DECO BID FAREWELL TO FOOTBALL WITH A TESTIMONIAL MATCH

The retired Brazilian-born Portuguese midfielder Deco bid farewell to football with a testimonial between the Porto of 2004 and the Barcelona of 2006, the two teams which marked his European playing career and with which he won the Champions League.

Deco scored a goal in his testimonial

The friendly, which was played at walking pace and with a clearly emotional tone, ended in a 4-4 draw. The Argentinean 'Azulgrana' Lionel Messi and the Cameroonian Eto'o crashed the party in the second half and demonstrated glimpses of their quality with goals and assists.

Almost 50,000 people packed the stands of the Dragao Stadium - tickets were sold out, in fact - to mark the end of Deco's playing career. He was a key member of the team trained by José Mourinho a decade ago which won the club's second European Cup and was a fundamental piece in Rikjaard's line-up when he won the Champions League with Barcelona.

The match was interrupted several times during the 90 minutes to watch videos sent by friends and teammates of the former player, such as the Chelsea manager José Mourinho (who was initially scheduled to attend), Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos, who dedicated a few words to him. Ronaldinho was also on the guest list, but did not turn up.

Eto'o (2), Messi and Deco were the goalscorers for the 'Azulgrana' outfit.

Anderson Luís de Souza commonly known as Deco was born 27 August 1977, and last played for Fluminense.

Deco is one of the few players to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs – FC Porto in 2004 and FC Barcelona in 2006. He was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and UEFA Best Midfielder in Porto's Champions League-winning season and was named Man of the Match in the 2003–04 Champions League final. 

Deco was the first player to win the UEFA Best Midfielder Award with two different clubs, Porto and Barcelona. He was awarded the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball and the Man of the Match award in the final despite losing to Internacional.

Deco received Portuguese citizenship in 2002 having completed five years of Portuguese residence, subsequently opting to play internationally for the Portugal national football team. He earned 75 caps for them, playing at two European Championships and two World Cups.

Deco announced his retirement on 26 August 2013, following a hamstring injury.