Where does the Hulk play after Zenit?

The Hulk is a Brazilian football player who is well known to Russian fans for his performances for St. Petersburg's Zenit. However, this summer the striker left the team, and many are wondering about where the Hulk is playing now. The answer to this question you will find in this article, but there will be information here not only about this. The fact is that the career of this player was extremely rich and interesting, so it would be unreasonable to simply tell what club he is currently playing for. You will find out not only where the Hulk is playing now, but also where he played before, where he started his career and how he ended up in Russia.

Carier start

Many fans of football are interested in where the Hulk is playing, not even knowing where he came to Zenit. But he did a long career path before he reached Peter. At the age of thirteen, the young Brazilian found himself in the academy of the Serrano club, where he stayed for two years, after which, together with the move of his parents, he moved to Portugal, where he entered the football academy Vilanovense. However, there he did not stay long - quite soon he was noticed by the junior scouts of the largest Brazilian club "Sao Paulo", where he moved in 2002. But the next year he was sent to the academy "Vitoria", since "Sao Paulo" he did not fit. It was with Vitoria, in whose structure he turned out to be 17 years old, after a year the Hulk, then known only under his real name Givanild Vieira de Sousa, signed a professional contract. Then he acted in the position of an extreme defender, which may seem amazing to modern fans. But if you are asked about where the Hulk is playing at the beginning of his career, then it's hardly worth talking about Brazil, because he played only two matches in Vitoria. Already six months after the contract was signed, the Brazilian was sold to the Japanese club Kawasaki - in Japan at that time there were many Brazilians.

Japanese period

In Japan, the Brazilian was firstly transferred to the position of the midfielder, so it was already difficult to accurately answer where the Hulk is playing. Footballer played for "Kawasaki", but already changed the position from the defender to the midfielder. In this club, he played 12 games, scoring three goals, after which he was loaned to another Japanese club, "Consadole Sapporo." The team played in the second division, so the pressure on the young Brazilian was less, and he was able to take advantage of this, having played 41 matches and scoring 26 goals in them. How did he do it? The fact is that in the new club he saw an excellent striker and transferred him from midfield to attack. So the star of modern football was born - the following year the Hulk was rented in "Tokyo Verdi", where he organized a real scoring extravaganza, scoring 37 goals in 42 games. But when he returned to "Kawasaki", he still did not find a place in the base - when he played two more matches, he was sold to "Tokyo", from which he just returned. Thanks to the efforts of the Hulk, this team got out of the second division in the first, so the return of the Brazilian on a regular basis was met with universal happiness. However, to help keep the capital club in the top division Halku was not given - in the first half of the season he played in 14 games, scoring eight goals, after which a transfer window came in Europe. Such outstanding results could not be overlooked, so in the summer of 2008, the 22-year-old Brazilian was in Portugal's Porto, who paid 19 million euros for it - it was fabulous money for a club that just got into the top division, so the leadership agreed, and The Hulk himself, naturally, would like to play in Europe.

Performances in "Porto"

Some fans of football simulators do not find the Hulk in the FIFE early publications in "Zenith", so immediately they begin to questions. Where does the Hulk play FIFE 11? It's simple - after all, at that time he had not yet moved to the Russian club, but played in Porto. Four years he gave to the Portuguese club, winning with him three Portuguese championships, three Portuguese Cups and two Portuguese Super Cups. Moreover, in 2011 the Hulk managed to win also the League of Europe, and at the same time it was one of the key factors of the team's success . The first two years he spent not very efficiently - in 75 matches he scored only 19 goals. But in the triumphant season of 10/11, as well as in the next after him, the Hulk actually shot - in 95 games he scored 59 goals. As a result, he drew the attention of St. Petersburg's "Zenith", paid for it in 2012, an incredible 55 million euros. It was the most expensive transfer of that year - and so far this transfer is among the twenty most expensive in history.

Going to "Zenith"

In the "Zenith" Hulk spent four years, which were extremely effective - in 144 matches, he scored 75 goals, making a significant contribution to the victory of the St. Petersburg club in the Russian Championship in 2015, as well as in the victory in the Cup and the Russian Super Cup next season. However, even then, many pointed out that once a poor Brazilian boy turned into a man hunting for money. Otherwise, the transition from a more successful "Porto" to a less successful "Zenith" at the peak of his career was impossible to explain. This fact was confirmed in the summer of 2016.

Departure to China

In the last couple of years, the Chinese have very actively begun to conquer the football world, scattering huge sums for those players whom they would like to see in their league. And if the majority of footballers refused such offers, as they would like to play in prestigious leagues, the Hulk agreed to leave for China to receive a huge salary. "Zenith" got back its 55 million euros, and now you know where the Hulk is playing. In which team specifically? The club Shanghai SIPG paid this money for the 30-year-old striker, who had already played three matches in the new championship, scoring two goals.

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