Weldon Santos de Andrade
Encyclopedia
Weldon Santos de Andrade (born 6 August 1980), simply Weldon, is a Brazil
ian footballer who plays for CFR Cluj
in Romania
, as a striker.
, Sport Club do Recife
and Associação Atlética Ponte Preta
, before moving abroad in 2004 with Al-Nassr FC of Saudi Arabia
.
In the following year, he signed for Cruzeiro Esporte Clube
, going on to be loaned several times for the duration of his link, including twice in the French
Ligue 1
, with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
and Troyes AC
, where the player was rarely used – only ten matches and one goal in two season halves combined.
After an aborted three-year move to Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
, Weldon completed a two-year move to Sport Lisboa e Benfica of Portugal
(he had already played in the country the previous year, with C.F. Os Belenenses) on July 21, 2009. On August 16, he made his official debuts for the Reds, rescuing a point at home against C.S. Marítimo for the season's opener (1–1); during the club's victorious campaign, he served almost exclusively as backup to Óscar Cardozo
and Javier Saviola
, but made the most of his minutes, namely netting twice in a 4–2 win at Associação Naval 1º de Maio
, on April 5, 2010, and another brace in another away triumph (3–2 against Académica de Coimbra).
Weldon only appeared in eight official games in 2010–11, four in the league, totalling less than 100 minutes overall.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian footballer who plays for CFR Cluj
CFR Cluj
CFR Cluj is a Romanian professional football club from the city of Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania, Romania. The club had spent most of their existence in the lower divisions, except for a spell in Divizia A in the 1970s, until they received significant financial backing from Árpád Pászkány in 2002...
in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, as a striker.
Football career
Weldon was born in Santo André, São Paulo. In his early career, he represented four clubs in quick succession: Santos Futebol Clube, Brasiliense Futebol ClubeBrasiliense Futebol Clube
The Brasiliense Futebol Clube is a Brazilian football club, based in Taguatinga, Distrito Federal.Brasiliense wears yellow uniforms, hence one of its supporters' associations is named Febre Amarela...
, Sport Club do Recife
Sport Club do Recife
Sport Club do Recife, more popularly known as Sport in Recife or Sport Recife in Northeastern Brazil, is a football team from Recife, Pernambuco.-1905 - Foundation:...
and Associação Atlética Ponte Preta
Associação Atlética Ponte Preta
Ponte Preta is a Brazilian football club located in Campinas, São Paulo. Ponte Preta is also known as Macaca. Ponte Preta's biggest rival is from the same city: Guarani. The games between Ponte Preta and Guarani are known as derby . They are known as "pontepretanos"...
, before moving abroad in 2004 with Al-Nassr FC of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.
In the following year, he signed for Cruzeiro Esporte Clube
Cruzeiro Esporte Clube
Cruzeiro Esporte Clube is a Brazilian football team, from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, and are one of the only five clubs to have never been relegated, along with Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo and Internacional. Founded on January 2, 1921, they are only one of three clubs to have participated in...
, going on to be loaned several times for the duration of his link, including twice in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
, with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard is a French association football club based in the city of Montbéliard. The club was founded in 1928 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. Sochaux plays its home matches at the Stade Auguste Bonal located within the city...
and Troyes AC
Troyes AC
Espérance Sportive Troyes Aube Champagne is a French association football club, based in Troyes. It was founded in 1900. The club was promoted to Ligue 1 for the 2005–06 season and their first Ligue 1 season was in 1954/55, and their second spell came in 1999/2000 Espérance Sportive Troyes Aube...
, where the player was rarely used – only ten matches and one goal in two season halves combined.
After an aborted three-year move to Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas , also known as Botafogo and familiarly as Estrela Solitária, is a Brazilian sports club based in Botafogo, neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, best known for its football team. They play in the Campeonato Carioca, Rio de Janeiro's state league, and the Campeonato...
, Weldon completed a two-year move to Sport Lisboa e Benfica of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
(he had already played in the country the previous year, with C.F. Os Belenenses) on July 21, 2009. On August 16, he made his official debuts for the Reds, rescuing a point at home against C.S. Marítimo for the season's opener (1–1); during the club's victorious campaign, he served almost exclusively as backup to Óscar Cardozo
Óscar Cardozo
Óscar René Cardozo Marín is a Paraguayan footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, as a striker.Known for his powerful left-foot shot and free-kick skills, he first gained notoriety whilst playing for Newell's Old Boys, which led to a move to Benfica, where he scored more than 100...
and Javier Saviola
Javier Saviola
Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, as a striker....
, but made the most of his minutes, namely netting twice in a 4–2 win at Associação Naval 1º de Maio
Associação Naval 1º de Maio
Associação Naval 1º de Maio, commonly known as Naval, is a Portuguese football club based in Figueira da Foz, Coimbra District. Founded on 1 May 1893, it currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estádio Municipal José Bento Pessoa, with a capacity for 12,630 spectators.Naval is...
, on April 5, 2010, and another brace in another away triumph (3–2 against Académica de Coimbra).
Weldon only appeared in eight official games in 2010–11, four in the league, totalling less than 100 minutes overall.
Honours
- Sport:
- Pernambuco State ChampionshipCampeonato PernambucanoThe Campeonato Pernambucano de Futebol is the football championship of Pernambuco state, Brazil, and is organized by the Pernambuco Football Federation....
: 2003, 2007
- Pernambuco State Championship
- Benfica:
- Portuguese League: 2009–10
- Portuguese League Cup: 2009–10, 2010–112010–11 Taça da LigaThe 2010–11 Taça da Liga was the fourth edition of the portuguese Taça da Liga. The first matches were played on August 8, 2010. The final was scheduled on April 23, 2011 where Benfica beat Paços de Ferreira 2-1, and won their third title. The final was played at the Estadio Cidade de Coimbra,...