Hulk (footballer)

Givanildo Vieira de Sousa (born 25 July 1986), known as Hulk (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈhuwki]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Atlético Mineiro as a forward.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Vieira and the second or paternal family name is de Sousa.
Hulk
Hulk with Zenit in 2015
Personal information
Full name Givanildo Vieira de Sousa[1]
Date of birth (1986-07-25) 25 July 1986
Place of birth Campina Grande, Brazil
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Atlético Mineiro
Number 7
Youth career
2001–2002 Vilanovense
2002 São Paulo
2003–2004 Vitória
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2005 Vitória 2 (0)
2005 → Kawasaki Frontale (loan) 12 (3)
2006–2008 Kawasaki Frontale 2 (0)
2006 → Consadole Sapporo (loan) 41 (26)
2007 → Tokyo Verdy (loan) 42 (37)
2008 Tokyo Verdy 11 (7)
2008–2012 Porto 99 (54)
2012–2016 Zenit Saint Petersburg 97 (56)
2016–2020 Shanghai SIPG 100 (51)
2021– Atlético Mineiro 0 (0)
National team‡
2012 Brazil Olympic 6 (1)
2009–2016 Brazil 48 (11)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 January 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13 June 2016

After starting out professionally with Vitória and then playing three years in Japan, he went on to play several seasons in Portugal with Porto, winning ten titles – including the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League and three national championships – and being crowned the league's top scorer once. In 2012, he joined Russian Premier League side Zenit Saint Petersburg for €60 million, winning all three domestic honours and being named the competition's best player and being top scorer, once each. He was transferred to Shanghai SIPG for an Asian record €58.6 million in 2016.

Hulk made his international debut in 2009, and played for Brazil at the 2012 Summer Olympics as one of the three permitted over-age players. He went on to represent the Brazilian senior team in their victory at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and fourth-place finish at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

He is described by FIFA's official website as "a direct powerhouse of a centre- or wide-forward who knows his way around the box".[3] He is strongly built for a footballer and acquired his nickname due to his likeness to actor Lou Ferrigno, who played the Incredible Hulk on the eponymous television show in the 1970s.[4]

Club career

Brazil and Japan

Born in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Hulk started playing professionally with Esporte Clube Vitória in Salvador, Bahia, then went on loan to Japan to play for Kawasaki Frontale.[5] Despite having been purchased on 15 January 2006,[6] he was loaned to second division Consadole Sapporo, effective on 1 February,[6] where he played all the 2006 season and scored 25 goals, one less than the top scorer.

In 2007, he was loaned again to a second division team, Tokyo Verdy,[7] where he was even more effective, scoring 37 goals in 42 matches and being the top goalscorer of the season. He briefly returned[8] to Kawasaki in 2008, but rejoined Verdy[9] after only 18 matches.

Porto

After Hulk's stay in Japan, he moved to Portugal to join defending champions Porto,[10] who purchased 50% of his playing rights for €5.5 million from Uruguayan side Rentistas,[11] with the transfer fee being received by an unnamed investor.

When Moroccan teammate Tarik Sektioui suffered an injury, Hulk was given an opportunity to play forward and scored his first official domestic league goal for Porto in a 2–0 home win against C.F. Os Belenenses, later adding against F.C. Paços de Ferreira (same venue and result), both as a second-half substitute. As the season advanced, he became an undisputed starter, forming an attacking trio with Cristian Rodríguez and Lisandro López, with the trio often shifting positions. After some stellar performances in the season's UEFA Champions League, he was elected as one of the Top 10 Rising Stars by UEFA.com.[12] In late August 2009, he extended his contract to June 2014, with a buy-out clause increased to €100 million.[13]

In the 2009–10 season, Hulk established as an automatic first-choice. However, following a tunnel brawl during the league loss against S.L. Benfica (1–0) on 20 December 2009, he received a four-month ban (if the disciplinary hearing upheld the ban, he faced up to three years on the sidelines), only for the domestic competitions, as did his teammate Cristian Săpunaru.[14] The ban was later reduced to four matches, and the player returned to league action on 28 March 2010 after missing 3 months and 18 matches, scoring in a 3–0 win at Belenenses. One week later, he also scored in a 4–1 home victory over C.S. Marítimo. With six less matches played than the previous season, he ended with five league goals.

