André Neles

Born in Patrocínio in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, Neles started at Uberlândia in 1996 and spent there two seasons.[1] In 1998, he moved to Anápolis for a brief stint, before joining Villa Nova, where he attracted the attention of Atlético Mineiro, who signed him in early 1999.[1] He made his debut on 18 July 1999 against a team from Itaúna and after displaying good performances in the Campeonato Mineiro, he gained recognition amongst the fans.[1][2] On 11 May 2000, in the Round of 16 of the 2000 Copa Libertadores, Neles created a crucial goal for Marques, that allow Atlético Mineiro to take the game to penalty kicks.[1] In December 2000, he signed with Benfica for a transfer fee reported by Record to be €2.5M for just half of his economic rights.[2] He made his debut in a friendly match against CSKA Sofia on 10 January 2001, scoring the opening goal in a 1–1 draw.[3] However, in competitive matches, Neles was only a reserve player and he struggled with the lack of playing time.[4] With stiff competition from Pierre van Hooijdonk and João Tomás, he netted just once in nine appearances.[5]

In July 2001, Neles was sent on his first loan at Benfica, joining Marítimo for one year.[6] He commented his dismissal by Toni saying: "I think I did not have a real opportunity at Benfica. Not even a league match in the starting line-up; only as an option from the bench. From the start of a game, only in friendlies. Of course it is difficult to perform like this."[6] He also confess that he chose Marítimo because they had qualified for the UEFA Cup, refusing offers from Atlético Paranaense, Internacional and Portuguesa de Desportos.[6] His spell there was only mildly successful, with two goals in 12 matches; a winner against Boavista on 10 December and an equalizer against Varzim on 23 December.[7][8] In January 2002, André returned to Benfica and went on a second loan deal, now in Brazil, at Vitória.[9]

There he won the Campeonato Baiano and scored 31 goals in all competitions, 10 of them in the Série A, which included a decisive goal against Palmeiras on 17 November, that guaranteed their relegation.[10][11][12] In early 2003, he was sent on a third loan deal, joining Internacional until December.[12] From his previous loan he acknowledged that returning to Brazil was good for him; he matured significantly and was hopeful of returning to Benfica.[12] He started well at Internacional, with three goals in five appearances in the Brasileirão, but shortly after, a knee injury broke his momentum.[12] Only a few months after joining Internacional, he moved to Palmeiras, at the time playing in the second tier.[13] His spell there was unsuccessful, as he scored only one time, on 9 August against Portuguesa, and spent most of the time as back-up due to 19-year-old, Vágner Love.[10][14]

In January 2004, Neles ended his connection with Benfica and signed with Marítimo for one and half seasons.[15] However, problems outside football led to his quick departure.[16] In June, he was back to Brazil, playing for Atlético Mineiro in the Série A.[17] In mid-2004, he changed teams for a third time in the year, signing with Figueirense, scoring one goal in five matches.[18] In 2005, he joined Fortaleza and played only once for them, spending a year in the Saudi Premier League with Ettifaq FC, and having a two-month stint with Ipatinga.[19] In 2008, Neles moved to Grêmio Barueri, where he played just one league game for them, before going on subsequent loans to Botafogo-SP and Ceará.[19] He would return to Botafogo-SP in 2010, playing in the Campeonato Paulista do Interior and being the team top scorer with five goals and winning the league.[20] In the same season, he would play for Oeste in the Série D and for Icasa in the Série B.[21][22] In February 2011, the 33-year-old signed with América-RN and had good performances in the state league, remaining with América for the entire season.[23][24]

In December 2011, he signed with Marcílio Dias in the Campeonato Catarinense,[25] but only two months later, he returned to his childhood club, Uberlândia.[26] In August, he had a second spell at Icasa, now competing in the Série C.[27] Neles signed with São Carlos Futebol Clube in January 2013, playing for them in the second tier of the Campeonato Paulista.[28] In 2014, he played at CEOV, helping them to a runner-up finish in the Campeonato Mato-Grossense and in May 2015, joined Rio Branco in the Campeonato Paulista Série A2.[29]