Peres De Oliveira - Brazilian wizard

Nationality: Brazilian

D.O.B: 7 Nov 1974

Club: Home United (2001-2005, 2008-2010) Tampines Rovers (2006-2007)

Position: Midfielder/Forward

Honour
S-league: 2003
Singapore Cup: 2001, 2003, 2005

S-league Charity Shield: 2008 (Shared)
Player of the Year: 2003
Top Scorer of the Year: 2003
FAM-FAS Cup Champions Cup: 2005

Player History

He was a Brazilian wizard and that is not even enough to describe one of the greatest players to grace the S-league but that is just no word in the vocabulary that can justify what this S-league legend has brought to the game.

Yet the way he, Peres De Oliveira, departed the S-league was, ironically, the same as he arrived. Quietly.

That year, in 2001, another Brazilian, Leandro, from Tampines and Thai, Kiatisuk Senamuang, from SAFFC were hogging all the limelight with nobody knowing the real gem was at Home United.

But this is the life story of Peres for with all his skill and abilities one has to ask how he had gone undetected by anyone connected by football thus plying his trade in one of Brazilian state league at the age of 26.

Luckily, a fellow Brazilian, at that point, noticed the massive talent of Peres and he knew, immediately, his club, and S-league, needed to get their hand on him.

That ‘scout’ was Egmar Gonclaves and S-league will be grateful to him - he is an S-league himself so what else can one say except another word of thank.

Peres may have arrived on the shore of Singapore quietly but he announced his arrival in fashion as in his every first S-league game, he will notched two goals – Both were beauty; especially the second one which was a rocket into the top corner from outside the area after dribbling past his defender – and had the commentator stating he was going to be a star.

It was no surprise then that by the end of the season, everybody knew who Peres was and what a talent Home United has recruited.

After all in 2001, alongside Egmar and Indra in a trio partnership, they will score a combined 71 goals in all competition and nearly brought the S-league title to Bishan.

But at the penultimate point of the season, the Protectors lost a pivotal game against archrival SAFFC at Bishan and it cost them dearly as it gave the Eagles the leadership from which they will go onto win the title.

As least, the Protectors will have their revenge in the Singapore Cup Final as they crushed Geylang United 8-0 and Peres has won his first medal of his S-league career.

In Asia that year, it was no different as the Brazilian will score a hat-trick in at Bishan to help Home United achieved history as they crushed Thai Royal Air Force 5-1 overall to be the first S-league side to not only beat Thai side but reach the quarter-final of an Asian club competition.

After such a good start, Peres will have a wobble second season as the Protectors saw the departure of Dutch coach Robert Albert and the arrival of Englishman Jason Withe and it was a disaster as the Englishman never got hold of which formation or even the first eleven he wanted to play.

Peres will suffer under that period as he was pushed out to the left and his attacking instinct was restricted by the new coach in charge.

The goals will dry up not only for the Brazilian but his partner in crime, Egmar and Indra, as well as Peres was not there in the middle to supply the assists.

With results not going the Protectors way and team morale in the dump under the Englishman, the management acted and, in a rare moment in Protectors history, they sacked Jason Withe in mid-season; showing how bad the situation was as Home United tends to let even ‘bad’ coaches finish their season.

It was a brilliant move though as another Englishman, Steve Darby, was appointed and the first thing he did was rebuild the partnership of Peres, Egmar and Indra.

The goals return to the Protectors and while it was too late to rescue the 2002 season, it set up Peres brilliantly for the next one.

Now released by Steve Darby, the, now, 29-year-old will played like he never play able and he was unplayable on the field in 2003 - the ball will stick to him like glue as he dribbles, every pass he makes find it target, every freekick he take find the top corner, every touch he make will lose his marker as though the defender was not there.

That was the form the wizard was in thus a League and Cup Double success at the end of it all was to be no surprise and alongside it was a top scorer award with 37 goals in 37 games.

No wonder his name was the only one mention that will win the Player of the Year and it turn out that way.

