Player Profile: Sidnei

Full Name: Sidnei Rechel da Silva Junior

Position: Central Defender

Date of Birth: 23 June 1989

Place of Birth: Alegrete, Brazil

Sidnei got his professional start at the age of 17 with Brazilian club Sport Club Internacional. Just happy to be part of the squad, the promising youngster ended up making a total of 42 appearances, scoring two goals.

During that time Sidnei played with Spartak Moscow’s Alex and current AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato. The stopper also helped the Porto Alegre side win the Recopa Sul-Americana (2007) against Pachuca of Mexico, and the Dubai Cup 2008, aka Mohammed bin Rashid International Football Championship. This friendly tournament is held in the same country every January, and ironically Benfica had won the inaugural edition the previous year.

A year and a half later, Benfica made a swoop for Sidnei, paying 5 million euros for 50% ownership of the player’s rights. So convinced were the Lisbon outfit of the defender’s potential, they locked the defender into a 5-year deal with a buyout clause of 25 million euros.

Confident start

The signing had most, if not all, Benfica supporters scratching their heads as no one knew anything of the former Internacional player. But it did not take long to see that Benfica were onto something and had made a good investment as the player made his debut in the second week of the Liga Sagres when Benfica hosted FC Porto.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw and Sidnei only managed to play the last 24 minutes. Benfica coach Quique Flores then decided to give the 19-year-old the nod for his full debut in Benfica’s Uefa Cup opener against Napoli.

From there, Sidnei enjoyed a long run of matches as the defender made 18 out of a possible 19 starts, in all competitions. A powerful physical presence, Sidnei showed surprising maturity for a youngster who was taking his first steps in Europe. Speed of thought is allied to what is perhaps his biggest asset, his commanding aerial game.

The moment that definitively won the Brazilian over as a fans’ favourite was Benfica’s match against Sporting in Week 4. The defender scored a thumping header which helped the Lisbon club get the better of their fierce cross-city rivals.

Since his initial run in the team Sidnei has not always been an automatic choice in the starting line-up. Although a far from consensual decision, it appears Spanish coach Quique Flores wants to carefully nurture his starlet as he and the club have big plans lined up for their “unknown purchase”.

by Marco Pereira (13/05/2009)