Deivid Revived in Turkiye

The following article appeared on the FIFA website recently (www.fifa.com). It's a good story about the career revitalization of Fenerbahce's Deivid de Souza. Please visit http://www.fifa.com/en/WorldLeagues/index/0,4643,126263,00.html?articleid=126263
to read the article in its entirety. Also, special thanks to my good friend Ugur Pembecioglu for sending this to me. Ugur Bey has a fantastic blog - http://since1907.blogspot.com/


Deivid revived in Turkey

(FIFA.com) 24 Nov 2006

Europe is generally a happy hunting ground for Brazilian strikers. Year-by-year, a fresh crop of talented predators leave their homeland and duly take to life on the Old Continent with consummate ease.However, in spite of an unwaveringly consistent goals return for both Santos and Corinthians, Deivid de Souza struggled to make a swift transition across the Atlantic. Belatedly, though, after arriving in Istanbul, Turkey following an aborted spell in France and a hit-and-miss period in Portugal, the 27-year-old has rediscovered the form that prompted Pele to laud him as 'a Seleção star of the future'.

The fortunate beneficiaries of Deivid's arresting return to form are Fenerbahce, the Turkish big guns determined to celebrate their centenary year (2007) by reclaiming the Super League title from arch-rivals Galatasaray and winning the Turkish Cup for the first time in over two decades. Approaching the halfway point in the season, the odds on the Yellow Canaries completing the domestic double have shortened - and this is in no small part due to the performances of their Brazilian number 99.

Surprise transferDeivid's transfer from Sporting Lisbon to Fenerbahe took many by surprise. The fact that he had started the campaign in the green and white hoops of the Lions suggested that his immediate future remained in the Portuguese capital.However, within days of inspiring Sporting to an opening day defeat of Boavista, he was being presented as a Fenerbahce player. The club's recently-appointed coach, Brazilian legend Zico, had evaluated Fenerbahce's 2005/06 season and concluded that their frontline had contributed too few goals. Indeed, strikes from playmaking genius Alex and Tuncay Sanli, regularly deployed as an advanced midfielder or out on the wing, were relied upon abundantly.So, even though Serbian goal-getter Mateja Kezman was already at his disposal, Zico encouraged the club's money men to recruit Deivid. It was a switch that appealed to the former Bordeaux player: "I'm delighted to have come to Fenerbahce," he enthused after inking a deal at the Sukru Saracoglu. "I'm here for success. I think we have a very strong squad and it will be great to play with players like Alex."
Deivid de Souza (R) heads home his third goal against Vestel Manisaspor under pressure from Ugur Inceman in Manisa on 29 October 2006.

Goals galoreDeivid made his Fenerbahce bow in a 2-2 draw against Antalyaspor in September, failing to find the target but impressing with his unselfish movement and neat link-play. Thereafter, he suffered from a dip in form and he found himself relegated to the bench as Zico opted to deploy Kezman as a lone striker. Deivid's chance to stake a claim for a return to the starting eleven came when Fener kicked-off their Turkish Cup camapign against Gaziantepspor in late-October, and he made the most of the opportunity, scoring late to set his team en route to a 2-0 victory.

It proved to be the start of a stunning goals explosion from the Nova Iguacu native. Kezman sustained an injury before Fenerbahce's next outing, presenting Deivid with an extended run in the side. It was a circumstance that the then-league leaders Manisaspor were to regret, as the ex-Cruzeiro man returned from a trip to Manisa having netted all of Fener's goals in a 3-2 success. Another Deivid goal capped a fine individual display in Fenerbahce's next match, a 4-1 win over Gaziantepspor, and although the tournament was of a different nature four days later, Deivid's form wasn't as he headlined a 4-0 defeat of Sivasspor in the Turkish Cup.Indeed, in between breaking the deadlock and rippling the hosts' net in the second period to take his tally to seven goals in four matches, he provided an assist for attacking cohort Semih. "I was very impressed by Deivid," Zico gushed post-match. "I asked him to roam into the midfield and help out his team-mates and he did it very well."

After a goalless draw with Besiktas at the weekend, Fenerbahce now hold a four-point advantage over second-placed Galatasaray.With the fierce adversaries both vying to win their seventeenth domestic championship, the stakes will be mightily high when the two sides meet in early-December. Fenerbahçe will be banking on Deivid's rich vein of form continuing; if it does, the Galatasaray defenders will have their work cut out attempting to nullify his threat.