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On Thursday, Brazilian Fernando de Abreu officially joined "Ekranas". The 28-year-old defender signed a two-year contract with the Lithuanian champions club.
One of the highlight stages of the player's career was in Spain. In 2003, the defender signed a contract with "Racing" Santander in the Spanish top league, where he spent 4 years playing for the B team. He played 62 matches and scored 4 goals here. Finally, in the summer of 2007, F. De Abreu made his debut in La Liga matches with "Real Betis".
Since mid-2007, the Brazilian continued his career at Madrid's "Atletico" club. Here, he also played two seasons constantly in the B team. In 47 matches, F. De Abreu scored 2 goals.
In 2009, another stage of the Brazilian's career became Ljubljana's "Olimpija" (Slovenia). After a year, the defender signed a contract with "Olympiakos" Nicosia (Cyprus), and in 2011, he moved to Finland, where he played in the top league for IFK "Mariehamn". Last season, the footballer finished a season in exotic Malaysia.
The defender, who will play this season for the country's champions club, says that he was fascinated by "Ekranas" history of victories in Lithuania and the opportunity to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers:
"When I was looking for a club, I had received several more lucrative offers than "Ekranas". However, it wasn't so much the money that fascinated me, but the team's prospects. Five times in a row, "Ekranas" became champions of their country and constantly plays in the UEFA qualifying rounds. That's what attracted me.
"I think that after so many years of triumph, "Ekranas" fans are waiting for another championship title this year, so I want to contribute to the victories. Of course, my dream would be to go beyond the UEFA qualifying rounds with "Ekranas" and play in the groups. I'll repeat - it's just a dream, but why not?" - said the newcomer Fernando de Abreu.
"Ekranas" sports director Deimantas Bicka says that after signing a contract with the Brazilian, the team's assembly work in the defensive line is completed:
"He is a player with a rich past, with a lot of experience. I think he will be useful for our team, I believe in him. His career has had good and worse stages, but it is likely that "Ekranas" will be a great stage for him. Of course, everything will be seen on the field during the season. We will see if there are no injuries, if the player has enough motivation. Conclusions will be drawn after the season, but I think he is a valuable player."
It is expected that all the registration formalities of the Brazilian will be completed by Sunday's match.
