Stars of the League: MuriquiVital stats
Age: 29
Nationality: Brazilian
Height: 171cm
Weight: 65kg
Position: Centre forward
Muriqui at Al Sadd
Muriqui arrived at Al Sadd with huge expectations on his shoulders after becoming the all-time top scorer of Guangzhou Evergrande in China the season before.
On July 10, 2014, Al Sadd announced that they had officially signed Muriqui. On August 13 2014, Muriqui made his official debut for Al Sadd in the 2014 Sheikh Jassim Cup and scored two goals in the match, which helped Al Sadd beat Lekhwiya 3–2.
He played in the quarter-finals of 2014 AFC Champions League against Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal. He didn't score in both legs and Al Sadd was eliminated on a 1–0 aggregate.
Then the Brazilian suffered a muscle bruise recurrence in late August and had to undergo surgery to rectify the injury in late September 2014.
Muriqui then spent the majority of the of the season away from the pitch and only came back in the final stages of the 2014/15 league campaign, making his return on 28 February 2015 in a league match against Lekhwiya.
On 22 March 2015, he scored for the first time in the Qatar Stars League against Al Khor, which helped Al Sadd win 5–1, away.
Club career
Years Team Apps Gls
2004–2008 Madureira
2004–2005 → Vasco da Gama (loan) 15 3
2006 → Paysandu (loan) 12 1
2006 → Iraty (loan) - -
2007 → Avaí (loan) 20 5
2008–2010 Desportivo Brasil 0 0
2008 → Vitória (loan) 12 0
2009 → Ituano (loan) 0 0
2009 → Avaí (loan) 31 13
2010 → Atlético Mineiro (loan) 7 4
2010–2014 Guangzhou Evergrande 92 52
2014– Al Sadd 15 12
Playing style
The Brazilian is a true number 9, spending the majority of his time in the box, 78% of it, to be exact. This season the Brazilian is finally showing the form that Al Sadd had hoped for when they first acquired him, with 8 goals in 7 matches (1 goal from the penalty spot). He has also assisted twice for teammates this season.
He is a fast and good finisher who keeps things simple, Head Coach Ammota has played him consistently this season with the Brazilian spending 89 minutes on the pitch (on average).
For a team such as Sadd, who have a high possession game, Muriqui is not always involved in the build-up and doesn’t have that many passes per game but when he does pass, it is accurate (82% successful passes). As a classic number 9, the Wolves frontman also has a high number of shots from inside the box (88%).
Be sure to check him out this weekend as the Wolves take on Al Kharaitiyat at 4pm at Al Sadd Stadium.
Radar Graph – (Provided by Prozone)
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