Hulk fighting for the ball in Porto's Europa League match against Rapid Wien in 2010

Hulk started the 2010–11 season scoring 16 times in his first 16 official matches, including a hat-trick against K.R.C. Genk in the UEFA Europa League play-off stage, on 26 August 2010 (4–2 home win, 7–2 on aggregate).[15] From September to January, he won the Portuguese Championship Player of the Month, making him the only player to have won the award six times. On 7 November 2010, he scored the last two goals as Porto trounced Benfica 5–0 at home, creating a ten-point difference between the two teams,[16] with the northerners leading the league, and eventually winning it, with the player leading the goalscoring charts.

On 13 May 2011, Porto paid €13.5 million to Rentistas for another 40% of Hulk's playing rights, bringing their total stake to 85% (Porto sold back 5% after renewing his contract in 2009), with the player signing a new contract valid until 2016 and with a buy-out clause of €100 million.[17][18] He finished the season with 36 goals in 53 official matches, with his team winning four major titles, including a league/cup double.

On 7 April 2012, Hulk scored the solitary goal as Porto defeated S.C. Braga away to go four points clear at the top of the Primeira Liga table.[19] He scored six goals in the following three matches, including a brace in a 2–0 home defeat of Sporting CP,[20] and finished the 2011–12 season with 16 league goals as his team won another national championship. In May 2012, he was voted the Player of the Month for April for a record sixth time,[21] and he added 11 assists, a competition best.[22]

On 17 February 2014, Hulk was ordered to pay a €45,000 fine for assaulting two stewards at the Estádio da Luz.[23][24][25]

Zenit

On 3 September 2012, Hulk completed a transfer of €60 million, with Porto receiving €40 million,[fn 1] to Russian Premier League club FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, reuniting with former Porto teammate Bruno Alves.[26] This transfer fee caused a lot of debate and a great stir since Mitrofanov, General director from Zenit denied publicly.[28] Russian media R-Sport even claimed that Mitrofanov had shown the media the sales contract and the fee on the contract was €40 million and not €60 million.[29][30] However, Porto also confirmed in its unaudited quarterly report in Q1 2012–13 that the club did not pay for third parties ownership (15%), agent fee nor solidarity contribution (5%), which all normally included in the transfer fee, as in the case of Radamel Falcao.[31]

Hulk scored his first goal for his new club in only his second league match, against FC Krylia Sovetov Samara, finding the net with a trademark shot from outside the box in a 2–2 away draw.[32]

In the second half of September, media speculation reported that teammates Igor Denisov and Aleksandr Kerzhakov were unsatisfied with Hulk's wage, and that they demanded renegotiation of their contracts. As a result, they were sent to the youth squad.[33][34] Denisov replied in an interview with Sport Express stating that his stand-off with club management was over "the proper organisation of the team. And respect for the Russian players which Zenit has always relied upon".[32] A few days after the feud, he scored and assisted in a 2–1 win against FC Baltika Kaliningrad for the fifth round of the Russian Cup. A few weeks later, he scored his first Champions League goal for Zenit and provided an assist in a 3–2 loss against A.C. Milan in the second matchday of group stage.

Hulk playing for Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2015

After falling out with head coach Luciano Spalletti, Hulk declared he was seeking to leave the club in January. However, FIFA regulations ban players from playing for more than two clubs in a season, forcing him to stay in Russia at least until June 2013.[35] Eventually, he revealed he made amends with the club's management and that things have been resolved.[36] In a 3–1 loss against Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, he suffered a head injury after falling under a challenge and connecting his head with a Shakhtar defender's studs in the second half. He was then taken to a local Dubai hospital[37] Following Zenit's third-place finish in the Champions League group stage, the club entered into the Europa League. He scored a goal in each leg of Zenit's knockout phase match to eliminate English side Liverpool from the Europa League in the round of 32 by away goals, despite losing 3–1 in the second leg.[38] On 4 May 2013, he scored his first hat-trick of his Zenit career and assisted a goal, in a 4–0 win over league strugglers Alania Vladikavkaz.[39]

On 16 February 2015, Hulk signed two-year contract extension with the club.[40] On 17 May, his free kick in a 1–1 draw at FC Ufa gave Zenit the league title with two matches to spare.[41]

Hulk was due to be an assistant at the draw for 2018 World Cup qualification in Saint Petersburg, but withdrew due to commitments with Zenit, being replaced by Alexey Smertin.[42]

Hulk was named by UEFA as one of the top XI players of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League group stage.[43]

Shanghai SIPG

On 30 June 2016, Hulk joined Chinese club Shanghai SIPG from Zenit for a reported £45 million, an Asian football record. He would earn £320,000 per week, accumulating to £16.6 million per year.[44] On 10 July, Hulk forced Ryan McGowan's own goal nine minutes into his debut in a 5–0 win over Henan Jianye. However, just 12 minutes later, he was stretchered off the pitch with a muscle injury.[45][46] On 9 September, Hulk scored his first two goals for Shanghai SIPG against Beijing Guoan after a two-month injury lay-off.[47]

