on their respective websites that a deal had been agreed for Sandro for an undisclosed fee. It was also announced Sandro would join Tottenham following the end of the Copa Libertadores, which finishes on 18 August, subject to the player passing a medical.

 

  

 

Soccer Star - Hernanes, Brazilian midfielder

Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Andrade Lima (born 29 May 1985), commonly known as Hernanes is a Brazilian midfielder who currently plays for Lazio.

Hernanes can be used as a playmaker in the centre attacking midfield role. He is notable for his ambidexterity, as well as being neat and tidy in possession, with the ability to spray the ball out wide in order to stretch play. He is also an accurate and powerful striker of the ball.

Born in Recife, Hernanes is a product of the São Paulo academy and has played for them since 2001. He was loaned out to Santo André for the 2006 season. In 2008, as a São Paulo player, Hernanes won the Prêmio Craque do Brasileirão's best player award.
In January 2009, Hernanes was listed as the most promising football player in the world by the British newspaper, The Times.

On 6 August 2010, São Paulo agreed to sell Hernanes to Lazio. Hernanes signed a five-year contract.Lazio also paid €11.1 million to São Paulo and third-parties owner Traffic Group. He scored on his debut, putting away a penalty in a practice match against Deportivo La Coruña, having previously been brought down in the box. He also assisted Sergio Floccari for Lazio's third goal. His first Serie A goal was also on a penalty, against Bologna in another 3-1 victory. On 3 December 2010 he scored the third goal in a 3-1 win over Internazionale with a free kick.

 

 

Soccer Star - Lucas Leiva, Brazilian footballer

Lucas Pezzini-Leiva (born 9 January 1987), often known as simply Lucas, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a Defensive midfielder for Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazilian national side. Lucas is the nephew of former Brazilian footballer Leivinha and also holds an Italian passport thanks to his descent from the country.

Lucas began his career at Grêmio in 2005. The following year was a successful year for him, as Grêmio won the Rio Grande do Sul state championship (the Campeonato Gaúcho) for the first time since 2001, and also came third in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Lucas also became the youngest player ever to receive Placar magazine's Bola de Ouro (Golden Ball), given to the best player in the Campeonato Brasileiro — an honour previously won by the likes of Zico, Falcão, Careca, Alex, Romario, Robinho, Kaká and Tévez.

On 26 July 2007, he was officially unveiled as a Liverpool player for a fee of £5 million and was given international clearance to compete in the final of the Barclays Asia Trophy. Manager Rafael Benítez was pleased with his signing, saying: "I am looking forward to seeing him score goals for Liverpool in the future and [we] believe he has the mentality and the character you need to do well in England". The next day, Lucas made his debut against Portsmouth, coming on for Mohamed Sissoko in the second half. He also won a penalty in the match against Everton after Phil Neville handballed on the line from Lucas' shot.

By late November, manager Benítez gave Lucas his chance to start a game in the Liverpool midfield, after easing him in during his first few months at the club. Lucas scored his first goal for Liverpool on 27 January 2008 when he curled a 25-yard shot into the top corner during an FA Cup match against Havant and Waterlooville, becoming the first Brazilian to score for Liverpool. The young Brazilian also started league games against Chelsea and Arsenal, as well as both Champions League games against Inter Milan.

The start of the 2008–09 season signified an important turning point for his career. Many commentators expected him to step up to the next level after completing his first season with the Reds. The Brazilian got off to a good start with a well taken opening goal in a 2–1 friendly win over Swiss side FC Lucerne in July. He impressed in pre-season games but missed the start of Premier League season due to his selection for the Brazilian Olympic Team in the Beijing Olympics. He returned with a bronze medal and Benítez had high hopes for the Brazilian's future, stating "this season he will improve because he is a very, very good professional and has experience of the Olympic Games". Lucas noted that Liverpool's squad was much improved from the previous season and relished the opportunity to compete for trophies, despite the increased difficulty of getting a first team place. However, after a number of disappointing performances, both critics and fans voiced concerns about Lucas' quality and his confidence was further knocked when Liverpool fans booed him after a lacklustre draw against Fulham. The criticism irked Benítez and he responded with a passionate defence of the player, saying that "people just don't know how good Lucas is" Benitez also underlined Lucas' credentials, stating that he had been captain for both Grêmio and his national youth team, and that competing for place against Mascherano, Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso was inherently difficult. Lucas' performances in December 2008 for Liverpool drew him much praise from pundits, the highlight being his performance in the 5–1 thrashing of Newcastle, where he provided an assist for Steven Gerrard. Lucas was sent off in a cup tie against Mersey rivals Everton, which Liverpool lost. This compounded his growing unpopularity amongst Liverpool's supporters, after he gave away a late penalty in Liverpool's previous match, a 1–1 draw with Wigan.

 

 

Soccer Star - Alex Sandro Lobo Silva, Brazilian footballer

Alex Sandro Lobo Silva , or simply Alex Sandro (born 26 January 1991 in Catanduva, Brazil), is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Futebol Clube do Porto.

