Francileudo Santos Explained

Francileudo Santos
Fullname:Francileudo Silva dos Santos Lima[1]
Height:1.72 m
Birth Date:20 March 1979
Birth Place:Zé Doca, Brazil
Position:Forward
Youthclubs1:Sampaio Corrêa
Years1:1996–1998
Clubs1:Standard Liège
Caps1:10
Goals1:0
Years2:1998–2000
Clubs2:Étoile du Sahel
Caps2:60
Goals2:41
Years3:2000–2005
Clubs3:Sochaux
Caps3:144
Goals3:53
Years4:2005–2008
Clubs4:Toulouse
Caps4:34
Goals4:7
Years5:2007
Clubs5:Zürich (loan)
Caps5:12
Goals5:4
Years6:2008–2009
Clubs6:Sochaux
Caps6:16
Goals6:2
Years7:2009–2010
Clubs7:Istres
Caps7:16
Goals7:3
Years8:2010–2013
Clubs8:Étoile du Sahel
Caps8:31
Goals8:9
Years9:2013–2015
Clubs9:ASM Belfort
Caps9:48
Goals9:3
Years10:2015–2016
Clubs10:FC Porrentruy
Caps10:6
Goals10:2
Totalcaps:377
Totalgoals:124
Nationalyears1:2004–2008
Nationalteam1:Tunisia
Nationalcaps1:41
Nationalgoals1:22

Francileudo Silva dos Santos Lima (Arabic: فرانسيلودو سيلفا دوس سانتوس ليما; better known as Francileudo Santos or Santos; born 20 March 1979), is a Tunisian retired professional footballer who played as a forward.

Born in Brazil, he became a naturalised Tunisian citizen before their hosting of the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, and was joint top scorer as they won it. He also played at two more such tournaments, and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

He started playing with Sampao Corrêa and moved to Belgian club, Standard Liège. After that, he joins Tunisian side Étoile du Sahel, scoring 41 goals for 2 seasons. He get the best career and had his greatest successes at French club Sochaux, helping them win Ligue 2 in 2001 as top scorer and player of the season, and then; they later won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2004.

He also had stints at another French club Toulouse in Ligue 1, and while on loan at FC Zürich, he won the Swiss Super League in 2007.

Club career

Born in Zé Doca, Maranhão, Brazil, Santos began his professional career with Standard Liège in Belgium, before spending two years with Étoile Sportive du Sahel in Tunisia. He then moved to FC Sochaux-Montbéliard in France in 2000, and was top scorer with 21 goals and player of the season as they won Ligue 2 in his first season.[2] He played as they won the 2004 Coupe de la Ligue Final; in the last 32 he scored in a 3–2 extra-time home win over ASOA Valence.[3] In February 2004, he was removed from the squad to avoid a doping ban due to his corticoid use, as the club awaited a facsimile of his prescription from Tunisia.[4]

After nine goals in his final Ligue 1 season, Santos turned down a new two-year contract to sign for fellow league team Toulouse FC on a three-year deal in May 2005.[5] Having played only four times under manager Élie Baup in his second season, he was loaned to FC Zürich of the Swiss Super League in February 2007 for the rest of the season.[6] In May, he opened a 2–0 win against city rivals Grasshopper Club Zürich to take the title.[7]

On 1 July 2008, Santos returned to Sochaux on a one-year deal.[8] He then had a season at FC Istres before going back to Étoile Sportive.[9]

Santos returned to Franche-Comté in September 2013, to sign for ASM Belfort of the fourth-tier CFA.[10] In June 2015, he signed for a year at Swiss amateurs FC Porrentruy.[11]

International career

Santos was naturalised as a Tunisian citizen in January 2004, days before the country was due to host the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations.[12] He debuted for the Carthage Eagles on 17 January in a 2–1 friendly win over Benin in Sfax, in which he scored after eight minutes.[13] In the first two group games, he scored a goal in a 2–1 win against Rwanda and two in a 3–0 victory against DR Congo.[14] [15] He opened the scoring after five minutes in the final, a 2–1 win over rivals Morocco at the Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi .[16] With four goals, he was one of five joint top scorers.[17]

In June 2004, Santos apologised for having draped himself in the Brazilian flag when celebrating Sochaux's Coupe de la Ligue win.[18] He was Tunisia's top scorer with five goals in qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup; this included four on 26 March 2005 as they beat Malawi 7–0 at home.[19] He was also part of the squad that were eliminated from the group stage at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany, where he scored both goals of a win over Australia in their last game.[20]

At the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, Tunisia reached the quarter-finals. Santos scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 win over Zambia in the first game and another in a 2–0 victory against South Africa in the next.[21] [22] Manager Roger Lemerre called him up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where he only played the last ten minutes of a group stage elimination by Ukraine at the Berlin Olympiastadion, as a substitute for Adel Chedli.[23]

Santos also went to the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, another quarter-final finish. He scored twice in a 3–1 win over South Africa in the second group game.[24]

Career statistics

International

International goals

Scores and results list Tunisia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each santos goal.

