FCBARCELONA.CAT

28.01.2008 13:41

Deco: 150 games for Barça

Berta Brau

Deco played his 150th official game for Barcelona on Sunday in San Mamés against Bilbao. The matches have been split over six separate competitions and the Portuguese player has scored 21 goals.

On 29 August 2004, Anderson Luis de Souza, better known as Deco, made his debut in an official game wearing the Barça shirt. In the three years and five months since then, he has turned out for the club in 150 official matches in six different competitions.

150 games in six competitions

The bulk of the games have been in the League, with Deco playing in 107 matches. In other competitions the midfielder has played 28 games in the Champions League, seven in the King’s Cup, four in the Spanish Super Cup, one in the UEFA Super Cup and two in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Debut at the Sardinero and first goal

The Portuguese midfielder made his debut in the League match against Ràcing de Santander played at the latter’s Sardinero ground in a game that Barça won 2-0 with goals from Giuly and Eto'o. Deco’s first goal didn’t take long as he found the net on 14 September 2004 in his first Champions League match, with Glasgow Celtic being on the receiving end.

Since coming to Barcelona Deco has been a key player in Rijkaard’s midfield, both geeing up the side’s attack and also contributing the sizeable tally of 21 goals in 150 encounters.

First goal in the League

Deco scored his first goal in the League in the derby against Español two months after his debut. He struck early in the match and it turned out to be the winner in a closely fought encounter between the local rivals.

Since then Deco has scored another 19 goals, with 12 coming in the League, six in the Champions League, two in the Spanish Super Cup and one in the Club World Cup.

This season’s figures

In the 2007/08 campaign to date Deco has played in 17 matches, 12 of them in the League and the other five in the Champions League. So far he has only scored one goal, against Atlético de Madrid in the Camp Nou. However his opportunities have been restricted by an injury to an abductor muscle in his left leg which he picked up in the game against Villarreal.