Edu Dracena

Edu Dracena
Personal information
Full nameEduardo Luis Abonízio de Souza
Date of birth18 May 1981
Place of birthDracena, Brazil
Height1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionCentre back
Club information
Current team
Corinthians
Number17
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1995–2003Guarani53(2)
2002–2003→ Olympiacos (loan)5(0)
2003–2006Cruzeiro89(6)
2006–2009Fenerbahçe72(5)
2009–2015Santos115(7)
2015–Corinthians0(0)
National team‡
2004Brazil U-238(0)
2003–2007Brazil2(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 December 2014.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 27 May 2009

Eduardo Luis Abonízio de Souza, better known as Edu Dracena (born 18 May 1981) is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Corinthians as a central defender.

Club career

Guarani

Born in Dracena, São Paulo, Dracena graduated with Guarani's youth setup. He made his professional debut in 1999, in a 1–2 loss against Matonense, aged just 17.

Dracena established himself in the club's starting XI in the following years, impressing in 2002.

Olympiacos

On 2 July 2002 Dracena was loaned to Olympiacos in a season-long deal.[1] He was a part of the squad which won the Alpha Ethniki, but only appearing in five matches.

Cruzeiro

Shortly after his return to Guarani, Dracena signed for Cruzeiro on 8 February 2003,[2] as a replacement for Lyon-bound Cris. He appeared regularly for the club, winning the year's League and Cup.

Dracena fell through the pecking order in 2005, mainly due to an injury which ruled him out for seven months. In 2006, he was appointed Cruzeiro's captain, winning the state league.

Fenerbahçe

In August 2006, Dracena transferred to Fenerbahçe for a €5.7 million fee.[3] On 19 May 2007, he scored Fenerbahçe's 500th goal against rivals Galatasaray.

Dracena rescinded his link with the club on 24 August 2009, after being mainly used as a backup during the 2008–09 season.[4]

Santos

On 16 September 2009 Dracena signed a three-year-deal with Santos FC,[5] being sidelined during his first year due to a knee injury.

Dracena was an important defensive unit for Peixe in the following years, winning three state leagues (2010 2011 and 2012), one Copa do Brasil (2010, scoring in the final) and one Copa Libertadores (2011). However, he struggled with two serious knee injuries which sidelined him for long periods.

On 15 January 2015, after the club's financial trouble, Dracena rescinded his link.[6]

Corinthians

On 21 January, Dracena signed a two-year deal with Santos' fierce rivals Corinthians.[7]

International career

Dracena played for the Brazil U-20 team in 2001, participated in the 2001 U-20 World Cup. He was also a member of Brazil U-23 team that failed to win the 2004 Pre-Olympic Tournament and hence failed to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics.

In June 2003, Dracena received his first call up to the Brazilian senior team for the 2003 Confederations Cup. However, he did not make his international debut during the competition.

Four years later, Dracena was called up to play a friendly match against United States and Mexico on 9 and 12 September 2007. He played 45 minutes as a substitute against United States, which marked his first international cap, followed by a place in the starting line-up against Mexico.[8][9]

Career statistics

(Correct as of December 1, 2014)[10]
Club Season State League National League National Cup Continental1 Other2 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Guarani 1999 —161———161
2000 —161———161
2001 —210———210
Subtotal —532———532
Olympiacos 2002–03 —50—50—100
Subtotal —50—50—100
Cruzeiro 2003 —353———353
2004 —322———322
2005 —50———50
2006 —171———171
Subtotal —896———896
Fenerbahçe 2006–07 —2714080—391
2007–08 —2934012010463
2008–09 —1615180—292
Subtotal —725131280101146
Santos 2009 —20———20
2010 16028292—20534
2011 191271—13120613
2012 13462—121—317
2013 151332500000503
2014 00190500000240
Subtotal 63611571922524022617
Corinthians 2015 11000004000150
Subtotal 11000004000150
Career total 746334203236125050731

1 Including matches for Copa Libertadores, UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League.

2 Including matches for Turkish Super Cup, Copa Sudamericana and FIFA Club World Cup.

Honours

Guarani
Olympiacos
Cruzeiro
Fenerbahçe
Santos

References

  1. ↑ "Zagueiro Edu Dracena vai jogar no Olympiakos" [Stopper Edu Dracena will play in Olympiakos] (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 2 July 2002. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Cruzeiro contrata Edu Dracena para o lugar de Cris" [Cruzeiro signs Edu Dracena as a replacement for Cris] (in Portuguese). Diário do Grande ABC. 8 February 2003. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Edu Dracena troca o Cruzeiro pelo Fenerbahçe" [Edu Dracena changes Cruzeiro for Fenerbahçe] (in Portuguese). Agora Esporte. 26 August 2006. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Edu Dracena rescinde contrato com Fenerbahçe" [Edu Dracena rescinds contract with Fenerbahçe] (in Portuguese). Trivela. 24 August 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "Santos contrata zagueiro Edu Dracena" [Santos signs stopper Edu Dracena] (in Portuguese). Terra Esportes. 16 September 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  6. ↑ "Nota à imprensa" [Announcement to the media] (in Portuguese). Santos' official website. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Reforço para a zaga, Edu Dracena assina por dois anos com o Timão" [Addition to the defense, Edu Dracena signs for two years with Timão] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Falls to World's No. 1 Team as Ronaldinho Scores the Game-Winner to Give Brazil a 4-2 Victory". USA's official website. 9 September 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Edu é titular na Seleção" [Edu is a starter in Seleção] (in Portuguese). Fenerbahçe's official website. 13 September 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  10. ↑ Edu Dracena profile at Soccerway

External links