After winning an impressive amount of honours with the Atletico Paranaense youth setup and a very good performance in the Copa Parana with the U23 side, Alex Sandro earned his first call up to the senior side in October 2008. He played one game in the Brasileiro, taking on Internacional on the 18th of October.

In 2009, Alex Sandro played a role in Atletico's championship run in the Campeonato Paranaense, playing in 8 matches. He scored his first goal on the 25th of January against Rio Branco, passing the ball to himself around the keeper. As of October 2009, he has played in 9 Brasileiro matches, playing a total of 269 minutes.

Alex Sandro was signed by Santos FC in 2011 in 2-year loan. Atletico Paranaense sold him to the investors, using Uruguayan club Deportivo Maldonado as a proxy to hold the registration rights.

On 23 July 2011, F.C. Porto signed Alex Sandro for €9.6 million from Deportivo Maldonado.

 

 

 

Soccer Star - Fábio Pereira da Silva, Brazilian footballer

 

Fábio Pereira da Silva (born 9 July 1990), commonly known as Fábio or Fábio da Silva, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a full-back for Manchester United of the Premier League, along with his twin brother, Rafael, who were signed by Manchester United in February 2007.

Fábio was born in Petrópolis, "The City of Peter", approximately one hour's drive away from Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro state, and began playing football from the age of five. He and his identical twin, Rafael, would play five-a-side in the city. They were then spotted by a representative of Fluminense, who gave them the opportunity to play for the club; they went to live at the club's training center at Xerém when they were just 11 years old.

Despite signing for the club in February 2007, Fábio was unable to be registered as a Manchester United player or play in matches for the club until his 18th birthday on 9 July 2008. He made his first appearance for Manchester United on 4 August 2008, coming on as a half-time substitute for Patrice Evra in a 2–0 friendly win away to Peterborough United. His performance in that game was praised, with Today claiming that "Manchester United finally found out what they were missing". He has since played in eight matches for the club's reserve team, scoring five goals – including a hat-trick against Rochdale in the Lancashire Senior Cup on 16 March 2009 – and was named on the bench for United's second league game of the season against Portsmouth on 25 August 2008. However, Fábio's competitive debut for the Manchester United first team was delayed by a shoulder injury, which required surgery.

Fábio finally made his debut on 24 January 2009, in the 2–1 FA Cup Fourth Round win over Tottenham Hotspur. However, he picked up an injury to his calf shortly into the second half and had to be replaced by fellow debutant Richard Eckersley. Fábio made his Premier League debut for Manchester United on 16 August, playing at right-back at home to Birmingham City on the opening day of the 2009–10 season. He made his second start of the season at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round of the League Cup, but he was red-carded just short of the half-hour mark for a professional foul on Michael Kightly.

On 21 October, Fábio was handed his Champions League debut in a 1–0 win over CSKA Moscow; he started the game but came off shortly before the end with an injury. Sir Alex Ferguson expressed his pleasure with Fábio's performance, especially with the game being played on an artificial surface. On 27 October, Fábio was booked for a foul committed by his twin brother Rafael in United's 2–0 League Cup victory over Barnsley. Manchester United appealed and The FA agreed it was a case of mistaken identity, transferring the card to Rafael. On 1 April 2010, Fábio signed a contract extension with Manchester United that will tie him to the club until at least June 2014. Fábio scored his first goal for United on 26 February 2011, netting the final goal in a 4–0 away win over Wigan Athletic. Just 2 weeks later he scored again, netting his first FA Cup goal and first at Old Trafford, opening the scoring in a 2–0 win over Arsenal.

 

 

Soccer Star - Adriano Correia, Brazilian footballer

Adriano Correia Claro (born 26 October 1984), simply Adriano, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for FC Barcelona in La Liga.

One of few players in professional football who is genuinely ambidextrous, he is capable of playing as a defender or midfielder, on both sides of the pitch.

Born in Curitiba, Paraná, Adriano started professionally for his hometown club, Coritiba Foot Ball Club, making his first team debuts at not yet 18. In January 2005, he joined Sevilla FC in a four 1/2-year deal, his La Liga debut arriving on the 29th, a 0–4 home loss against eventual champions FC Barcelona. The Andalusians, however, did finish sixth and qualified for the UEFA Cup. In the following seasons, Adriano continued to feature in several positions for Sevilla with equal success, as it won back-to-back UEFA Cups, with the player contributing with 25 matches and four goals in both editions combined. In the final of the latter edition, he opened the score against RCD Espanyol, in an eventual penalty shootout win; previously, in late September 2006, he had added a further five years to his link. After three years residing in the country, he was granted Spanish citizenship.

Adriano struggled with some injuries during the 2009–10 season, but still contributed with 27 games (no goals) as Sevilla finished fourth and returned to the UEFA Champions League.

