Kerlon Moura Souza

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Kerlon
Personal information
Full name Kerlon Moura Souza
Date of birth January 27, 1988 (age 19)
Place of birth    Ipatinga,
Minas Gerais, Brazil
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Nickname Foca (Seal)
Foquinha (Little Seal)
Playing position Attacking Midfielder / Forward
Club information
Current club Cruzeiro E.C.
Number 20
Youth clubs
2001-2005 Cruzeiro E.C.
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2005– Cruzeiro E.C. 031 0(1)   
National team2
2002-2003
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006–		 Brazil U15
Brazil U17
Brazil U18
Brazil U20


1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 22:23, 10 February 2007 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 22:23, 10 February 2007 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Kerlon Moura Souza (born January 27, 1988 in Ipatinga, Brazil) is a Brazilian football player, who currently plays for Cruzeiro Esporte Clube. He was the top scorer and best player at the 2005 Venezuela U17 South American Youth Championship.

Contents

[edit] Early career

He is a center forward known for his ability to flick the ball up onto his head and run with it during matches. It is known as the seal dribble, and is very hard for the defending team to challenge legally. Flicking the ball up from the turf onto his head, Kerlon then proceeds to run past opponents, whilst bouncing the ball on top of his forehead. The speed at which he travels when doing this, coupled with his ability to change direction as he runs with the ball above his head, often makes opponents resort to simply pushing him over and fouling him. He is said to have learned the move from his father, Silvinho, who was stunned when Kerlon mastered the seal dribble move.[1]


It's just a skill I have, though it's not meant to be a mark of disrespect for my opponents. Opponents say they will snap me. But this doesn’t scare me it just motivates me even more.
—Kerlon[1]

Although established as his trademark, the player has other talents up his sleeve. Able to operate in an advanced midfield position, or as a forward, Kerlon is also a proficient dribbler and possesses the ability to slip weighted passes in behind defenses. He also takes free-kicks since the seal dribble draws many fouls.


This South American Championships came to change my life, my destiny. I am more mature and I want to be used in the Brazilian Championship. I’m just waiting for the call from Levir (head coach of Cruzeiro EC at the time).
—Kerlon[2]

Kerlon has created a lot of noise and has drawn much attention to himself, he has already been called by many the next Ronaldinho, so as expected he has been linked with a number of clubs all across Europe. Kerlon intends to emulate and achieve what Ronaldinho and Ronaldo have achieved with Brazil[3]. For the time being he has a contract with Cruzeiro which he extended on May 25, 2005 up until the year 2009.[4]

[edit] Transfer

Manchester United were said to be pursuing the young star who could bring the 'seal dribble' to the Premiership. Sir Alex Ferguson supposedly discovered Kerlon during the South American Championships, which he was named top scorer and best player. However, both clubs later downplayed this rumor and insisted that neither sides were in contact with each other about the proposed transfer.[5]

Manchester United have long been thought to have interest in the South American youngster in the British press, but Kerlon has been linked with Italian football clubs as of late, especially Inter and Milan.

His manager was quoted saying, "all of the world knows that Kerlon is the rising star of Brazilian football," "all the main Italian and Spanish clubs are on him," during an interview with www.calciomercato.com where he discusses Kerlon's future and European possibilities. He also stated that it was possible for Kerlon to arrive in Europe, in the January transfer window or in June. In the interview his manager, Mino Raiola, said that the starting bid for him was €10 million. His manager also compared him to Messi of Barcelona saying he will be "better than Barcelona's Argentine" [6]. It should be noted that even though Kerlon has had 26 appearances with Cruzeiro he did not score a single goal in the Brazilian Série A as of 2006 or in any other competition.[7]. His move to Europe has been doubted because of recent comments where he has stated himself "not yet ready" to play European football and that he would like to play the 2007 season with Cruzeiro [8]. It has also been confirmed that if he does indeed move to Europe it will be on a permanent basis and under no condition would it be on loan[8]. Kerlon was offered to Palmeiras, another Brazilian club, along with Martinez in a trade for Palmeiras' Marcinho in the 2007 January transfer window [9] [10]. Although this was proposed, Martinez and team mate Leandro were traded instead of Kerlon [11]. Kerlon finally scored his first professional goal on February 25, 2007 against Ituiutaba Esporte Clube, Cruzeiro won the game 4-1.[12].

[edit] Awards & Honors

[edit] Personal distinctions

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b "He of the seal dribble", The New Boys From Brazil, November 18, 2006. Retrieved on November 18, 2006.
  2. ^ "Kerlon, a new star", Kerlon's Biography, July 5, 2006. Retrieved on November 18, 2006.
  3. ^ "Kerlon aiming to emulate two Rons", BBC Sports, April 18, 2005. Retrieved on January 2, 2007.
  4. ^ "Kerlon extends Cruzeiro deal to 2009", ESPN, May 25, 2005. Retrieved on September 15, 2006.
  5. ^ "Manchester United’s Kerlon move played down", FansFC, May 22, 2006. Retrieved on November 26, 2006.
  6. ^ "Kerlon primed for European move", Eurosport, November 7, 2006. Retrieved on November 18, 2006.
  7. ^ "2006 Cruzeiro Stats", Cruzeiro's Official Website, November 12, 2006. Retrieved on November 18, 2006. (Portuguese)
  8. ^ a b "Agente garante que Kerlon não sai emprestado", Cruzeiro.org, November 24, 2006. Retrieved on November 26, 2006. (Portuguese)
  9. ^ "Kerlon surpreso com chance de ir para o Palmeiras", GloboEsporte, December 29, 2006. Retrieved on January 1, 2007. (Portuguese)
  10. ^ "Kerlon pode defender o Palmeiras em 2007", Cruzeiro.org, December 29, 2006. Retrieved on January 1, 2007. (Portuguese)
  11. ^ "Confirmado: Palmeiras e Cruzeiro fazem troca-troca", GloboEsporte January 2, 2007. Retrieved on January 2, 2007. (Portuguese)
  12. ^ "Kerlon marca primeiro gol e almeja titularidade", Cruzeiro.org February 25, 2007. Retrieved on February 25, 2007. (Portuguese)

[edit] External links


Cruzeiro E.C. - Current Squad

1 Fábio | 2 Jonathan | 3 André Luís | 4 Luizão | 6 Júlio César | 11 Geovanni | 12 Lauro | 13 Thiago Heleno | 14 Gladstone | 16 Élson | 20 Kerlon | 22 Gabriel | 29 Flávio | 32 Léo Silva | 37 Jonathas | 40 Araújo | -- Pedro Júnior | -- Leandro Domingues | -- Fellype Gabriel | -- Ricardinho | -- Maicosuel | -- Marcinho | -- Nenê | -- Rômulo | -- Santos | -- Renan | Manager: Autuori
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