Washington (footballer, born 1 April 1975)

Washington (footballer, born 1 April 1975)
Washington Stecanela Cerqueira, or simply Washington (born 1 April 1975), is a Brazilian football pundit, coach, and former player who played as a striker.
Career
In the 2002–03 Turkish league season Washington scored 9 goals in 12 games, but was subsequently released by Fenerbahçe because of his health problems.
Washington was submitted to a coronary catheterization. Once recovered, physicians told him that playing football would not represent a risk to his condition. He then signed with Brazilian club Atlético Paranaense where he was 2004 Série A top-scorer with 34 goals and broke the league's record. For his recovery, he was dubbed Coração Valente, the title of the movie Braveheart in Brazil.
In 2005, he moved to Japan to play for Tokyo Verdy in the J1 League. He had a successful season there with 22 goals in 33 games but could not save his club from relegation. In 2006, he transferred to Urawa Red Diamonds and helped the Reds win their first ever J1 League title, becoming the top scorer in the league with 26 goals in 26 games. In 2007, he was the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup top scorer, helping his team to a third-place finish in the competition.
On 21 December 2007, Washington returned to Brazil to play for Fluminense. His contract was valid through the end of 2008. Washington finished as the 2008 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A top scorer, with 21 goals, tied with Keirrison and Kléber Pereira. Even though he renewed his contract with São Paulo until the end of the 2010 season he eventually returned to Fluminense on July 27, 2010. He played a major role in the team's run to win the 2010 Série A, scoring 10 goals throughout the competition and being involved in the play that guaranteed the team's championship (in the last game of the season).
On 13 January 2011, while training with Fluminense in Mangaratiba, Washington announced his retirement from football.
Career statistics
Club
* includes Japanese Super Cup and Club World Cup
International
International goals
Honours
Club
Tokyo Verdy
Japanese Super Cup: 2005
Urawa Reds
Japanese Super Cup: 2006
Emperor's Cup: 2006
J1 League: 2006
AFC Champions League: 2007
Fluminense
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2010
Individual
FIFA Club World Cup Top Scorer: 2007
Brazilian League Top Scorer: 2004, 2008
São Paulo State Championship Top Scorer: 2001
Brazilian Cup Top Scorer: 2001
J.League Top Scorer: 2006
J.League Best Eleven: 2006
References
External links
1975 births
Living people
Brazilian men's footballers
Brazilian expatriate men's footballers
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
Club Athletico Paranaense players
Associação Atlética Ponte Preta players
Sociedade Esportiva e Recreativa Caxias do Sul players
Fenerbahçe S.K. footballers
Süper Lig players
Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense players
Sport Club Internacional players
Tokyo Verdy players
Urawa Red Diamonds players
J1 League players
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Expatriate men's footballers in Japan
Brazil men's international footballers
2001 FIFA Confederations Cup players
São Paulo FC players
Footballers from Brasília
Fluminense FC players
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Japan
Men's association football forwards
Brazilian football managers