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
117 January 20041–02–1Friendly
224 January 2004Stade 7 Novembre, Radès, Tunisia2–12–12004 Africa Cup of Nations
328 January 2004Stade 7 Novembre, Radès, Tunisia1–03–0
43–03–0
514 February 2004Stade 7 Novembre, Radès, Tunisia1–02–1
64 September 2004Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco1–01–12006 FIFA World Cup qualification
726 March 2005Stade 7 Novembre, Radès, Tunisia2–07–0
83–0
95–0
106–0
114 June 2005Botswana National Stadium, Gaborone, Botswana2–13–1
1221 June 2005Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Allemagne1–02–02005 FIFA Confederations Cup
132–0
1411 November 2005Stade Sébastien Charléty, Paris, France2–12–2Friendly
1522 January 2006Haras El Hodoud Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt1–14–12006 Africa Cup of Nations
163–1
174–1
1826 January 2006Haras El Hodoud Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt1–02–0
1930 January 2006Stade 7 Novembre, Radès, Tunisia2–03–0Friendly
209 September 2007Khartoum Stadium, Khartoum, Sudan2–32–32008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2127 January 2008Tamale Stadium, Tamale, Ghana1–03–12008 Africa Cup of Nations
222–0

Honours

Sochaux

2000–01[2]

2003–04[3]

FC Zürich

2006–07[7]

Tunisia

2004[16]

Individual

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Tunisia . FIFA . 30 . 21 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190610174527/https://www.fifadata.com/document/fwc/2006/PDF/FWC_2006_SquadLists.pdf . 10 June 2019.
  2. News: Santalucia . Gilles . Le FC Sochaux et son football " do Brasil ! ". FC Sochaux and its football "do Brasil" ["from Brazil"] . 1 July 2020 . L'Est Républicain . 10 April 2019 . fr.
  3. News: France Coupe de la Ligue 2003/04 . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 7 January 2020.
  4. News: Sochaux play safe over Santos . 1 July 2020 . BBC Sport. 29 February 2004.
  5. News: Santos joins Toulouse . 1 July 2020 . BBC Sport. 31 May 2005.
  6. News: Santos leaves Toulouse . 1 July 2020 . Eurosport . 5 February 2007.
  7. News: Zurich clinch Swiss football championship . 1 July 2020 . Swiss Info . 25 May 2007.
  8. News: Le 1er juillet 2008, Santos annonçait son retour au FC Sochaux. On 1 July 2008, Santos announced his return to FC Sochaux . 1 July 2020 . L'Est Républicain . 1 July 2008 . fr.
  9. News: La descente aux enfers continue pour Santos. The descent into Hell continues for Santos . 1 July 2020 . Foot Mercato . 17 October 2011 . fr.
  10. News: Officiel: Santos a signé! . Official: Santos has signed! . 1 July 2020 . 7 September 2013 . fr . 1 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200701204159/http://asmbelfortfoot.com/news/8541/4/Officiel-Santos-a-sign%C3%A9/d%2CACTU_detail . dead .
  11. News: Santos au FC Porrentruy !. Santos to FC Porrentruy! . 1 July 2020 . RFJ . 7 June 2015 . fr.
  12. News: Tunisia naturalise Brazilian . 1 July 2020 . BBC Sport. 14 December 2003.
  13. News: Couve . Philippe . L'efficacité avant tout. Efficiency before everything else . 1 July 2020 . RFI . 5 February 2004 . fr.
  14. News: Tunisia Scores Win Over Rwanda in African Cup of Nations Football Tournament . 1 July 2020 . Voice of America . 25 January 2004.
  15. News: Thomas . Durosimi . Tunisia through to last eight . 1 July 2020 . BBC Sport. 28 January 2004.
  16. News: Copnall . James . Lemerre wins the mother of all doubles . 1 July 2020 . The Guardian . 16 February 2004.
  17. News: Tunisia delight in African triumph . 1 July 2020 . UEFA . 14 February 2004.
  18. News: Dos Santos says sorry . 1 July 2020 . BBC Sport. 15 June 2004.
  19. News: Tunisia thrash Malawi . 1 July 2020 . BBC Sport. 26 March 2005.
  20. News: Santos leads Tunisia to victory . 1 July 2020 . BBC Sport. 21 June 2005.
  21. News: Thomas . Durosimi . Tunisia 4-1 Zambia . 1 July 2020 . BBC Sport. 22 January 2006.
  22. News: Tunisia ease into quarter-finals . 1 July 2020 . Eurosport . 26 January 2006.
  23. News: Ukraine 1-0 Tunisia . 1 July 2020 . BBC Sport. 23 June 2006.
  24. News: Tunisia beats South Africa with a Brazilian touch . 1 July 2020 . France 24 . 27 January 2008.