Up and Comers: Nilmar

Soccer players are lucky if they can find one club to play for in their career. And in a place like Brazil where there are a lot of players coming through on a daily basis, players can get lost in the mix.

Like many young Brazilian players, Nilmar came onto the playing scene with a shout. The striker came through the Internacional youth teams and impressed fans and coaches so much that European teams started knocking on his door to pry him away from his beloved Brazil. And like many young players before him, the player answered the call.

He was recruited by French Ligue One side Lyon, as an understudy for Brazilian compatriot Giovane Elber, who was injured at the time. His contract stipulated that he would be loaned back to Internacional once the older Brazilian striker was fit.

In his first season with Lyon, Nilmar impressed in the first few games. Carrying with him the traditional Brazilian flair and enthusiasm, it wasn’t long before the fans warmed up to him. But the truth of the matter is that strikers are expected to score goals. Nilmar was good at playing with the ball, but he just couldn’t find the back of the net. And with other strikers on the scene, the team had to make decisions that would be in their favor and not necessarily the player’s. Lyon went looking for another striker and found one in Brazilian Fred.

With Fred, Baros, Sylvain Wiltord, and Sydney Govou on the scene, Nilmar was loaned out to Brazilian outfit Corinthians. Back in Brazil, the player found new air to breathe and it showed in his performances. His amazing dribbling skills and his playmaking abilities helped him gel with the team. He was also able to start scoring goals on the regular despite missing some games because of injury.

On the surface, Corinthians was a good place for the player to continue showcasing his talents, but in the long run it turned out to be anything but. Lyon no longer felt that they needed the player so they sold him to Corinthians, but the Brazilian club would not do well by the player. They owed the player his wages, and when they did not pay, an employment court in Brazil forced them to terminate their contract with Nilmar and made him a free agent.

Though they were a lot of European teams vying for his signature, the now more mature player made the decision not to leave Brazil. He signed for his first club Internacional. During his second stint with Internacional, he proved to be a success and easily established himself as one of the team’s leaders on the field. European teams came knocking again in the summer of 2008, but the Internacional board of directors turned down a 15 Million Euro offer from Italian side Palermo.

Nilmar, in his short career has won the FIFA World Youth Championship with Brazil (2003), the French Super Cup and French Championship with Lyon(2005), the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A(2005) and top goal scorer with Corinthians(2006) and the Dubair Cup(2008), Copa Nissan Sudamericana(2008), and Campeonato Gaucho witn Internacional (2003, 2004, 2008)

Though he has had a few glances thrown his way by the Brazilian national team, Nilmar has not been able to establish himself as a regular member of that popular club. A future in Europe is still on the cards for the Brazilian, and fans worldwide will be glad to watch him play, if they can pick him out of the crowd of extremely talented Brazilian youngsters.