A wasted talent: Hulk didn’t become a global star, but he enjoyed football to the fullest

Every year, every season, and often every month, a whole new crop of brand new youngsters emerge to the surface of football fame, who are “guaranteed” to turn their talent into success and become world-class stars. Few live up to these expectations and the vast majority fail to fulfil even a fraction of the predicted success. One of those less successful is football tank Givanildo Vieira de Souza, better known as the Hulk.

Through Japan to Porto

The Brazilian left-back started his career at smaller club Vitória, but failed to make a good enough impression and was sold to Japan. In the J1 League there, he switched between several clubs before being signed by Portugal’s well-known FC Porto in 2008.

It was in the city on the west coast of Portugal where the young forward found himself. The then twenty-one year old finished his first season in Europe with 9+9 stats and almost exclusively improved his numbers in the following ones. His rocket-packed left-back was joined by incoming striker Radamel Falcao in the 2010/11 season and the South American duo tore apart not only domestic competitions but also the Europa League.

Different mentality

And it is in comparison with the Colombian that, in retrospect, the difference in ambition is clearly visible. While his star was rising further towards Atlético Madrid or Monaco, Hulk’s career took a diametrically different direction and a year after Falcao’s departure he was lured by Russia’s Zenit St Petersburg for a multi-figure payday.

Higher wages, lower quality. That’s how you could sum up the Russian Premier League of the time, which the burly Brazilian clearly dominated. In four years in the cold Slavic environment, he scored 77 goals and assisted 59 more. He was still the subject of interest from some of Europe’s leading clubs, and there was some speculation here and there about Hulk’s departure, but the Campina Grande native was loyal to the light blue colours of Zenit.

Chinese gold pieces

That was the case until 2016, when more than one Premier League or La Liga club reached for him. But the Brazilian offensive all-rounder once again heard the lure of glittering coins with lower football quality and gave the nod to an offer from Chinese club Shanghai SIPG. To be fair, though, a salary of £320,000 a week is certainly hard to say no to.

Of course, Hulk reigned supreme in the Chinese Super League and even celebrated winning the league title with his teammates before returning to Brazil last March, where he currently wears the Atlético Mineiro jersey.

Looking back, Hulk’s talent seems like purely wasted. On the other hand, the muscular playmaker has clearly enjoyed football as a whole throughout his career, even in competitions of lesser quality and lesser following. Even from them he managed to fight his way into the Canaries’ national team and sniff the pomp of European cups.

He didn’t become a global superstar, but he undoubtedly enjoyed his active career to the full as only Brazilians can.

Sources: Transfermarkt, WhoScored