Wenderson Arruda Said


Wenderson de Arruda Said, commonly known as Wender, is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a forward, and current manager.
He spent the vast majority of his professional career in Portugal, amassing Primeira Liga totals of 190 matches and 41 goals over seven seasons and representing in the competition Braga, Sporting and Belenenses.
Wender retired in 2013 at the age of 38, after spending four years in Cyprus with three teams.

Football career

Born in Guiratinga, Mato Grosso with a Lebanese grandfather, Wender started playing professionally with Sport Club do Recife, then moved to Portugal with Associação Naval 1º de Maio after signing in 1999 from modest Esporte Clube Democrata. He spent three additional seasons at S.C. Braga, being an instrumental attacking figure in the Minho team's Primeira Liga and UEFA Cup consolidation.
Wender joined Portuguese club Sporting CP for the 2005–06 campaign. Although he appeared scarcely for the Lisbon side, he scored in both legs of a UEFA Cup tie against Halmstads BK.
In January 2006, however, Wender was involved in a two-way loan deal as right-back Abel moved to Sporting and he returned for a second Braga spell. The loan was made permanent in 2006–07, and he went on to net eight league goals in an eventual fourth-place finish.
In July 2008, Wender signed with C.F. Os Belenenses' Brazilian contingent on a season-long loan. In the following year, after the capital-based club initially dropped down a level – later reinstated – Braga sold the 34-year-old to Ermis Aradippou FC in the Cypriot First Division, and he remained in that country several years.

Coaching career

In 2016, Wender coached the U-17 squad of Palmeiras Futebol Clube, the satellite club of Braga. In the summer 2017, he then became the manager of Braga's U-17 squad. The club announced on 25 January 2018, that Wender had been promoted to the manager of the clubs reserve team. On 18 February 2019, he left the club by mutual consent.