Dener (footballer, born 1971)


Dener Augusto de Sousa, known simply as Dener, was a Brazilian footballer who played as a forward. He played twice for the Brazil national team. During his short-lived career, Dener who was sporting No.10, drew comparisons with Garrincha and Pele and he was considered one of Brazil's most talented young footballers of the 1990s. In early 1994, even Diego Maradona himself, expressed his admiration for Dener's skills after a match against Newell's Old Boys, while his transfer to VfB Stuttgart a few months later was never materialised due to his tragic death in a car accident.

Early life

Dener was born to a poor family and he grew up with his mother from 1984. It was in 1984, when his dad lost his life and Dener started working to help his mother financially. He was considered a troubled kid during his youth years.

Club career

Futsal

Born in São Paulo, Dener started his career with futsal where his excelled his dribbling skills. By 1986 he was already getting a small stipend from futsal. The same year, he drew public attention during a futsal national tournament watched by 7,000 spectators and was also broadcast on TV. Dener's team won the trophy, and he also won the topscorer's and MVP award. The following day, scouts from São Paulo and Portuguesa approached him to join their clubs.

Youth

He started his football career at São Paulo FC's youth squad, in 1988, but after just two months he moved to Portuguesa's youth squad. In 1991, playing for Portuguesa, he won the Copa São Paulo de Juniores, and was elected the competition's best player.

Professional

Portuguesa

Despite being known for his temper and even violent incidents with opponent players during his youth cateer, in 1989, he was promoted to Portuguesa's first team squad. His debut against Gremio in 1989 was so impressive that prompted veteran wingback Alfinete to ask for his jersey after the match. In the 1989 Paulista championship he scored one of the most spectacular goals on the history of Portuguesea, dribbling half the opponent team and scoring. He soon signed a new contract with the club demanding a Mitsubishi Eclipse fast car as a sign-on bonus. Dener became a highly valued asset for Portuguesa with their president even considering to rename the club's stadium after Dener to keep him long term.
He stayed there until 1993, playing 47 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A matches, and scoring seven goals.

Loan moves to Gremio and Vasco

In 1993, Corinthians failed to sign him, as Portuguesa didn't agree on the fee, and then he was loaned to Grêmio of Porto Alegre that had also expressed interest in Dener in the past. With Gremio he won the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship During his time with Gremio, Dener became more focused on football after getting away from the São Paulo night scene and friends. He also played four Copa do Brasil matches in that year before returning to Portuguesa.
In January 1994 he was loaned to Vasco of Rio de Janeiro, under coach Jair Pereira. He played two Copa do Brasil matches and scored a goal, and posthumously won the Rio de Janeiro State Championship. On 21 January 1994, he played a friendly with Vasco against Newell's Old Boys in Argentina, with Diego Maradona returning to action from an injury. Dener's performance impressed Maradona so much that he went to Vasco da Gama's locker room to meet him after the match.

The transfer to Germany

Dener was signed by German side VfB Stuttgart for a $3 million fee ahead of the 1994-95 season. On 15 April 1994, he signed his contract with the German club, where he would be teammates with Brazil captain, Dunga.

International career

Olympic team

Dener played 9 games for the Olympic team of Brazil between 1991 and 1992, but he failed to help them qualify to the 1992 Olympics. He was teammates to players like Cafu and Roberto Carlos.

National team

Dener played two matches for the Brazil national team, managed by Paulo Roberto Falcão. On March 27, 1991, he played against Argentina. He entered the pitch as a sub for only 6 minutes, but he made an impact helping Brazil to equalise after initiating a counter attack that ended in a goal.
Two months later, on May 28, he played against Bulgaria. He was considered to be a candidate for the USA World Cup squad, but he wasn't chosen by Carlos Alberto Parreira.

Style of play

Dener was an explosive, agile, and diminutive attacking midfielder with a low centre of gravity. He would start most of his attack either from the centre or the wings. He was known for speed and his exceptional dribbling skills, stating himself that "sometimes a dribble can be more beautiful than a goal". However, he was considered indisciplined as a player, skipping training several times.

Death

On 18 April 1994, in Rio de Janeiro, Dener died in an accident when his Mitsubishi Eclipse crashed into a tree at Borges de Medeiros Avenue, in the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas district. The car's driver was Dener's friend, Otto Gomes de Miranda, who lost both legs in the accident. Dener was strangled by the car's seat belt. His death shocked sports fans all over Brazil, a few weeks before the tragic loss of Ayrton Senna and the USA World Cup.

Personal life

By the time of his death, Dener had fathered three children with different women. One month after his loan transfer to Vasco, in February 1994, his then girlfriend was killed in a car accident during the Rio carnival. Dener was known for his partying lifestyle, while he was good friends with goalkeeper Edinho, Pele's son.

Legacy

After his death, many new parents in Brazil started naming their new-born babies "Dener". His former coach Pepe said that Dener was the only player he had seen in his life that "came close to Pele". Vasco da Game fans called him "Cafune" and chanted his name making a pun that Dener was "a mixture of Garrincha and Pele. His was nicknamed as "God of dribbling" by the Portuguesa fans and "Cafune" by Vasco supporters.

Honours

Portuguesa
Grêmio
Vasco da Gama