Renato Dirnei Florêncio

Renato

Renato in training with Sevilla
Personal information
Full name	Renato Dirnei Florêncio Santos
Date of birth	15 May 1979 (1979-05-15)
Place of birth	Santa Mercedes, Brazil
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Botafogo
Number	8
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–2000	Guarani	34	(5)
2000–2004	Santos	122	(12)
2004–2011	Sevilla	204	(26)
2011–	Botafogo	28	(1)
National team
2003–2005	Brazil	28	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 December 2011. † Appearances (Goals).

Renato Dirnei Florêncio Santos (born 15 May 1979), simply Renato, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas.

Mainly an attacking midfielder with good heading ability in spite of a small frame, he played most of his professional career in Spain, with Sevilla, appearing in nearly 300 official games with the club.

A Brazilian international during two years, Renato was part of the squads that won one Copa América and one Confederations Cup.

Club career

Renato was born in Santa Mercedes, São Paulo. In 2004, after playing in his country with Guarani Futebol Clube and Santos FC, he signed for Sevilla FC in Spain, aged 25. Alongside compatriots Adriano Correia and Daniel Alves, as well as several club youth graduates, he would play an essential part in the Andalusians' La Liga consolidation, making his competition debut on 29 August: after just one minute on the pitch, in the start of the second half of the home fixture against Albacete Balompié, he scored the game's only goal.

From 2005–07, Renato played 16 UEFA Cup matches in both seasons combined, as Sevilla won the tournament twice in a row. His only goal was a decisive one, as he netted in the 2–0 home win against CA Osasuna in the second leg of the semifinals of the 2006–07 edition (2–1 on aggregate); he was also utilized in both finals.

In the 2008–09 season, Renato scored eight goals in 32 matches, as Sevilla finished in third position. Four of those came in just one month (December '08/January '09), against Real Madrid (4–3 win, away), Villarreal CF (1–0, at home)), Deportivo de La Coruña (3–1 triumph, away) and CD Numancia (1–0, at home).

On 4 October 2009, Renato scored through a header in a 2–1 home win against Real Madrid. He contributed with 33 games and four goals to Sevilla's fourth-place finish, with the subsequent UEFA Champions League qualification. At the season's closure, he extended his link to the club for a further year, until June 2012.

On 26 May 2011, Renato rescinded his deal with Sevilla by mutual agreement, and signed a three-year contract with Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas.

International career

Renato made his debut for Brazil in 2003, being picked for the squads at the 2004 Copa América and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup: in the former, he played all six matches (all minutes), and made five substitute appearances in the latter, with the national side winning both competitions.

Honours

Club

• Santos:
  • Brazilian League: 2002, 2004

• Sevilla:
  • UEFA Cup: 2005–06, 2006–07
  • UEFA Super Cup: 2006; Runner-up 2007
  • Spanish Cup: 2006–07, 2009–10
  • Spanish Supercup: 2007; Runner-up 2010

Country

• Copa América: 2004
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005

Individual

• Brazilian Silver Ball: 2003

External links

• Sevilla official profile (Spanish)
• BDFutbol profile
• Renato at National-Football-Teams.com
• FootballDatabase profile and statistics