Grafite

1.1. Early Life and Background

Edinaldo Batista Libânio was born in Jundiaí, São Paulo State, Brazil, on 2 April 1979. He grew up in modest circumstances in the hinterland of São Paulo. Before dedicating himself fully to football, he worked as a door-to-door salesman, selling rubbish bags to make his first money. He began playing football seriously around the age of 20.

1.2. Early Football Career

Grafite's talent as a footballer earned him his first professional contract in 1999 with the Matão-based club SE Matonense, where he played in the first division of the State Championship. In early 2000, he had a brief stint with the fourth division club Ferroviária in Araraquara.

In the middle of 2000, he signed with the first division club Santa Cruz FC in Recife. There, he scored 5 goals in 22 league matches, though his efforts could not prevent the club's relegation to Série B. His performance, however, caught the attention of Grêmio Porto Alegre, another first division club, which acquired him for a transfer fee of 1.00 M BRL in 2002. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side in Porto Alegre; he suffered a severe knee injury early in the year, sidelining him for several months. In July 2002, in one of his first matches for Grêmio, the team was eliminated by Paraguay's Club Olimpia in the Copa Libertadores semi-finals. He played six more Série A matches for Grêmio without scoring before being loaned back to Santa Cruz in September. With Santa Cruz, he failed to achieve promotion to the national top flight after losing in the Série B semifinals against Criciúma EC, scoring three second division goals during this period.

2.1. Brazilian Clubs

After his initial stints, Grafite returned to Brazil and joined first division club Goiás EC in Goiânia at the beginning of 2003. This move proved to be a "rebirth as a footballer" for him. During the season, he formed an outstanding attack alongside Dimba, who became the league's top scorer, and Araújo. Grafite himself scored 12 goals in 20 matches, contributing to Goiás finishing ninth in the league, a significant success for the club. For his performance, he was awarded a Bola de Prata as the best player in his position for the season.

In early 2004, Grafite was signed by Brazilian top-side São Paulo FC. With São Paulo, he achieved his first major title, winning the 2005 São Paulo State Championship. He also played a crucial role in São Paulo's triumph in the 2005 Copa Libertadores. Although he was not in the starting line-ups for either of the two Libertadores finals against Atlético Paranaense, he featured in the last 15 minutes of the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup final in November in Tokyo against Liverpool, which São Paulo won 1-0.

2.2. Asian Career

In 2003, Grafite had a brief and largely undistinguished stint in South Korea with Anyang LG Cheetahs, which is now known as FC Seoul, in the K League. His K League registration name was 바티스타_Batista^Korean. Despite a promising performance in a friendly debut match against a Rio de Janeiro state selection team, he failed to score a single goal in 9 league appearances. He was subsequently released by the club in June 2003.

2.3. European Career

In January 2006, Grafite made his move to Europe, joining French club Le Mans UC 72, which had been promoted to Ligue 1 in 2005. He debuted in February and scored three times in eleven league matches by the end of the 2005-06 season. In the 2006-07 season, he was a regular in the team, playing in 34 of 38 matches and scoring 12 goals, making him the club's top goal-scorer and the third overall in France. He played six more league matches for Le Mans at the start of the 2007-08 season, scoring two additional goals.

On 31 August 2007, the last day of the transfer period, Grafite was transferred to German Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg for a fee of approximately 5.60 M EUR (some sources indicate around 8.00 M EUR). He signed a four-year contract, which he extended in 2009 until 2012.

In his first season with Wolfsburg (2007-08), he scored 11 goals in 24 matches, again finishing as his team's top scorer. The following season, 2008-09, proved to be historic for both Grafite and Wolfsburg. Under manager Felix Magath, the "Wolves" won their first-ever German championship. Grafite was instrumental in this success, contributing 28 goals in 25 matches, which made him the league's top striker. Alongside his attacking partner, Edin Džeko, who scored 26 goals, they formed the most prolific strike partnership in Bundesliga history, collectively scoring 54 goals and surpassing the record of 53 goals set by Gerd Müller and Uli Hoeneß in the 1971-72 season.

One of Grafite's goals during Wolfsburg's 5-1 victory against Bayern Munich garnered international attention. He dribbled past several defenders, including the goalkeeper, and then finished with a slow, skillful heel-kick shot. This goal was voted "Goal of the Year" in Germany and was rated third for the inaugural FIFA Puskas Award, which recognizes the "most beautiful goal" of the year.

