Anderson Luís de Souza OIH (born 27 August 1977), also known as Deco (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈdɛku]), is a former professional footballer who primarily played as an attacking or central midfielder.

[5] In June 1997, Benfica purchased his rights from CSA and immediately sent him on loan (along with fellow Brazilian Caju) to their farm team, Alverca.

[5][6] After helping them win promotion to the top tier in 1997–98 season by scoring 13 goals in 32 appearances, he returned to Benfica in July 1998.

"[7] At Salgueiros, Deco was plagued by injuries and only made a few appearances, until Porto purchased him in March 1999, in time to win the league title.

[8] His release from Benfica and subsequent success with Porto was considered by António Simões as an "historical mistake", while Toni stated he saw in Deco, a successor for Rui Costa the club needed since his departure.

Deco eventually lost his place in the 2008–09 starting line up, due in part to some poor performances, but also to the sacking of Scolari.

[17] However, Inter club president Massimo Moratti ruled out signing either of the Portuguese internationals on the basis of their age, telling Gazzetta dello Sport, "Deco and Carvalho?

"[18] On 6 August 2010, Deco signed a two-year contract with Brazilian club Fluminense on a free transfer,[19] joining former Chelsea and Barcelona teammate Juliano Belletti.

As none of his great-grandparents, grandparents or parents were Portuguese, under FIFA's player eligibility rules his citizenship was the only factor to allow him to play for Portugal.

Deco responded, "Eu nasci no Brasil e seria uma mentira dizer que sou português agora e não brasileiro.

He scored 5 goals in 75 caps for Portugal by June 2010, when his international career ended after the second-round defeat to Spain at the 2010 World Cup.

In the 2006 World Cup, Deco scored the first goal in Portugal's second Group D match against Iran in the 63rd minute prior to Cristiano Ronaldo's 80th-minute penalty.

On 11 June, Deco scored the opening goal in Portugal's second match of Euro 2008, a Group A clash with the Czech Republic.

He was fit again for the round of 16 match against Spain, but Portugal head coach Carlos Queiroz chose Tiago over him.

As a player, Deco was a versatile, tactically intelligent and creative midfielder with excellent vision and technical ability.

[27] What he lacked in pace as well as physical, defensive and athletic attributes,[27][28] he made up for in stamina, as well as excellent ball control, dribbling skills, passing range and crossing ability, which allowed him to beat players, find space and create chances for teammates.

[29][30][31] Deco was an excellent visionary with the ball, who opened up spaces for his teammates through finding passing lanes that no one else saw, and also had a notable ability to switch the tempo of play in rapid style.

A diminutive midfielder,[32] in later years, as he lost his acceleration, agility and mobility, he also went through a physical development, which, along with his balance, allowed him to protect the ball against larger opponents.

He also contributed offensively with occasional goals due to his accurate mid-range shooting ability,[33] and his adeptness at free-kicks.

He also has a charitable organisation, the Deco Institute, based in the Brazilian city of Indaiatuba, near São Paulo, where he grew up.