A FORGOTTEN Chelsea star who was compared to Claude Makelele ended up in the fourth tier of German football… after playing just once for the Blues.
Carlos Luciano da Silva, better known simply as Mineiro, was seen as one of the world’s hottest talents when he was snapped up by Luiz Felipe Scolari in 2008.
The midfielder had played for Guarani, Ponte Preta, Sao Caetano and Sao Paulo and earned his place in the Brazil Serie A team of the year before making the move to Europe.
It was Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin who first took the risk on Mineiro, and it’s fair to say he shone in his 38 appearances for the club.
By the time he joined Chelsea, his tough tackling and cool distribution was drawing comparisons with legendary Stamford Bridge midfielder Claude Makelele.
He had even earned 24 caps for Brazil, such was the hope around his prodigious talent.
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Scolari said after signing him: “[Mineiro is] good positionally, a very good marker.
“He is a man that works for the other players and he is also a good man outside of the pitch.”
He is a player that I need because I lost Michael Essien for six months. I have one midfielder like him, Mikel [Jon Obi].”
But Mineiro’s time in West London turned into a total nightmare.
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He played just twice for Chelsea in total, one League Cup start and a late sub appearance in the Premier League, as he failed to adapt to life in West London.
After just one season with the Blues, he would go back to the Bundesliga to join Schalke.
But he NEVER regained his old form.
In the end Mineiro dropped three tiers to join fourth division German side TuS Koblenz.
He scored a single goal for Koblenz in his 30 appearances before calling time on his career in 2012.
Since then, Mineiro has been coaching young players in Melbourne, Australia alongside former Manchester United winger Jesper Olsen.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
