André Gonçalves Dias was born in São Bernardo do Campo (São Paulo), May 15, 1979.
He started his football in local Palestra de São Bernardo. From there he joined his first professional club in 1998 when he moved to Paraná in Série A. He stayed with the Tricolor da Vila for three years making 44 appearances with 2 goals.
In 2002 he moved to glorious Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro but only for one year and played 11 times.
In 2003 he joined Paysandu. He played 32 times with 1 goal for Papão de Curuzu (Bogeyman of Curuzu) and then moved on.
In 2004 he signed for Goiás. He stayed two years with Verdăo (Big Green) playing 89 games with 4 goals.
In 2006 came his big break and he joined São Paulo. He became a regular in the centre of the Paulista defence and even became captain. He played four successful seasons with the O Clube da Fé (The faith Team). He made 136 appearances, scored 11 goals and won three consecutive Brazilian titles (2006-2008). In 2008 and 2009 he was included in the best league XI by Bola de Prata magazine. In 2009 he was voted Best Brazilian player of the season.
On February 1 2010 he began a European experience and joined Lazio. The Biancocelesti paid 2.5 million Euros and he signed a contract until 2013.
In his first four months in Rome he played 12 league games and scored 2 goals (Bologna, Genoa). Lazio finished 12th under Edy Reja (who took over from Davide Ballardini on February 10) and Dias showed promise.
In fact, the next season Dias became the undisputed first choice centre- back and played 33 league games with 2 goals (Palermo, Napoli) and 1 game in Coppa Italia. Dias and Giuseppe Biava formed an excellent and reliable partnership in the middle and Lazio finished 5th.
In the 2011-12 season he played 23 league games,1 in Coppa Italia and 7 in the Europa League. Lazio had a good season finishing 4th and won both derbies.
The following season was not great in the league with a 7th position under new manager Vladimir Petkovic. Lazio and Dias however got the ultimate satisfaction in the Coppa Italia when they beat city rivals Roma 1-0 in the final. Dias made 27 league appearances, 1 in Coppa Italia and 6 in the Europa League.
The 2013-14 season would be his last for Lazio. The Biancocelesti had a difficult year, replacing Petkovic with Reja after 17 games and finished 9th. Dias made 16 Serie A appearances with 1 goal (Sassuolo), 2 in Coppa Italia and 1 in the Super Coppa final (lost 4-0 to Juventus).
At 35 Dias decided to retire from football. He had played 443 professional games and scored 26 goals. In 2009 he had also got a call up by Carlos Dunga's Brazil for a world cup qualifier versus Chile but Dias was an unused sub.
At Lazio Dias played 131 games (111 in Serie A). He will be remembered as a quality defender, one of the best in recent history. At 1.84 for 80 kilos he was extremely strong and had an excellent sense of position. He was not particularly quick but had good timing and was a solid tackler. He commanded the defence with authority and paired up well with Biava in particular but also Radu. A leader of Lazio's defence for four years and although he didn't play that particular game, he will forever be part of the 2013 Cup Final glory squad who conquered Rome on May 26.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League | Super Coppa |
Jan-Jun 2010 | 12 (2) | 12 (2) | - | - | - |
2010-11 | 34 (2) | 33 (2) | 1 | - | - |
2011-12 | 32 (1) | 23 | 2 (1) | 7 | - |
2012-13 | 34 | 27 | 1 | 6 | - |
2013-14 | 19 (1) | 16 (1) | 2 | - | 1 |
Total | 131 (6) | 111 (5) | 6 (1) | 13 | 1 |
Sources