Vágner Love

This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Silva and the second or paternal family name is da Souza.
Vágner Love

Vágner Love with CSKA Moscow in 2009
Personal information
Full name Vágner Silva de Souza
Date of birth (1984-06-11) 11 June 1984
Place of birth Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current team
 Monaco
Number 9
Youth career
2002–2003 Palmeiras
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2002–2004 Palmeiras[2] 42 (27)
2004–2012 CSKA Moscow[2] 158 (79)
2009 → Palmeiras (loan)[2] 12 (5)
2010 → Flamengo (loan) 5 (4)
2012–2013 Flamengo 36 (13)
2013 CSKA Moscow 14 (6)
2013–2015 Shandong Luneng 31 (19)
2015 Corinthians 30 (14)
2016– Monaco 8 (4)
National team‡
2003 Brazil U20 6 (4)
2004–2007 Brazil 20 (4)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 04:27, 20 March 2016 (UTC).
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17:44, 20 September 2015 (UTC)

Vágner Silva de Souza (born 11 June 1984), known as Vágner Love, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Monaco. He is a forward who has been described by World Soccer Magazine as possessing "mobility, flair, awareness and powerful shooting."[3]

Over two spells, he scored 117 goals across 241 official games in eight seasons at CSKA Moscow. He won 14 honours in the Russian capital, scoring in their win in the 2005 UEFA Cup Final.

Vágner Love scored four goals in 20 games for Brazil, winning the Copa América in 2004 and 2007.

Club career

Palmeiras

Vágner Love started his career with Palmeiras. In the 2003 season he helped them to return to the Brazilian Série A, the national First division.

CSKA Moscow

In the summer of 2004 he was bought by CSKA Moscow. For over a year after his arrival at CSKA Moscow, rumours kept appearing that he did not want to stay in Moscow, and a transfer to Corinthians in particular was hinted at numerous times. However, these rumours subsided and Vágner mentioned a number of times that he was fully committed to his contract and is looking forward to completing its full tenure.

He scored the final goal that sealed CSKA's 3–1 victory in the 2005 UEFA Cup Final over Sporting Clube de Portugal at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. In addition to winning the UEFA Cup, he has gone on to win the Russian Premier League title and Russian Cup in 2005, 2008, and the Russian Super Cup in 2006.

He became the top scorer in the Russian Premier League 2008, and the top scorer of the 2008–09 UEFA Cup, with 11 goals in eight games.[4]

Return to Palmeiras on loan

On 28 August 2009, following a run of poor form for CSKA Moscow, Vágner Love was signed by his former club Palmeiras on a one-year loan deal until 31 July 2010.[5] CSKA press spokesman Sergei Aksenov claimed that Vágner Love left Russia due to "urgent family problems demand(ing) his presence at home in Brazil".[6][7]

Love had a respectable return of 5 goals in 12 games for Palmeiras, but the loan spell was to be short lived. After publicly stating his concern over his safety at Palmeiras due to off-field altercations with fans, as well as his desire to play for his childhood team Flamengo, Vágner Love's loan contract with Palmeiras was ended early on 14 January 2010.[8]

Antonio Nocerino and Vágner Love

Flamengo

On 15 January 2010, the day after his loan was terminated with Palmeiras, Love officially signed a loan deal with reigning Brazilian champions Flamengo lasting until July 2010.[9][10] He made his Flamengo debut against Bangu in the Campeonato Carioca on 23 January 2010, scoring 2 goals. Vágner performed very well playing for Flamengo; he went on to score 23 goals in 26 matches. His successful partnership with Adriano Leite Ribeiro at Flamengo's offensive end was called by fans "Império do Amor", or "The Love Empire", in reference to Adriano's nickname "The Emperor" and Vágner's artistic surname. The presence of midfielder Dejan Petkovic in Flamengo's squad made supporters start the year with high expectations—it was widely believed that the Serbian's passing and free-kick abilities, coupled with Adriano's and Vagner's prolific scoring would produce a top team.

However, with Adriano struggling to keep an athlete's BMI and Petkovic's legs growing old (he was already 37 then), the team failed to advance past the round-of-16 in 2010's Copa Libertadores da América.[11] Shortly after, Adriano revealed he wanted to try playing in Italy again,[12] and Flamengo couldn't convince CSKA to extend Vágner's loan, thus dismantling the previously promising "Love Empire".[13]

Return to CSKA

Love playing for CSKA

After a change on presidency, on 12 January 2013, Flamengo didn't pay his pendencies of rights with CSKA Moscow and Love had to leave the club. He went back to Russian football after one year away.[14] On January 16, Love was presented in Moscow and signed for three years with the club in his return.[15] Love continued his goal scoring record with CSKA on his return to the club, and propelled the club to the Russian Premier League title in 2013, after a goalless draw with Kuban Krasnodar on 18 May, the club's first league title since 2006.[16]

Shandong Luneng

On 24 July 2013, Love transferred to Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng,[17] in a reported €12m transfer.[18]

