Matheus Leite Nascimento

This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Leite and the second or paternal family name is Nascimento.
Matheus

Matheus after a game with Dnipro in 2011
Personal information
Full nameMatheus Leite Nascimento
Date of birth15 January 1983
Place of birthRibeirópolis, Brazil
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing positionForward
Club information
Current team
Dnipro
Number99
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2003–2005Itabaiana
2005Marco14(4)
2006–2011Braga87(9)
2007→ Beira-Mar (loan)14(0)
2007→ Vitória Setúbal (loan)15(5)
2011–Dnipro85(27)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 November 2014.
† Appearances (Goals).

Matheus Leite Nascimento (born 15 January 1983 in Ribeirópolis, Sergipe), simply known as Matheus, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Ukrainian club FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk as a forward.

Club career

After starting professionally with lowly Associação Olímpica de Itabaiana, Matheus moved to Portugal in the summer of 2005, with second division club F.C. Marco. In January of the following year, however, he was bought by top flight's S.C. Braga,[1] making four appearances in his first season.

During the year 2007, encompassing both the 2006–07 and 2007–08 campaigns, Matheus served two loans: in January 2007 he played with S.C. Beira-Mar, appearing from August–December with Vitória de Setúbal and being subsequently recalled by Braga.

In 2009–10 Matheus appeared in all 30 league matches – but rarely as a starter – as Braga finished in a best-ever second place, behind S.L. Benfica. He contributed with five goals, in 1,142 minutes of action.

Matheus started the following season with major contributions: on 28 July, he scored from a 35-meter free kick to close the score against Celtic (3–0 at home), as Braga progressed to the next UEFA Champions League qualifying round (4–2 on aggregate).[2] On 13 August, in the league opener against Portimonense SC, he started and opened the scoresheet in an eventual 3–1 home win; five days later, again for the Champions League, he scored the game's only goal in a home win against Sevilla FC –[3]in celebrating the goal, he pulled out a pacifier and put it in his mouth[4]– and netted the first in the second leg in Andalusia, in a 4–3 win (5–3 on aggregate).

On 23 November 2010 Matheus scored twice in the dying minutes of the 2–0 Champions League home win against Arsenal,[5] although Braga would eventually fail to reach the knockout stages of the competition, finishing third in its group. In January 2011 the 28-year-old left and signed for FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine, for €1 million.

International career

In March 2013, after more than two years of living in the country, Matheus indicated that he would be likely to accept a call-up for the Ukrainian national team if asked.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Luíz and Frechaut trade places". UEFA.com. 24 January 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
  2. ↑ Braga bow leaves Celtic reeling; UEFA.com, 28 July 2010
  3. ↑ Matheus gives Braga slender lead; UEFA.com, 18 August 2010
  4. ↑ Braga's Matheus uses a pacifier as he celebrates his goal against Sevilla with team mate Leandro Salino during their Champions League qualifying soccer match; Eurosport UK, 18 August 2009
  5. ↑ Matheus strikes twice as Braga down Arsenal; UEFA.com, 23 November 2010
  6. ↑ Шаг навстречу. Луис Адриано и еще 8 иностранцев, рассчитывавших на сборную Украины (in Russian). Tribuna. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2014.

External links