In competitive football, it’s really tough to play clean for the entire duration of the game. It becomes tougher when you’re a defender who has nothing but tackles and blocks on offer. But Brazilian mainstay Lucimar Ferreira da Silva, Lúcio to the world, accomplished a remarkable feat in the 2006 FIFA World Cup – he played for a record 386 minutes without committing a single foul, the longest by any professional football player! His fans, especially Indians, are in for a treat as Lúcio would be showing his skills in the second season of the Hero Indian Super League. Having joined as FC Goa’s marquee player, this Brazil international will strengthen the Gaurs’ defence force alongside Grégory Arnolin, Narayan Das and Raju Gaikwad. Lúcio rose from his humble beginnings to fame and success after years of toiling. From delivering newspapers at 5 a.m. as a kid to winning the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, Serie A, Bundesliga and several other titles in his career, Lúcio has come a really long way. Known for his overall compelling aerial abilities, especially his headers, this Brasilia-born centre back has had an illustrious career at both club and international levels. Coming to Goa from São Paulo, he would be placed in quite a familiar territory, given the laid-back state’s Portuguese connect and compatriot Zico managing the team. His Portuguese connect goes back to his time under the ever-temperamental Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan. Lúcio would go on to win Serie A, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup titles amongst others with the Milanese side. After having graduated from the Planaltina EC youth academy, Lúcio began his senior career in Brazil [Guará, Internacional] and then went on to play in Germany [Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich] and Italy [Inter Milan, Juventus] before returning to Brazil [São Paulo FC, Palmeiras] – winning several laurels along the way. His international level career wasn’t any less stellar. Joining the Brazil national team in 2000, he went on to form a solid partnership on the defence line, with Juan and later on, with Thiago Silva, which would lead Brazil to the FIFA World Cup win in 2002, and FIFA Confederations Cup wins in 2005 and 2009, clocking in more than 100 appearances for the South American nation. He has also served as the captain of the national team during his career. As FC Goa begin their Season 2 campaign at the Fatorda Stadium on October 4, it would be a real treat to see Mr Clean in action against the other seven teams of the Hero Indian Super League.
