| Intro | Brazilian footballer | ||
| Is |
Athlete Football player Association football player |
||
| From | Brazil | ||
| Type | Sports | ||
| Gender | male | ||
| Birth | 5 December 1985, Nova Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Age: | 34 years | ||
| Star sign | Sagittarius | ||
| Stats |
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Eric de Oliveira Pereira (born 5 December 1985), commonly known as Eric, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Romanian side CS Gaz Metan Mediaș.
After starting out his career in native Brazil, he went on to compete professionally in Romania, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Japan.
Daily newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor named Eric the best foreign player of the Romanian championship in 2010 and 2013. He had scored over 50 goals in the country for Gaz Metan Mediaș and Pandurii Târgu Jiu combined.
Club career
Eric started his professional career in Brazil at Metropolitano. He was loaned by Metropolitano to Gaz Metan Mediaș in the 2007-2008 Liga II season, a season in which he scored 10 goals helping the team to gain promotion to Liga I. After that season Gaz Metan bought him from Metropolitano.
Gaz Metan Mediaș
In his first Liga I season 2008-2009, he played in 25 games and scored 3 goals. In the 2009-2010 season he played in 30 games and scored 8 goals. In the 2010-2011 season he played in 31 games and scored 15 goals, helping the team finish in the 7th place in Liga I, a place that gained Gaz Metan’s first ever qualification in the UEFA Europa League because Politehnica Timişoara that finished 2nd in that season was relegated by the Romanian Football Federation because they did not fulfill the licence conditions to play in European competitions or Liga I. He was awarded the Liga I Foreign Footballer of the Year individual trophy in 2010.
In the 2011-2012 he made his debut in European competitions playing both legs against Kuopion Palloseura. He didn’t play against 1. FSV Mainz 05 and FK Austria Wien in Gaz Metan’s campaign because his contract with the team finished and he moved in Ukraine to play for Karpaty Lviv. He played 6 games there and returned to Gaz Metan Mediaş after that season.
In the 2012-2013 season he was Gaz Metan’s captain and played in 22 games and scored 4 goals.
Pandurii Târgu Jiu
In July 2013, Eric signed a 3-years contract with Pandurii Targu Jiu, the Liga I runner-up, following here his former coach from Gaz Metan, Cristian Pustai. With Pandurii, he advanced to the group stage of Europa League, participating in 8 matches. On 13 September 2013, Eric scored the winning goal in the 2-1 victory against Dinamo Bucharest. After a week, he scored the only goal of Pandurii in the 1-1 drawn with CFR Cluj.
Al-Ahli
In January 2014, Eric transferred to Al-Ahli from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a team contending in the Saudi Professional League and runner up for last years Asian Champions League.
Return to Pandurii Târgu Jiu
In January 2015, he returned to Pandurii.
Personal life
In July 2011, he had his first son with his girlfriend, Romanian handball player Cosmina Dancu, named Deric. He married her in May 2013. His cousin Vitinho is also a footballer.
Honours
Club
- King Cup: Runner-up 2014
- Cupa Ligii: Runner-up 2014–15
Individual
- Liga I Foreign Player of the Year: 2010, 2013