Hulk (Footballer)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Hulk

• Hulk is considered one of the best forward wingers in the world and is known for his pace and strength with a powerful left foot.
  

• He was nicknamed Hulk after American actor Lou Ferrigno who played the Hulk in the American TV series. His father was a huge fan of the actor.

• He grew up in poverty and was unable to afford equipment and the fees for soccer school in childhood.

• According to Hulk, his father used to sell meat at the local market, and he would wake Hulk up early in the morning to take him along, even when Hulk was a mere toddler.

• While growing up in Campina Grande, Hulk would play futsal for the entire day.

  

• He initially faced rejections by the biggest clubs in Brazil.

• Hulk was spotted by an agent when he was playing for a team in Campina Grande. The agent later took him to Vilanovense in Portugal to begin his youth apprenticeship.

• When the 16-year-old Hulk visited the Estádio do Dragão, he declared that one day, he would play for Porto to which everybody laughed.

• When Vilanovense could not afford to buy out his rights, and São Paulo in Brazil refused to pay €18,000 for his signature, Hulk was taken to Vitoria, where he made his professional debut.

• In 2005, he moved to Japan, where he played for Kawasaki Frontale, Consadole Sapporo, and Tokyo Verdy.

  

• The most successful phase in his soccer career came in 2008 when Porto took him from Tokyo Verdy, making him the most-loved player at the Estádio do Dragão since Jardel, another Brazilian footballer.

• When he joined Porto, he took the No. 12 shirt to honour the fans as the team’s 12th man, and since then, H12 has become a brand. He named his football school in Campina Grande H12 and has dressed up his sports car with H12 logos.

  

• In August 2009, Hulk extended his contract with Porto until June 2014.

• After a tunnel fight against rivals Benfica in 2009, Hulk was banned for four games; however, he missed 18 matches as the appeal against the ban took time. After he rejoined Porto following the ban, he led the club to have 20 successive wins.

• In 2010, his niece fell into the swimming pool at his Campina Grande house and drowned. The incident shattered Hulk deeply, and following the incident, he started celebrating goals by looking up at the sky.

• He played for Brazil in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London; he was one of three overaged players in Barzil’s squad.

• In September 2012, Hulk was transferred to Russian Premier League club FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. He later developed differences with head coach Luciano Spalletti and announced that he would leave the club in January 2013. However, due to FIFA regulations, which ban players from playing for more than two clubs in a season, he was forced to stay in Russia until June 2013.

  

• At the 2014 World Cup, he scored a goal which was disallowed for a handball.

• In February 2015, he signed a two-year contract extension with Zenit.

• In July 2016, he joined the Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG for $61 million.

• In 2016, while playing for Shanghai SIPG, he suffered a head injury following which he was ruled out for two months.

  

• In January 2021, Hulk returned to Brazil and signed a two-year contract with Atlético Mineir.

• In August 2021, he was included in Brazil’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World, after 5 years of exclusion from Brazil’s national team.

• His football school, H12, trains needy students from his hometown, Campina Grande.

• Hulk is best friends with Brazilian footballer Neymar.

• In November 2012, his younger sister Angélica Aparecida Vieira was kidnapped in front of the restaurant in the north-eastern city of Campina Grande where she worked as a nutritionist. The kidnappers reportedly asked for a ransom fee close to $150,000; however, they released her the next day following arguments over the distribution of the ransom money between them. The police later arrested three people allegedly involved in her kidnap.

• He is often spotted consuming alcoholic beverages on various occasions.