Valdívia (Brazilian footballer)
|
Valdívia with Cuiabá in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wanderson Ferreira de Oliveira | ||
| Date of birth | 4 October 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Jaciara, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Jeonnam Dragons | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2012 | Rondonópolis | ||
| 2012–2013 | Internacional | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2020 | Internacional | 116 | (19) |
| 2017 | → Atlético Mineiro (loan) | 28 | (2) |
| 2018 | → São Paulo (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Al-Ittihad (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 2019 | → Vasco da Gama (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Avaí (loan) | 44 | (7) |
| 2021 | Avaí | 46 | (2) |
| 2022 | Cuiabá | 40 | (4) |
| 2023– | Jeonnam Dragons | 103 | (42) |
| International career | |||
| 2015 | Brazil U23 | 4 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 January 2026 | |||
Wanderson Ferreira de Oliveira (born 4 October 1994), commonly known as Valdívia, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Jeonnam Dragons.
Early life
Born in Jaciara, Mato Grosso, Valdívia played futsal until the age of 12. He subsequently moved to Rondonópolis and joined Rondonópolis Esporte Clube's youth setup.[1]
Club career
Internacional
On 15 March 2012, after being the year's Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior top goalscorer, Valdívia was signed by Internacional.[2] Initially with the under-20s, he made his Série A debut on 6 October 2013, coming on as a second-half substitute for fellow youth graduate Otávio in a 1–0 home win against Fluminense.[3]
After appearing rarely at the 2014 Campeonato Gaúcho, Valdívia was an important unit for the club during that year's Brasileirão, but was used mainly as a substitute; in July, already definitely promoted, he signed a new contract until 2018.[4] He scored his first professional goal on 12 October, the winner in a 2–1 success over Fluminense also at the Beira-Rio.[5]
During the 2015 campaign, Valdívia was one of Internacional's main assets, scoring the most goals among midfielders in Brazil with 19 goals including five goals at the 2015 Copa Libertadores.[6] He was evaluated as the biggest contributor to the club's victory at the Gauchão that year, being named the best player of the competition.[7] On 24 September, he further extended his contract for six more months.[8] Despite these performances, he suffered a left knee injury in November, having to stop the upturn.[9][10]
Jeonnam Dragons
Since 2017, Valdívia wandered several clubs including Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.[10][11][12] On 7 January 2023, he signed for K League 2 club Jeonnam Dragons, beginning a new challenge in South Korea.[13] During his first season at Jeonnam, he held the record for most assists in a single K League 2 season with 14 assists, as well as scoring 14 goals.[14] At the end of the season, he was named the K League 2 Most Valuable Player,[15] and received various offers from K League 1 clubs.[16] Satisfied with a life at Jeonnam, he rejected their offers in order to extend his contract with Jeonnam.[17] He was nicknamed the "Jesus of Gwangyang" after gaining Jeonnam fans' trust, and was appointed the club's first foreign captain in the 2025 season.[18]
Personal life
Valdívia's older brothers, Adriano and Andrezinho are also footballers. The former is a right back, while the latter is a forward.[19]
Career statistics
- As of 13 March 2024[20]
| Club | Season | League | State league | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Internacional | 2013 | Série A | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2014 | Série A | 27 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 36 | 3 | ||
| 2015 | Série A | 26 | 6 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8[b] | 5 | — | 53 | 19 | ||
| 2016 | Série A | 27 | 4 | — | 5 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 4 | ||||
| 2017 | Série B | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||
| Total | 82 | 12 | 34 | 7 | 17 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 144 | 28 | ||
| Atlético Mineiro (loan) | 2017 | Série A | 26 | 2 | — | — | 2[b] | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2018 | Série A | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 2 | ||
| São Paulo (loan) | 2018 | Série A | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 20 | 3 | |
| Al-Ittihad (loan) | 2018–19 | Saudi Pro League | 7 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| Vasco da Gama (loan) | 2019 | Série A | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Avaí (loan) | 2020 | Série B | 33 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 45 | 7 | ||
| Avaí | 2021 | Série B | 34 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 50 | 2 | ||
| Cuiabá | 2022 | Série A | 27 | 2 | — | 4 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | — | 31 | 2 | ||
