Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Viana Lima, better known as Hernanes, was one of the best players Lazio have ever had. A formidable midfield player, he could shoot with both feet with the same amount of precision. His only real defect was that at times he looked slow so, despite the fact that he wanted to play in front of the defence, managers often put him forward because it was in the last 20-30 metres that he could be more effective. He is nicknamed “The Prophet”.
Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Viana Lima, better known as Hernanes, was one of the best players Lazio have ever had. A formidable midfield player, he could shoot with both feet with the same amount of precision. His only real defect was that at times he looked slow so, despite the fact that he wanted to play in front of the defence, managers often put him forward because it was in the last 20-30 metres that he could be more effective. He is nicknamed “The Prophet”.
Hernanes was born in Recife on May 29, 1985. He started playing football with Santa Cruz to then move to Unibol. In 2001 he joined Sao Paulo and debuted professionally in 2005. A year later the club sent him to Santo André in the Brazilian second division. He was very successful, so in 2007 he went back and became a first team player. That year Sao Paulo won the championship and he was awarded the Bola de Prata as best midfield player of the League. He repeated both victories again in 2008.
In 2010 he signed for Lazio for five years. He was a star in Brazil and there was a lot of expectation. Hernanes lived up to it. Manager Edy Reja placed him behind the forwards and he thrived. He scored and provided assists. He played at excellent levels for three years culminating in the winning 2013 derby cup final. For this feat he will always be remembered as one of the heroes of May 26.
Theoretically the summer of 2013 should have seen the start of negotiations for the renewal of his contract. But nothing happened. Hernanes played pretty awfully in the 2013-14 season with the exception of the match at Udine. Down to ten men and losing 2-1, Lazio won the game thanks to a typically spectacular Hernanes shot in the dying seconds. But this was his last game for Lazio as he refused to renew his contract and the club sold him to Inter to at least recover some much needed money.
He played 156 games for Lazio (118 in Serie A, 8 in Coppa Italia and 29 in Europa League) scoring 41 goals (33 in Serie A, 4 in Coppa Italia and 4 in Europa League).
He stayed in Milan for a season and a half, never reaching the heights of his Lazio stint (not even coming close). In 2015 he was surprisingly bought by Juventus. He did not play much in Turin, just 35 games in 18 months, but he won a scudetto and another Coppa Italia.
In February 2017 he signed for Hebei China Fortune and in July, after just a handful of games, he was loaned to Sao Paulo until the end of the year. Back in China in 2013, he did not play much and in 2019 he joined Sao Paulo again this time definitely. After winning a Campeonato Paulista in 2021, he signed for Sport Recife.
He quit football in May 2022.
He played 28 times for Brazil and in the World Cup of 2014. He also participated in the Olympic Games of 2008 and won a bronze medal.
Lazio Career
Season | Total apperances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Europa League | Super Coppa |
2010-11 | 37 (12) | 36 (11) | 1 (1) | - | - |
2011-12 | 42 (11) | 31 (8) | 2 (1) | 9 (2) | - |
2012-13 | 53 (14) | 34 (11) | 5 (2) | 14 (1) | - |
2013 -Jan 2014 | 24 (4) | 17 (3) | - | 6 (1) | 1 |
Total | 156 (41) | 118 (33) | 8 (4) | 29 (4) | 1 |
Sources