Corinthians

On February 8, 2015, Love rescinded his contract with Shandong Luneng and signed with Corinthians.[19] He went on to become the top scorer of the club during the national championship. Corinthians went on to win the 2015 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

AS Monaco

On 13 January 2016, AS Monaco announced the signing of Love to an 18-month deal. The fee was €1 million.[20]

On 20 March he opened a a 2–0 win that was Paris Saint-Germain's first home defeat since May 2014.[21]

Career statistics

Club career

As of match played 6 December 2015.
Club Season League Cup Continental Other[22] Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Palmeiras 2002 2000––20
2003 291900––2919
2004 11800––118
Total 422700––4227
CSKA Moscow 2004 1290094–2113
2005 21770157004314
2006 2397472103815
2007 23131033112817
2008 26201168–3329
2009 133314310217
Total 1186119644273118495
Palmeiras (loan) 2009 12500––125
Total 125000000125
Flamengo (loan) 2010 54141151104–2923
Total 541415104002923
CSKA Moscow 2010 1590052002011
2011–12 2595161103711
Total 401851113105722
Flamengo 2012 36131027252–5119
Total 361310752005119
CSKA Moscow 2012–13 95310000126
2013–14 2100001031
Total 116310010157
Shandong Luneng Taishan 2013 1060000–106
2014 21137455–3322
Total 31197455–4328
Corinthians 2015 30141632330004916
Total 301416230004916
Career total 32516774*36*774151482242

International career

Vágner Love is also member of the Brazilian national team and has played 20 games for the Seleção.

International stats

As of 1 April 2009[23][24][25]

National team Club Season Apps Goals
Brazil Palmeiras 2004 1 0
CSKA Moscow
2006 3 1
2007 16 3
Total 20 4

Honours

Vágner after winning the 2013 Russian Super Cup with CSKA

Club

Palmeiras
CSKA Moscow
Shandong Luneng
Corinthians

International

Brazil

Individual

References

  1. ↑ http://www.lnts.com.cn/portal.php?mod=view&eid=61
  2. 1 2 3 Vágner Love at National-Football-Teams.com
  3. ↑ "Talent Scout - Vagner Love". World Soccer. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "2008/09 UEFA Cup scorers table". ESPN. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  5. ↑ "CSKA loan Vagner to Palmeiras". Soccerway.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  6. ↑ Reuters (28 August 2009). "CSKA loan Vagner Love to Palmeiras". ESPN. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  7. ↑ "CSKA loan Vagner to Palmeiras". Fifa.com. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  8. ↑ "Nota Oficial: Palmeiras faz acordo com Vagner Love e atleta é liberado" [Vagner Love is released] (in Portuguese). palmeiras.com.br. 14 January 2010.
  9. ↑ ТРАНСФЕРНЫЕ НОВОСТИ [Transfer News: Vagner Love loan to Flamengo] (in Russian). pfc-cska.com. 15 January 2010.
  10. ↑ "chegada de Vagner Love" [Arrival of Vagner Love] (in Portuguese). flamengo.com.br. 15 January 2010.
  11. ↑ "Flamengo perde para o Universidad Católica e se complica na Libertadores" [Flamengo lost to Catholic University and is complicated in Libertadores] (in Galician).
  12. ↑ "Adriano vai para o Roma" [Adriano goes to Rome] (in Portuguese).
  13. ↑ "Vágner Love deixa o CSKA e volta para o Flamengo" [Vagner Love leaves CSKA for Flamengo and back] (in Portuguese).
  14. ↑ Vágner Love surpreende torcida e deixa o Fla para voltar ao CSKA Vágner Love surrenders fans and lets Fla come back to CSKA
  15. ↑ Vagner Love se apresenta oficialmente ao CSKA e assina por três anos Love presents officially at CSKA and signs for three years
  16. ↑ "The Moscow outfit lift their first domestic championship since 2006 as a goalless draw with Kuban Krasnodar put Zenit out of sight in the title race". GOAL. 18 May 2013.
  17. ↑ 鲁能官方宣布签下前巴西国脚 正式与尼库莱解约 [Luneng officially announced the signing of former Brazil striker formal surrender with Ni Kulai] (in Chinese). sina.com. 24 July 2013.
  18. ↑ "CSKA bid farewell to Vágner Love". UEFA.com. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  19. ↑ "Corinthians fecha com Vagner Love, que assina até julho de 2016". globoesporte.com. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  20. ↑ http://www.marca.com/futbol/america/2016/01/10/5692adc922601da4018b467c.html
  21. ↑ "Paris Saint Germain 0-2 Monaco". BBC Sport. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  22. ↑ Includes other competitive competitions, including the Russian Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup
  23. ↑ "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2004–2005". Rsssfbrasil.com. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  24. ↑ "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2006–2007". Rsssfbrasil.com. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  25. ↑ "Seleção Brasileira Restritiva (Brazilian National Restrictive Team) 2000–2003". Rsssfbrasil.com. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
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