FC Barcelona and Deco have reached agreement to join Club

FC Barcelona and Anderson Luis de Souza "Deco" have reached an agreement regarding his joining the Club. 

The first team player between 2004 and 2008 signs a contract as sporting director at the Club for the next three seasons. 

Deco will be in charge of setting FC Barcelona's sporting philosophy and putting together the squad with the coach and the coaching and becoming head of the football section. 

This incorporation is in line with the statement released on 2 May in which the President and the director of the Football Area, Mateu Alemany, agreed his release from his duties once the current transfer window comes to an end on 2 September.

As stated in the release Deco and Mateu Alemany will continue to work together until the closing of the transfer window. 

In the coming weeks the Club will release details of the FC Barcelona sporting structure. 

Born in Brazil; made in Portugal

Born Anderson Luis de Souza 45 years ago in Brazil, soon he became better known as 'Deco', the nickname given to him by his uncle when he was just a baby.  The name became famous inside Brazil and beyond thanks to his sparkling career as a footballer. 

After starting his career in home town of São Paulo with Nacional and then Corinthians, at the age of 20 he made the move to Europe. Portugal was his destination and the midfielder would end making 75 appearance for the national team of his adopted country.

Deco's first stop was Benfica before he joined their big rivals, FC Porto with whom he would win a UEFA Cup, three league titles and a Champions League title. After lifting Europe's biggest club prize with the Portuguese club, he signed for FC Barcelona in 2004. 

Midfield maestro and masterclass in Paris

In his four seasons as a blaugrana, Deco made 161 appearances, scoring 20 goals and creating 45 assists, a record that saw him become one of the top midfielders in world football. The Portuguese international crowning moment came in the 2006 Champions League victory in Paris over Arsenal, a trophy that sits alongside his two league titles with Barça and his three Spanish Super Cup victories. 

After departing in 2008, now 15 years later he returns in a different role as an expert in discovering new talent with an important role to play in the Club's future.