Remember him? Corinthians gem, Copinha champ, idol in Oz, ‘sultan’ in Turkey

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Central do Timão

·28 décembre 2025

Remember him? Corinthians gem, Copinha champ, idol in Oz, ‘sultan’ in Turkey

By the Central do Timão Editorial Team

Trained in Corinthians’ youth academy, Deyvison Rogério da Silva, better known as Bobô, took on the world at an early age. An idol at Besiktas in Turkey, he played in the UEFA Champions League and served the Brazilian National Team under coach Dunga. In this article, Central do Timão recalls the striker’s time at the club.

The forward joined Corinthians’ youth ranks at age 15 and rose to prominence after becoming a two-time champion and top scorer of the São Paulo Junior Football Cup in 2004 and 2005. He was promoted to the first team in the second half of 2004, joining several other youngsters from the famous Terrão, such as Wilson, Elton, Abuda, and Jô.

Vidéos OneFootball

Bobô for Corinthians in 2005. Photo: Daniel Garcia/AFP via Getty Images.

But the arrival of MSI at Timão, bringing in Mascherano, Tévez, Roger, Carlos Alberto, Nilmar, among others, reduced the chances for the youngsters to be utilized.

“Playing with them was a great learning experience and gave us a foundation for the coming years as well. I partnered with Tévez in attack in some matches of that Brazilian Championship and also in the Paulista. He was very quiet and kept to himself, Mascherano too,” Bobô recalled in 2018, to ESPN.

“I was always trying to learn something from the more experienced players because I was just a kid. It was a really cool year for me. The Brazilian title was the best moment I lived at Corinthians. We had a really good group that year and I managed to help with some goals,” he added.

After the 2005 Brazilian Championship title, Bobô went to Besiktas on a six-month loan, and was soon signed permanently.

“At first it was tough because the language was totally different, and it’s a country where it snows a lot. I arrived in January and it was very cold. I experienced many great moments there, my son and daughter were born in Turkey. I played in the Champions League and Europa League. I won six titles, including some Turkish championships. It was a very good spell. I have many memories of important goals in finals and Istanbul derbies against Fenerbahçe,” he recalled.

Bobô before a Champions League match with Besiktas. Photo: Miguel Riopa/AFP via Getty Images

He spent five and a half seasons at Besiktas (2006 to 2011) and won six titles: Turkish Championship, Turkish Cup (four times), and Turkish Super Cup. He scored 97 goals in 222 games—almost a goal every two matches. The record for the highest-scoring foreigner in the history of the traditional Turkish club still belongs to him.

Bobô caught the attention of then Brazil National Team coach Dunga and was called up for a friendly against Ireland in Dublin in 2008.

“I was voted best player of the championship and top scorer. We even traveled together, as he was in Turkey observing the final of the Turkish Championship. It was a very good experience in my career. Making it to the National Team is something huge and special in any football player’s life,” he said.

After five and a half years in Turkey, Bobô returned to Brazil to play for Cruzeiro and then went back to Turkey to play for Kayserispor. He also had a spell at Grêmio before moving to Sydney FC in Australia in 2016, where he became a top scorer.

“When I got the offer, I didn’t even know there was football in Australia. But a friend who had played with me was playing there. He spoke very highly of it and I ended up accepting. I never imagined playing or living there, but it was very good for my family,” he reported.

Next, the striker decided to leave Australia and return to Turkey to play for Alanyaspor. Bobô also played in India in the 2019/2020 season for Hyderabad FC, competing in the Indian Super League (the country’s top division). His last club was Sydney FC, and the player decided to retire in 2022, but he never forgot his beloved team. You can see on his Instagram that one of his children’s birthday decorations had Timão as the theme.

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