| Jeonnam Dragons | 2023 | K League 2 | 36 | 14 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 14 | |||
| 2024 | K League 2 | 33 | 12 | — | — | — | — | 33 | 12 | |||||
| Total | 38 | 14 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 70 | 26 | |||||
| Career total | 264 | 39 | 67 | 8 | 32 | 7 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 418 | 71 | ||
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
- ^ a b Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
Honours
Internacional
- Campeonato Gaúcho: 2014, 2015
- Recopa Gaúcha: 2016, 2017
Avaí
Cuiabá
Individual
- Campeonato Gaúcho Best Player: 2015[7]
- Campeonato Gaúcho Team of the Year: 2015[7]
- Campeonato Catarinense Team of the Year: 2021[21]
- K League 2 Most Valuable Player: 2023[15]
- K League 2 top assist provider: 2023[15]
- K League 2 Best XI: 2023, 2024, 2025[15][22][23]
References
- ^ Oliveira, Leonardo (13 May 2015). "Valdívia: o magricela de Jaciara que pode decidir na Libertadores" [Valdívia: the skinny from Jaciara who can decide in Libertadores] (in Portuguese). Zero Hora. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Internacional contrata Valdivia, artilheiro da Copa São Paulo" [Internacional signs Valdívia, goalscorer of Copa São Paulo] (in Portuguese). IG. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Leandro Damião volta a ser titular e decide para o Inter contra o Flu" [Leandro Damião is back to the starting spot and decides it for Inter against Flu] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ Wernek, Jeremias (15 July 2014). "Inter dá aumento a Valdívia e completa transição para o time principal" [Inter gives raise to Valdívia and completes transition to the main squad] (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Sob o comando de D'Ale, Inter bate o Flu e reassume a segunda colocação" [Under D'Ale's guidance, Inter defeats Flu and retakes the second place] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 12 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Valdívia, Pikachu, Fred... Veja quem são os artilheiros de 2015 por posição" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "Interior mostra força na seleção do Gauchão, e Valdívia é eleito craque" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ Wernek, Jeremias (24 September 2015). "Inter aumenta salário de Valdívia e estica contrato em mais seis meses" [Inter raises Valdívia's wage and extends contract for six more months] (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Valdívia passará por cirurgia no joelho e desfalca Inter por seis meses" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 16 November 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Clube da Arábia Saudita rompe contrato e devolve Valdívia ao Internacional" (in Portuguese). Estadão. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ Behs, Leandro (24 May 2017). "Inter empresta Valdívia para o Atlético-MG por um ano" [Inter loans Valdivia to Atletico-MG for a year] (in Brazilian Portuguese). ClicRBS. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
- ^ "Vasco apresenta o volante Marcos Junior e o meia-atacante Valdivia". CR Vasco da Gama. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ "Após passagem pelo Cuiabá em 2022, Valdivia acerta com time da segunda divisão da Coreia do Sul" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ '3관왕' 차지한 발디비아, K리그2 시상식 독무대…감독상 고정운·영플레이어상 안재준 [GOAL 잠실] (in Korean). Goal. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d [IS 잠실] ‘14골·14도움 맹폭’ 전남 발디비아, K리그2 MVP 영예 안았다(종합). Naver (in Korean). Edaily. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ [b11 현장] 러브콜 세례 뿌리친 발디비아, "전남에서 계속 뛸 수 있어 행복하다" (in Korean). Best Eleven. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ [공식]MVP 잡았다…전남드래곤즈, 발디비아와 2026년까지 재계약 (in Korean). Namdo Ilbo. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ '광양 예수' 발디비아의 3번째 시즌, 전남 역사상 최초 '외국인 주장'의 책임감은 더 무겁다! (in Korean). Sports Donga. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Valdívia, do Inter, aproveita parada no Recife e reencontra irmãos jogadores" [Valdívia, from Inter, enjoys break in Recife and reencounters brothers players]. globoesporte.com (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ Valdívia at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Seleção "Top da Bola" do Campeonato Catarinense da Série A 2021" (in Portuguese). Federação Catarinense de Futebol. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ [K리그 시상식] 베스트11 6명 배출, 감독상 유병훈-MVP 마테우스까지...K리그2 시상식은 '안양 잔치'(종합). Naver (in Korean). InterFootball. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ [K리그 시상식] 베스트 11 6명, 영플레이어상-감독상-MVP까지! 인천이 K리그2 휩쓸었다(종합). Naver (in Korean). InterFootball. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
External links
- Internacional profile Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in Portuguese)
- Valdívia – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)