Biography
Who is Éder?
Early life and beginnings
Éder Citadin Martins was born in Lauro Müller, Brazil, on November 15, 1986. He holds dual nationality as both Brazilian and Italian, qualifying for Italian citizenship through his great-grandfather, Battista Righetto, who came from the Province of Vicenza. His name was chosen to honor Éder Aleixo de Assis, a striker for the Brazil national team during the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
He began his football training at the Brazilian club Criciúma. He made his professional debut with the first team in a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A match against Coritiba on December 19, 2004. By the 2005 season, he was fully promoted to the first team. He scored his first professional goal in a loss against Joinville in January 2005. He continued to play for Criciúma until he moved to Italy at age 19.
Professional career in Italy
His path in Italian football began with Empoli in January 2006. He spent several years moving between clubs in the country. He played for Frosinone on a co-ownership deal after a loan spell during the 2007 to 2008 season. Empoli bought him back in 2009 for over two million euros. During the 2009 to 2010 Serie B season, he became the top scorer with 27 goals.
He later had loan spells at Brescia and Cesena before joining Sampdoria permanently in 2012 for three million euros. His time at Sampdoria lasted until 2016, when he signed with Inter Milan. He joined Inter on a loan deal that eventually became permanent. While at Inter, he made his 200th Serie A appearance in January 2017. He scored multiple goals for the club, including a brace against Udinese in May 2017. He remained with Inter until 2018, having signed a contract extension that was set to last until June 2021.
International career
Because he held an Italian passport and had lived in the country for more than two years, he was eligible to represent the Italy national team. Although he was once considered for Brazil's preliminary squad for the 2008 Summer Olympics, he did not make the final list. Antonio Conte began considering him for Italy during the 2014 to 2015 season due to his performance with Sampdoria.
His selection caused some debate regarding overseas-born players, but he debuted for Italy on March 28, 2015, in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Bulgaria. He scored the equalizing goal in that match. He played a significant role in Italy's qualification campaign and was selected for the final tournament squad. During Euro 2016, he scored the winning goal against Sweden in the group stage, which helped Italy advance to the Round of 16.
Later career and retirement
In July 2018, he left Italy to sign with the Chinese club Jiangsu Suning. He achieved success there, helping the team win its first league title in history after defeating Guangzhou Evergrande in the 2020 Chinese Super League finals. Following the dissolution of his club in China, he returned to Brazil to join São Paulo in March 2021. In January 2023, he returned to his first professional club, Criciúma.
He played there until his retirement from professional football on August 5, 2024. Throughout his playing style, he was known for being a versatile forward who could operate as a main striker, second striker, or attacking midfielder. His physical strength and tactical intelligence allowed him to be effective in counter-attacks and build-up plays.
Birthday and age
Éder was born on November 15, 1986, which makes Éder 40 years old today. That birthday falls under the Scorpio sign. Éder shares the date with 49 other famous people.
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