10 April 1999: the day Deco debuted for FC Porto and made history | OneFootball

On April 10, 1999, Deco made his official debut for FC Porto in a 1-0 win over SC Braga at the Estádio das Antas, in front of around 25,000 spectators.

The Brazilian midfielder, then still at the beginning of his journey in blue and white, started on the bench and was brought on at the start of the second half in place of Chainho. The introduction of Anderson Luís de Souza, Deco’s full name, marked the first chapter of a bond that would go on to carry enormous weight in the club’s recent history.

That Saturday afternoon, FC Porto met resistance from SC Braga and only broke the deadlock near the end. The game’s only goal came in the 82nd minute through Zlatko Zahovic, sealing the Porto side’s victory.

In addition to Deco’s debut, the match was also marked by the involvement of several notable names from Porto’s team of that era. The attacking midfielder would go on to build a hugely distinguished career at the Dragão, but it all began in that match at the Antas, with an appearance off the bench at half-time and a narrow win over the Arsenalistas.

This remains a symbolic date in FC Porto’s history: the day Deco wore the club’s main shirt for the first time in an official competition.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.