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LUIS CARLOS COULART ‘LUIZÃO’
Date of Birth: 14 November, 1975
Nationality: Brazil (international)/Italy
Period at Deportivo: 1997 - 2000
Transfer: 700 million pesetas (ca. €4,5 million) (1997, Palmeiras)
Clubs: Botafogo (2004), Hertha BSC (2002-2004), Gremio Porto Alegre (2002), Corinthians (1999-2001, part on loan), Vasco da Gama (1998, on loan), Deportivo (1997-2000), Palmeiras (1996-1997), Guaraní (1993, 1994, 1995), Paraná (1993), Guaraní (1991, 1992)
Sold: 1.260 million pesetas (ca. €8,1 million) (2000, to Corinthians)
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 76 kg
Position: Attacker (central)
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 In 1997 the plan of Deportivo president Lendoiro was to imitate the fantastic 1996 Brazilian champions of Palmeiras. Ex-Palmeiras star Rivaldo had just played his first season at the club while Flávio Conceiçao (another ex-Palmeiras midfielder) had already spent half a year in La Coruña. That summer number three was added, midfielder Djalminha, and was followed by Palmeiras striker LUIZÃO (who was present at the 1996 Olympic Games and signed a contract running until June, 2004). He already knew Deportivo coach Carlos Alberto Silva, because both had shared the year 1994 at Guaraní.
That summer Deportivo looked to be stronger than ever. Songo’o had won the Zamora trophy in the previous season, while Naybet and Hélder had proved to be serious defenders. Mauro Silva and Donato guarded the midfield, and the ex-Palmeiras players were given the freedom to be creative and to score goals. The potential of the team was displayed during the 1997 Teresa Herrera tournament, especially during a 4-0 win against Vasco da Gama. Djalminha and Rivaldo provided magic, and the latter scored the first two goals. Manjarín added the third, while Luizão produced the fourth, and Deportivo won the tournament against PSV Eindhoven (with two more goals of Luizão).
But then Barcelona applied their trick, and paid Rivaldo’s buy-out clause of more than €25 million. The players inscription for the Liga was just hours away, so Deportivo had to do without him or a replacement during the first months of the 1997/1998 season. Still the team won 3-1 in a friendly against Palmeiras, with two goals of Djalminha and one of Luizão. But would Deportivo have found a successor of Bebeto?
In 1991 Luizão had started his professional career at Guaraní, he spent one year at Paraná, before he returned to Guaraní in 1993. He scored twenty-five goals in those years, enough to convince Palmeiras to sign the 20-year old striker. At Palmeiras he reached a very high level, producing none less than fourty-five goals in seventy-one matches for them. In 1996 he became topscorer of Brazil, and at the age of twenty-one ‘O Matador’ looked ready to make the jump to Europe.
Despite these goals, and his successful pre-season in La Coruña, things didn’t work out as planned. On 30 September, 1997 the team was already out of the UEFA Cup as they lost against Auxerre (with Luizão failing to score in 180 minutes). In the Liga they experienced a disastrous start, being played sixteenth in November. Luizão had made his debut at Tenerife (0-0), on 31 August, 1997. He played the first eighth Liga matches, and produced four goals in these. Not bad, an average of one goal per two matches. But his injury-time strike at Barcelona, his first in Spain, only was usefull for the statistic books while he produced two in a thrashing of Racing de Santander (4-1), of which one came from the penalty spot. His fourth, and final one in Spain, was important as it concerned the derby match against Celta (1-1).
The thing was that in this match he already collected his fifth yellow card of the season, one more than he had produced goals! Two of these were because of protesting against the referee, and Luizão didn’t prove to be mature enough. In the next match, Madar saved his team against Oviedo by scoring an injury-time equalizer (1-1). And the French striker was given opportunities in the next matches also.
 Luizão would play, and start, five other Liga matches until 14 December, 1997 but didn’t found the net in these. Deportivo lacked creativity, and above all lacked goals. Neither Bassir and Manjarín, nor Madar and Luizão could produce vital goals for the team. It was the season when youngsters Maikel, Carlos and Deus were tried while the team signed Abreu and ‘Manteca’ Martínez during the winter break in a desperate attempt to save the season. It was illustrative that in his final match in Spain, Luizão received a yellow card against Real Sociead… for protesting against the referee.
During 1998, Luizão was loaned out to Vasco da Gama, where he found the net again. It raised the interest of Corinthians, and he once again flourished in the Brazilian competition. For Deportivo it was a good way to make a profit, as in 2000 he was sold to this Brazilian club for more than €8 million. He took Corinthians to court when they refused to sell him to Gremio at the start of 2002, but eventually this deal went on.
In 2002 he was included in the Brazilian squad becoming World Champions. He had been important during the qualifying stage, when he helped clinch Brazil's place in the finals with a brace in the 3-0 qualifying victory over Venezuela. His contribution during the tournament was brief (two appearances), and after it Luizão would try his luck in Europe once more. He signed at contract at German club Hertha BSC, but in almost three seasons with them only produced three goals in the Bundesliga. In 2004 he was sold to Botafogo.
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