Landing ex-Barcelona man signalled Hull City's 2008 Premier League arrival: View​ | OneFootball

Geovanni was a class act throughout his spell in East Yorkshire

The summer of 2008 will forever be remembered by Hull City supporters.

After 104 baron years, Dean Windass' legendary volley at Wembley against Bristol City in the Championship Play-Off Final earned what until that moment, had been the largest European city to never have a top-flight side, a place in the Premier League, as well as a £60m cash influx.

Paul Duffen and Phil Brown had been able to attract star names such as Jay-Jay Okocha and Henrik Pedersen to their promotion-winning squad, but both would depart in the off-season, as Hull sought an abundance of quality and experience in equal measure to prove critics wrong, who all believed this fairytale would end in an instant relegation.

Ultimately, the duo were able to seek their next superstar name, and the arrival of an ex-Barcelona playmaker with some Brazilian flair well and truly signalled City's arrival into the big time.

Geovanni's move to Hull City on a free transfer

Just over a month before the Tigers' inaugural Premier League outing against Fulham at the then-called KC Stadium, Geovanni was snapped up on a free transfer from Manchester City.

The move came after the creative midfielder featured 23 times for Mark Hughes' side, which included a memorable strike in the Manchester Derby, a feature of his game which Hull supporters would also become accustomed to.

And indeed they were, as the then 28-year-old immediately wrote his name into the East Yorkshire history books with a sublime effort which flew past Mark Schwarzer on 22 minutes, before Caleb Folan went onto secure a famous victory in this part of the world.

The man who spent some of his career playing alongside the likes of international counterpart Ronaldinho at the Camp Nou then proved exactly why with two further iconic strikes in back-to-back away trips to North London against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

With City a goal down at the Emirates, the ball fell at the Brazilian's feet, which was followed by a slight drift infield and the most spectacular of curling strikes which flew past Manuel Almunia from 25 yards out, before Daniel Cousin nodded home the winning goal four minutes later, giving the side one of the most famous Premier League victories of all-time, as well as becoming just the second team to win in the 60,000 capacity stadium.

The following week, Spurs fell victim to Geovanni's tricks as he bent a 30-yard free-kick into the top-left corner after nine minutes past compatriot Heurelho Gomes, with Brown's men holding on for yet another famous win.

'Geo' then continued somewhat of a purple patch with goals against West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United and his former club, Man City, scoring six of his eight goals for the season by mid-November.

Geovanni and Hull's dip-in form

The aforementioned period was as good as it got for Hull in 2008/09, as a well-documented dip in form occurred following Brown's infamous on-pitch team-talk in a 5-1 Boxing Day defeat at the Etihad, winning just one game for the rest of the season.

What summed up the Brazilian's own stagnation came in a 2-1 home defeat to Blackburn Rovers in March 2009, where he was replaced by Nick Barmby on 54 minutes, before showing his disdain towards Brown, who then revealed prior to a crucial away win to Fulham that he chose not to hit the playmaker with a fine.

"He was very apologetic for his actions," the then City boss told the Independent. "But as far as I was concerned his actions were those of an angry man, as opposed to a composed man, and that's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for players who go across the white line and compose themselves, and can respect the decision for the reasons it was taken.

"It's not written in his contract that if he storms off and gets the huff that you can fine him," he added. "I'm a big boy, but he won't be doing it to me again – that's for sure."

Geovanni's final goals in that season came in home outings against Newcastle United and Liverpool, with City staying up by the skin of their teeth on the final day at the Geordies' expense.

The Brazilian's last season in East Yorkshire

The 2009/10 was one of disappointment for Hull as their maiden venture into the Premier League came to an end amid a backdrop of financial uncertainty.

However, supporters were still entertained on occasions by the Brazilian's brilliance, netting five times in all competitions.

All three of his Premier League goals came by the start of October against Wolves, Liverpool and Wigan Athletic, and a five-minute fiasco in a 2-0 defeat at Burnley summed up his season.

After thinking he'd got City on terms with another exquisite dead-ball masterpiece, Geovanni was booked for remonstrating to Mike Jones, who disallowed the strike to the bemusement of all in Black and Amber, before taking a wild swipe at Steven Fletcher and being shown his marching orders.

Just months after signing a new contract with the club, the midfielder departed by mutual consent following relegation, but has continued to speak about his fondness for the club, stating that his two-year spell with the Tigers "may have been the best days of my life as a footballer," in a 2023 interview with the Athletic.

“Hull was like a family to me,” he added.

“I felt the love the fans had for me. They chanted my name non-stop. It was a special time.”

Despite the sad ending of relegation back to the Championship, not many people are still spoken about at the MKM in the same way as "City's Number 10" is, after making 65 appearances and finding the net 13 times.