Denilson Biography

Name :
Denilson

Born :
February 16, 1988

Birth place :
São Paulo, Brazil

Height :
1.78 m / 5.84 ft

Weight :
68 kg / 149 lbs

Position :
Midfielder

Squad Number :
15

Previous Club(s) :
Sao Paulo

Joined Arsenal :
August 31, 2006

2006/07
Denilson signed for the Club in August 2006 in a deal that brought the then Brazilian Under-19 captain to Emirates Stadium.

His first appearance in an Arsenal shirt came in a Reserve game against Portsmouth and he instantly turned heads with a very impressive performance. His first-team debut came against West Brom in the League Cup on October 24.

His Premier League debut came against Sheffield United on December 30. During his first season in English football he made 13 starts and six substitute appearances.

2007/08
His impressive debut season was rewarded with a new contract in October when he put pen to paper on a new long-term deal. Arsène Wenger said of the deal: "I am pleased, very pleased. Denilson is a great player. For me, he is underrated. He does not get all the praise his performances suggest but that will come very quickly."

This was after he had scored his first goal for Arsenal against Newcastle in the League Cup on September 25 when he powered home a shot into the top corner.

He made the same number of starts as the season before, being named in the starting line-up on 13 occasions.

2008/09
Denilson established himself as a vital member of the first team as he partnered Cesc Fabregas at the heart of the Arsenal midfield in his breakthrough season.

Mathieu Flamini, Gilberto Silva and Alexander Hleb all departed during the summer of 2008, leaving a huge opportunity for the Brazilian midfielder, and his manager was confident Denilson would make the most of his chance.

“Football is to be always ready when you get your chance. To show that you have the quality. You can only do that if you have exceptional concentration level, exceptional stamina and motivation," said the manager.

Fabregas missed the end of the season with an injury. He made 34 Premier League starts, which showed the faith his manager had put in him.

2009/10
Denilson kicked off Arsenal's 2009/10 campaign in style.

The midfielder scored the Gunners' first goal of the season with a sumptuous 25-yard curler into the top corner of Everton's goal at Goodison Park.

A back injury sustained at Manchester City in September kept him out for two months but he returned to strike home from 30-yards against Standard Liege in his 100th appearance for Arsenal.

Denilson went on to score some important goals for the Gunners and filled the big boots of Alex Song while the Cameroon international was on Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Among his highlights was a crucial free-kick against Hull in December. In first-half stoppage-time he curled the ball into the top corner to break the deadlock against Phil Brown's resilient team in what Arsène Wenger described as a match-turning moment.

From January 20 through to the end of the season Denilson featured in all but seven of Arsenal's games, scoring against West Ham and Stoke to take his tally for the season to five.