Márcio Azevedo

Márcio Azevedo

Personal information
Full name	Márcio Gonzaga de Azevedo
Date of birth	(1986-02-05) 5 February 1986
Place of birth	Guarabira, Brazil
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Playing position	Left back
Club information
Current team	Atlético Paranaense
Number	6
Youth career
–2004	Juventude
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2007	Juventude	29	(0)
2007–2008	Fortaleza	30	(10)
2008–2010	Atlético Paranaense	97	(3)
2011–2013	Botafogo	93	(3)
2013–2014	Metalist Kharkiv	39	(0)
2014–2018	Shakhtar Donetsk	16	(0)
2018	→ PAOK (loan)	4	(0)
2018–	Atlético Paranaense	0	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 July 2018

Márcio Gonzaga de Azevedo better known as Márcio Azevedo (5 February 1986) is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Atlético Paranaense as a left back.

Career

Born in Guarabira, Azevedo joined the local Juventude youth teams at a young age. Following his highly successful passage from the youth teams, eventually in 2004 he switched to the first team. Despite the fact that he was training with the first team of Juventude, his official debut held on 3 December 2006 as a starter in a loss from Corinthians with 5-3. The 2006-2007 season will be an unsuccessful year for the player, since despite his 13 appearances (3 assists) was not among the first priorities of the coach, and will fatefully look for his next career at the end of the season.

On the summer of 2007, he signed with Fortaleza, on a loan from Corinthians. He managed to be a regular scoring 10 goals in 30 participations. Atlético Paranaense is the club managed to withdraw his signature, and in the 2008-2009 season had 24 appearances (21 in the championship and 3 in the Copa Sudamericanas) and scored 1 goal. Following the next season continued to be the main gear in the club's engine played in 29 games(3 assists). In the 2009-2010 season Azevedo will be seriously injured for the first time and fatally will lose his place in the starting XI. He managed to play only in 10 games (3 assists), and at the end of the season he will look for a new club in his career.

On 1 January 2011 he will be transferred to one of Brazil's largest teams, Botafogo. Even if he struggled with a new injury that kept him most of the season in the bench (12 appearances,1 assist), the club insisted on him. After a very diificult period for the Brazilian player, the 2011-2012 season will scyrocketed his career as he played in 33 games (1 goal, 4 assists), impressing all European scouts.

On 27 February 2013, after two and a half years in Botafogo, Azevedo signed with Ukrainian Premier League club Metalist for a transfer fee of €3 million. He has, though, agreed on a move to Metalist where he will join five of his countrymen in Cleiton Xavier, Willian, Fininho, Jajá and Marlos.^[2] In the second half of the 2012–13 season, he will play only in eight games, but he still left good impressions to the Metalist staff. Azevedo in the next season, will be basic and irreplaceable, while his appearances will attract the eyes of many European club. The 2013–14 season had 33 appearances(1 assist).

The Brazilian back, after his exceptional appearances with the team of Kharkov, will be in the spotlight of the Ukrainian giants FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Mircea Lucescu asked for his purchase. On 17 August 2014 signed a four-year contract with FC Shakhtar Donetsk for a transfer fee of €4 million.^[3] On 9 March 2015, an injury kept him out for 112 days, managed to compete in only 6 games. Despite his return to the squad his leg seemed to have not been sufficiently overcome and in the 2015–16 season managed to play only 11 games(2 assists). After a very difficult period for the defender marred by injury (441 days to be exact), Azevedo returned to action in a home game against FC Chornomorets Odesa in May 2017.^[4]

On the late days of December 2017, the administration of Greek Super League club PAOK seems to be closing in on the capture of experienced Brazilian left defender of Shakhtar Donetsk. The 31-year-old player is expected to replace Croatian international left defender, Marin Leovac, in the current squad of the Greek Cup winners, ahead of the second part of 2017–18 season.^[5] Eventually the club signed the player till the end of the season and forked out €400.000 for Azevedo’s loan.^[6][7]

Career statistics

Honours

Juventude

• Campeonato do Interior Gaúcho: 2007

Fortaleza

• Campeonato Cearense: 2008

Atlético Paranaense

• Campeonato Paranaense: 2009

Shakhtar Donetsk

• Ukrainian Premier League: 2016–17
• Ukrainian Cup: 2016, 2017
• Ukrainian Super Cup: 2016, 2017

PAOK

• Greek Cup: 2017–18

References

External links

• (in Portuguese) ogol
• (in Portuguese) Márcio Azevedo