Vagner Love to retire on Saturday, a prolific champion’s career in focus | OneFootball

Vagner Love will make his farewell on Saturday, closing a decorated career for club and Brazil. The 41-year-old, known as Artilheiro do Amor, departs as a prolific forward.

According to Globo.com, his final outing is for Retrô against Ceará at 17:00 in the Copa do Nordeste.

In 2003 he was briefly suspended at Palmeiras after a curfew breach, then helped reach the Copinha final. That year he scored 19 goals to win promotion to Série A and earned the 'Love' nickname.

Arriving at CSKA in 2004 aged 20, he became an idol, winning 14 trophies including the UEFA Cup. In 2004-05 they beat Sporting 3-1 in the final, Love scored, the first Russian club to win it.

With Brazil he lifted the Copa América in 2004 and 2007, first as a reserve then alongside Robinho under Dunga. Both finals were against Argentina, on penalties in 2004 and 3-0 in 2007.

At Corinthians he won the 2015 title under Tite, scoring 14 league goals, second only to Atlético-MG’s Lucas Pratto with 20. He left in early 2016 for Besiktas in Türkiye, returned in 2019 to win the state title and struck the decisive goal against São Paulo.

A Flamengo fan, he had spells in 2010 alongside Adriano’s Império do Amor and in 2012, scoring 47 in 80 and the goal that confirmed Palmeiras’ relegation, though without trophies.

Late on he clinched three straight state titles, with Sport in 2023, Atlético-GO in 2024 and Avaí in 2025, before joining Retrô.

Source: Globo.com