Vieirinha the late bloomer
Diminutive, quick-footed and adept with both feet, VfL Wolfsburg's Vieirinha is a player capable of producing the unexpected.
Early promise...
Standing at 172 cm, Adelino Andre Vieira Freitas, to give him his full name, began his career with Vitoria Guimares, before he transferred to hometown club FC Porto in 2003, making his senior debut four years later on 11 August 2007.
Considered a promising talent among a squad full of gifted midfielders, Vieirinha decided to go out on loan in a bid to gain more experience. After impressing at FC Marco and Leixoes SC in his homeland, it was his third stint, this time with PAOK Salonika in Greece in 2008/09, which gave his career a new direction.
Overcoming a ligament injury, his performances were good enough to earn him a permanent move, becoming a fully-fledged PAOK player in 2009. Along with compatriot Sergio Conceicao and Portuguese coach Fernando Santos, Vieirinha helped turn PAOK into a title challenger in Greece and a dangerous side in Europe, notably scoring against Villarreal CF in the UEFA Europa League in 2010.
...late fulfillment
More good form at the beginning of the 2011/12 season alerted Wolfsburg to his availability and the Portuguese winger signed a lucrative deal to move to the Volkswagen Arena in January 2012, making his debut in the Bundesliga against 1. FC Köln shortly afterwards.
Vieirinha's Bundesliga career soon began to hit heights the rest of his wandering footballing life hadn't managed to. As part of an imposing front three with fellow Lusophone Diego and the tireless Ivica Olic, the winger made 27 appearances in 2012/13, hitting the net once, but more importantly, creating five goals as the Wolves finished eleventh. His start to 2013/14 continued in the same vein, full of exciting, dazzling tricks on the right flank, but just as he seemed ready to kick on, a knee injury put him out of action for months.