In 2004, Peres continued his remarkable form as Home United nearly achieved a Double Double but they ‘pay’ for their success in both S-league and Asia as this was the first year AFC started the group stage from the beginning and it meant a congested season thus a tired Home United, and Peres (He was nearly 30 already), allowed the Stags to sneak toward the Double.

However, the Protectors will have the consolation to know they make history again in Asia, thanks in part once again to their magician from Brazil, as they will, jointly with Geylang United, become the first teams from S-league to reach the semi-final stage of an Asian Club competition.

The Protectors also had the added glory of being the first S-league team to beat West Asian opponents in the second leg of the quarter-final with Peres setting up the equalizer and then going onto score the winner.

A cross from Fahmie Abdullah on the Home United left was met by Peres and won; with the header going across the box into the path of Egmar and the ex-Singapore international, in between two Olympic players caught in no-man-land, leap up to place a firm header into the net. After that, a freekick on the flank swing in by Fahmie caught Olympic Beirut players napping with three Protectors – Indra, Egmar and Peres – attacking it but only one Olympic defender was anywhere near them. Peres got to the ball first and dispatched it into the net.

After two great years in a row, it was always tough to match such expectations again and, with an aging team, Peres will find 2005 to be an ‘average’ season with just a Singapore Cup medal but he continue to make history (what else is new) as he notched his 100 S-league goals when he score the winner in a 3-2 win over Paya Lebar Punggol at Hougang.

Even up to the point of writing, he remains the only midfielder to have score 100 S-league goals and that showcase the remarkable feat he has achieve.

As 2005 ended though Peres will find himself moving East to join Tampines Rovers as the Protectors decided it was time for him to move on.

In the two years with Tampines Rovers, he was good but not great with 35 goals in 75 games in all competition. He could not fully adjust to the Stags playing style thus the time has come to move once again.

That where the shock came. The Protectors admitted they make a mistake to let Peres go two years earlier and now he was back with the club where he makes his name but, like his two years with the Stags, one has to admit he was not the evergreen Peres anymore as performances range from brilliant to average and injuries were not helping the Brazilian.

He continue to make a fight of it though as one of his last brilliant performance came in his final season (It should be 2009 and not 2010 where two games hardly register) against his former club Tampines Rovers at Tampines Stadium.

With the Protectors struggling for form, Peres will take it upon himself to achieve a brilliant 3-2 victory against the Stags with a hat-trick and one of the goal was a trademark freekick of his.

That show Peres still had it in him to change the destiny of a game by himself and few in the match can match him when he is on that form.

In 2010, the curtain came down on him in the S-league after he fell out with his new Korean coach but there will be no masking the destiny he has with Home United which is synonymous with Peres name in the S-league. 

That why his departure of Home United will see the club struggling to find anybody half as great as him to fill the void he has left behind.

Peres De Oliveira – this will be a name that will never be forgotten when fans want to talk about Brazilians in the S-league. 

Home United

Year	League App	Goal	Cup App	Goal
2001	33	16	5	5
2002	31	15	3	1
2003	32(1)	30	5	7
2004	26(1)	15	5	5
2005	25(2)	11	4	0
2008	25(1)	9	2	0
2009	22(3)	14	3	1
2010	2	0	-	-
Total	196(8)	110	27	19

HOME UNITED vs SEMBAWANG RANGERS – 17/3/01 – 2 goals

Home United - Asia

Year	Asian App	Goal	Other	Goal
2001	-	?	-	-
2002	2	1	-	-
2004	10	5	-	-
2005	8	4	2	0
2008	6	7	1	0
2009	7	3	-	-
Total	33	20	3	0

Tampines Rovers

Year	League App	Goal	Cup App	Goal
2006	30	14	5	1
2007	28(2)	12	7	4
Total	58(2)	26	12	5

TAMPINES ROVERS vs SPORTING AFRIQUE – 17/3/06 – 3 goals

Tampines Rovers -Asia

Year	Asian App	Goal
2006	8	3
2007	7	1
Total	15	4