Atlético Mineiro

On 29 January 2021, Hulk returned to Brazil and joined Atlético Mineiro on a two-year contract.[48][49]

International career
Hulk playing for Brazil at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Hulk made his debut for Brazil on 14 November 2009 in a friendly match against England in Doha, as the Seleção managed a 1–0 victory.[50] On 26 May 2012, he scored his first three international goals in a 3–1 win against Denmark at the Imtech Arena, Hamburg.[51]

On 9 June 2012, in a friendly with Argentina, Hulk scored in a 3–4 loss.[52] In July, he was named as one of three overaged players for Mano Menezes' Brazilian squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London,[53] and he appeared in all but one of the matches during the tournament, netting in the 1–2 final loss against Mexico.[54]

In June 2013, Hulk represented Brazil at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. He played in every match as the team's starting right-winger, including the final, where Brazil defeated world champions Spain to win its fourth Confederations Cup title.

At the 2014 World Cup, in the round of 16 match against Chile in Belo Horizonte, Hulk had a goal disallowed for a handball. In the shootout, he had his penalty saved by Claudio Bravo, although Brazil nonetheless advanced.[55]

Personal life

Hulk was previously married to Iran Angelo de Souza, who he met in Japan. The pair married in 2007 before separating in July 2019. They have two sons, Ian and Tiago, and a daughter, Alice. After splitting from Iran, Hulk began dating her niece, Camila Souza in October 2019.[56]

It was reported in March 2020 that Hulk had married Camila, in part due to her needing a visa to stay in China with Hulk.[57]

Career statistics

Club
As of 29 January 2021.[58]
Club Season League League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Vitória 2004 Série A 20————20
Kawasaki Frontale (loan) 2005 J1 League 912210——123
Consadole Sapporo (loan) 2006 J2 League 382531———4126
Tokyo Verdy (loan) 2007 J2 League 423700———4237
Kawasaki Frontale 2008 J1 League 200000——20
Tokyo Verdy 2008 J1 League 1170031——148
Porto 2008–09 Primeira Liga 258711010010449
2009–10 Primeira Liga 195320083103110
2010–11 Primeira Liga 26237431167105335
2011–12 Primeira Liga 2616102184203921
2012–13 Primeira Liga 320000000032
Total 99541876242145017077
Zenit 2012–13 Russian Premier League 18731—93—3011
2013–14 Russian Premier League 241700—105003422
2014–15 Russian Premier League 281520—156—4521
2015–16 Russian Premier League 271742—74103923
Total 975693—41181014877
Shanghai SIPG 2016 Chinese Super League 7500—10—85
2017 Chinese Super League 271764—119—4430
2018 Chinese Super League 251321—83—3517
2019 Chinese Super League 251031—86103717
2020 Chinese Super League 16610—42—218
Total 10051126—32201014577
Atlético Mineiro 2021 Série A 0000—000000
Career total 40023144191031155270576305

International
Brazil
YearAppsGoals
200920
201160
2012106
2013142
201491
201542
201630
Total4811

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 26 May 2012 Volksparkstadion, Altona, Hamburg, Germany  Denmark 1–0
3–1
Friendly
2 3-0
3 9 June 2012 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA  Argentina 3–2 3–4
4 7 September 2012 Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil  South Africa 1–0 1–0
5 10 September 2012 Estádio do Arruda, Recife, Brazil  China PR 4–0 8–0
6 11 October 2012 Swedbank Stadion, Malmö, Sweden  Iraq 4–0 6–0
7 16 November 2013 Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Florida, United States  Honduras 5–0 5–0
8 19 November 2013 Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada  Chile 1–0 2–1
9 3 June 2014 Estádio Serra Dourada, Goiânia, Brazil  Panama 3–0 4–0
10 5 September 2015 Red Bull Arena, Harrison, United States  Costa Rica 1–0 1–0
11 8 September 2015 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States  United States 1–0 4–1

Goals in the Summer Olympics
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 11 August 2012 Wembley Stadium, London, England  Mexico 1–2 1–2 2012 Summer Olympics

Honours

Club
Porto
Zenit Saint Petersburg
Shanghai SIPG

International
Brazil

Individual

Footnotes
  1. Based on Porto did not had obligation to pay for third parties ownership (15%), agent fee (€8M) and solidarity contribution (5%),[26] total for €20 million[27]

References
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