For his exceptional performance, Grafite received the highest individual honor in German football, being voted Footballer of the Year in 2009, becoming only the third foreign player to achieve this distinction. He also received the "Prêmio Futebol no Mundo" award from ESPN Brasil as the promising discovery of the 2008-09 season, as well as the top goalscorer award for the same season.

On 15 September 2009, in VfL Wolfsburg's first-ever Champions League match against PFC CSKA Moscow, Grafite scored a hat-trick to secure a 3-1 victory at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg. This made him only the sixth player in history to score a hat-trick on his Champions League debut. In total, Grafite netted 59 goals in 107 German top-flight matches for Wolfsburg.

2.4. Middle Eastern Career

On 19 June 2011, Grafite announced he had signed a two-year contract with Al Ahli in the UAE Pro-League. He continued his impressive goal-scoring form in the Middle East. On 26 May 2013, he was honored as the International Player of the Year for the 2012-13 UAE Pro-League, surpassing top goalscorer Asamoah Gyan. Two days later, on 28 May, he scored Al Ahli's second goal in their 4-3 victory over Al Shabab Al Arabi in the final of the 2013 UAE President's Cup. Grafite scored a total of 63 goals in 79 matches for Al Ahli.

In 2015, he also played for Al Sadd in the Qatar Stars League, where he scored 4 goals in 9 appearances.

2.5. Later Career and Retirement

On 1 July 2015, Grafite rejoined his former Brazilian club Santa Cruz on a year-long contract, wearing shirt number 23. He arrived mid-season and scored 7 goals in 15 matches, playing a key role in Santa Cruz's promotion to the first division after a decade-long absence.

Following a spell at Atlético Paranaense in 2017, he once again rejoined Santa Cruz in August 2017. In January 2018, Grafite officially announced his retirement from professional football.

4.1. National Team Debut and Appearances

Grafite received his first call-up to the Brazil national team by coach Carlos Alberto Parreira in April 2005. He made his debut on 27 April 2005 in a friendly match against Guatemala at São Paulo's Pacaembu Stadium, which was also a farewell match for Brazilian legend Romário. Grafite contributed one goal to Brazil's 3-0 victory.

After almost five years since his debut, he made his second appearance for the national team on 2 March 2010. He came on as a substitution for Adriano in a friendly game against the Republic of Ireland at the Emirates Stadium in London. He was called into the squad after Luís Fabiano suffered an injury, and during the match, he assisted Robinho's second goal.

4.2. 2010 FIFA World Cup

On 11 May 2010, national team coach Dunga named Grafite among his 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Grafite made one appearance in the tournament, replacing Luís Fabiano for the last five minutes of the 0-0 draw against Portugal in the final group stage match.

5.1. Playing Style

Grafite was known for his physical presence, technical ability, and clinical finishing as a striker. He possessed a strong shot and was adept at holding up the ball and linking with midfielders. His famous heel-kick goal against Bayern Munich showcased his flair and technical skill. He formed highly effective attacking partnerships throughout his career, most notably with Edin Džeko at VfL Wolfsburg, where their combined goal tally set a Bundesliga record.

5.2. Origin of Nickname

Grafite's nickname, Grafite_{pencil lead}^Portuguese, was given to him by his coach during his time at Matonense. The coach observed that Edinaldo was dark-skinned, tall, and thin, resembling another student he had previously coached who was also nicknamed 'Grafite'. Before this, he was known by the name 'Luna', which was deemed by some to sound too "cute" and lacking the strength associated with a powerful footballer.

6.1. Club Statistics

State League

6.2. International Statistics

7.1. Team Honours

• São Paulo
  • Campeonato Paulista: 2005
  • Copa Libertadores: 2005
  • FIFA Club World Cup: 2005
• VfL Wolfsburg
  • Bundesliga: 2008-09
• Al Ahli
  • UAE President's Cup: 2012-13
  • UAE League: 2013-14
  • UAE Super Cup: 2013
  • UAE League Cup: 2011-12, 2013-14
• Santa Cruz
  • Campeonato Pernambucano: 2016
  • Copa do Nordeste: 2016

7.2. Individual Honours

• Bola de Prata: 2003
• VDV Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2008-09
• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2008-09
• Goal of the Year (Germany): 2009
• Footballer of the Year (Germany): 2009
• Bundesliga top scorer: 2008-09
• UAE Pro-League International Player of the Year: 2012-13
• ESPN Brasil "Prêmio Futebol no Mundo" (Promising Discovery and Top Goalscorer): 2008-09
• ESM European Team of the Year: 2003