This article is about the Brazilian footballer who played at the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup. For other footballers named Denilson, see Denilson (disambiguation).
Denílson de Oliveira Araújo (born 24 August 1977), known simply as Denílson or sometimes Denílson Show, is a Brazilian footballpundit and former professional player who played as a forward.
In a 17-year career, he played mainly for São Paulo and Real Betis, who made him the world's most expensive player in 1998. He also appeared for teams in five other countries during his career.
Denílson gained more than 60 caps for Brazil, making his full debut before his 20th birthday and representing the nation in six international tournaments, including two World Cups (winning the 2002 edition). Denilson was known for his dribbling skills.
In 1998, he broke the world-record transfer fee when Real Betis paid £21.5 million for his services.[2] He made his La Liga debut on 29 August in a 0–0 away draw against Alavés,[3] and finished his first season with 35 games and two goals as his team ranked in 11th position; the Andalusians were relegated to Segunda División in 2000.[4]
Denílson spent some months back in his country with Flamengo, on loan, but returned in January 2001 to be a productive attacking unit for Betis as it achieved promotion back (21 games, one goal). He continued to be regularly played in the following top flight campaigns, but more often than not as a substitute.
In the 2005 off-season, Denílson was sold to French club Bordeaux for an undisclosed amount, four years before his Betis contract was due to expire. In his only season in Ligue 1 he appeared regularly to help to a second-place finish, albeit trailing eventual champions Lyon by 15 points.
As the team failed to match Denílson's wage demands, he left and signed for Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr, where he played for a couple of months.
After only one goal and no assists, Denílson was excluded from Dallas' squad for their appearance in the final of the U.S. Open Cup, raising questions of whether he would remain with the club following the season (even though Open Cup regulations allowed no more than five foreign players on the game-day roster). Further fueling speculation, head coach Steve Morrow said the player would need to "earn a spot in the starting lineup like everybody else"; goalkeeperDarío Sala added the team was having problems adjusting to a change in scheme to accommodate Denílson.[7]
Later years
At the end of the season, FC Dallas decided not to pick up its option on Denílson, but stated their desire to resign the winger at a lower salary.[8] In February 2008, he signed a one-year performance-based contract with Palmeiras, hoping the club structure and experienced coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo would help him recover his best football. He was unable to make the starting squad, spending most of the season as a bench option; nonetheless, he helped Verdão to the São Paulo State Championship and a berth in the Copa Libertadores after the fourth place in the Série A.
On 6 January 2009, Denílson was taken on trial by Premier League side Bolton Wanderers with a chance to sign a contract until the end of the campaign.[9] He stated: "I want to play in Europe, but I am not in a rush. I have received proposals from England, Greece, Turkey and Germany. I am studying them", further adding: "I understand that this is the time to return to European football, but if I am not convinced by any offer I hope to continue in Brazil, where there are also clubs interested in me";[10] eventually, nothing came of it.[11]
After terminating his contract with Palmeiras, 31-year-old Denílson signed a three-month contract with Itumbiara.[12] On 2 June 2009 he penned a six-month deal with Vietnamese club Hải Phòng on a pay-as-you-play contract.[13] He made his debut on the 21st against Hoàng Anh Gia Lai, scoring through a free kick just two minutes into the game, but left after only three weeks with the team with only that single appearance to his credit due to injury. Denílson was paid $12,000 for the match and a $5,000 bonus for the goal.[14]
In January 2010, Denílson signed a two-year contract with Kavala in Greece. He was released on 16 April, without having played any games.[15]
International career
Denílson made his debut for Brazil in November 1996 at the age of 19, against Cameroon. He was called for the squad that competed at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, appearing in all the games for the eventual runners-up; the previous year, he was also selected for the 1997 Copa América and the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, winning both tournaments and totalling ten appearances (two goals).
Denílson was picked by manager Luiz Felipe Scolari for his 2002 World Cup squad in Japan and South Korea. Always as a substitute, he played in five matches as the Seleção won its fifth World Cup, appearing one minute in the final against Germany.
After Carlos Alberto Parreira returned for his third spell as national team boss, Denílson was not called again. He gained a total of 61 caps.[16]
Style of play
A creative and technically gifted left-footed player, Denílson usually played as a left winger either in midfield or up-front, and was mainly known for his pace, flair, and dribbling skills, in particular for his use of several tricks and feints to beat opponents, such as the step over, which he frequently employed;[17][18][19][20][21] however, he was also infamous for his inability to score consistently in front of goal, and for his tendency to pick up bookings.[22] Despite the talent demonstrated in his youth, he was considered by several pundits not to have fulfilled the potential he showed at the start of his career in both Brazilian club and international football, as he struggled to replicate a similar level of performance in European football.[19][22][23][24][25]
^"Biografía de Denílson" [Denílson biography] (in Spanish). Futbol 91. 22 February 2008. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
^Glendenning, Barry; Murray, Scott; Bagchi, Rob; Steinberg, Jacob (30 August 2013). "The Joy of Six: record transfers". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2024.