Souza (footballer, born 1988)

Elierce Barbosa de Souza or simply Souza (born 8 March 1988) is a Brazilian footballer who plays for América de Natal, as a defensive midfielder.

Career
Souza began his career playing for various teams in the Federal District, as Ceilândia, Brasília and Dom Pedro.

He made his first team debut for the former on 25 August 2007 in a 0–1 home loss against Capital and scored his first goal in a 2–0 home win against Renovo.

He faced several difficulties, such as living with hunger, sometimes going to training without breakfast, not having enough to eat. He thought of giving up the dream of being a player and for a time did: he gave up football and returned to Posse, his hometown, to work as a bricklayer. In 2008, he revived the dream of being a football player and went to Dom Pedro II in Brasília. He stood out, and was pointed out by many as the best midfielder of the Brasiliense Championship. He was hired by Palmeiras and spent time in Palmeiras B, then, having stood out again, was promoted by Vanderlei Luxemburgo Palmeiras to the first team.

Club
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Honours

 * Cruzeiro
 * Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2013


 * Cerezo Osaka
 * J.League Cup: 2017
 * Emperor's Cup: 2017


 * América de Natal
 * Campeonato Potiguar: 2024