Position: Midfielder
Born: 27.08.77
Club: Barcelona

The Brazilian-born Anderson Luis de Souza 'Deco' was a controversial selection when he was called up by Luis Felipe Scolari not long after being granted Portuguese citizenship in 2003, with the legendary Luis Figo reportedly among those against the decision.

However the diminutive playmaker, who had arrived in Portugal as a teenager and lived there for five years before being naturalised, could hardly have wished for a better start in his adopted country's colours.

Playing against Brazil, Deco scored the winning goal on his debut in a 2-1 triumph with a 25-yard free-kick and since then Deco has become a regular for Scolari and blossomed into one of Europe's most respected midfielders.

He was part of the all-conquering Porto side that dominated domestically and overseas under manager Jose Mourinho where he won the UEFA Cup and Champions League title as well as the Portuguese title on two occasions.

The talented midfielder then switched to Barcelona in 2004 where he has gone on to win two consecutive La Liga titles.

Part of the Portuguese side that were beaten finalists in Euro 2004, Deco will look to go one better at the World Cup.