PLAYER PROFILE

Souza Deco

Position: Midfield

Height: 5'9

Weight: 11st 7lbs

Date of Birth: 1977-08-27 Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil

Souza Deco

Chelsea signed Portuguese playmaker Deco from Barcelona for a fee of around £8m in June 2008. Deco was the first arrival at Stamford Bridge after his national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was announced as the new manager.

He started the season in brilliant form, scoring on his debut with a 40-yard screamer against Portsmouth. He added a second goal with the winner against Wigan in the following match. He finished August by winning the Player of the Month award.

However, his fortunes declined after this. He was injured in October and it wasn't until December that he struck his third goal for the club - a bicycle kick against Bolton. The sacking of Scolari, along with some poor performances, led to him losing his place in the second half of the season.