On 16 July 2010, Adriano signed a 4+1 deal with Barcelona, for €9.5 million plus a conditional fee of €4 million; it also included a buyout clause of €90 million. He was awarded the No.21 shirt vacated by Ukrainian Dmytro Chygrynskiy, departed after just one season. He made his debut in a pre-season friendly against Vålerenga Fotball, coming on in the second half; on 14 August, he first appeared officially, in the first leg of the season's domestic Supercup, a 1–3 loss at former side Sevilla.

Adriano spent the vast majority of his first season with Barça as a substitute. On 2 February 2011, in a rare start, he scored his first goal for the Catalans, netting in a 3–0 semifinal win at UD Almería for the season's Copa del Rey (8–0 on aggregate).

In 2011–12, Adriano was again mostly a reserve for the Josep Guardiola-led side. On 15 December 2011, however, in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, he scored the first two goals in a 4–0 semifinal win against Sadd Sports Club, profiting from a mistake in the Qatari team's defense to open the score in the 25th minute.

 

 

Soccer Star - Luisão, Brazilian footballer

Ânderson Luís da Silva (born 13 February 1981), aka Luisão (literally "Big Luís"), is a Brazilian footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, as a central defender.

Most of his professional career was spent with Benfica, for which he appeared in more than 300 official games, winning seven major titles.

A Brazilian international on more than 40 occasions, Luisão appeared for the country in two World Cups and three Copa América tournaments.

Born in Amparo, São Paulo, Luisão represented Clube Atlético Juventus and Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in his country, scoring a career-best six goals in 24 matches in his third season with the latter.

In the 2003 summer, Luisão's moved to Europe, signing with S.L. Benfica of Portugal for £890,000. He faced a tough period of adaptation, during which he performed somewhat below his capabilities and even considered traveling back to his home country. He did manage, however, to score in his league debut, a thrilling 3–3 home draw against C.F. Os Belenenses on 14 September. He ended his first season with the Portuguese Cup conquest, helping defeat F.C. Porto 2–1.

In 2004–05, Luisão featured regularly in Benfica's central defense, alongside Ricardo Rocha, appearing 29 times and contributing heavily for the Reds' first league title in 11 years: on 24 April 2005, in a 2–1 away victory over G.D. Estoril-Praia, he scored his first goal of the season, the game's equaliser. On 14 May, he found the net with his head against city rivals Sporting Clube de Portugal, scoring the game's only goal and ousting the opponents from the title race.

 

 

 

Soccer Star - Thiago Silva, Brazilian professional footballer

Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984), more commonly known as Thiago Silva, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Italian Serie A club Milan.

As a youngster, Thiago Silva trained with Fluminense, but was not signed when he grew older. However, he was offered a professional contract by small Rio Grande do Sul state club RS Futebol, in the south of Brazil, and was then quickly picked up by nearby Juventude, with whom he had an excellent debut season in the First Division in 2004. By this time, Thiago Silva, formerly a right winger who also had spells in midfield and at full-back, had been converted into a centre-back, and he was good enough to attract the attention of European clubs. Firstly, he played for Porto, then became one of the shopping list of Dynamo Moscow. In that transfer window, Silva moved along with Derlei, Cícero, Danny and Nuno Frechaut. But spells with Porto and Dynamo Moscow were blighted by injuries and illness, and he returned to Brazil to rebuild his career with the club he supported in his youth.

In December 2008, Thiago Silva joined Milan under a €10 million agreement. Silva was officially registered as a Milan player effectively from July 2009, since the club had already signed two non-EU nationals during the 2008–09 season (namely, Andriy Shevchenko and Tabaré Viudez).

He made his non-competitive debut with a rossoneri jersey in a friendly match against Hannover on 21 January 2009. He played all 90 minutes for the Rossoneri in that match. He made his league debut in a 2–1 win over Siena.

Since joining Milan, Thiago Silva has been very effective, praised for his occasional surging runs forward. He has also formed arguably the best central defensive partnership in the Serie A with Alessandro Nesta. Thiago Silva provides the speed in the Milan defense that Nesta now lacks, as he is able to chase down virtually any striker in Serie A or in any other league around the world. This has made him arguably the best defender in Serie A. On 8 November 2009, he scored his first goal against Lazio, as well as an own goal. In Milan's season opener against Lecce, he scored the second goal in their 4–0 win. Milan went on to win their first Serie A title in seven years, with Thiago Silva playing a key role. Thiago Silva played 39 games for Milan that season, picking up only a single yellow card in the process. On 13 September 2011, he scored a last minute goal against FC Barcelona at Camp Nou from a corner kicked by Clarence Seedorf. That goal saved Milan from a defeat with the score ending at 2–2. This was his first goal in a European competition.

On 17 May 2011, Milan announced that Thiago Silva extended his contract to 30 June 2016.
On 27 November 2011, Thiago Silva was named as captain and scored the opening goal in a convincing 4–0 victory against Chievo.