In the match with Chornomorets, Maicon debuted for Shakhtar. Now we have the full-fledged squad list: 18 representatives of Brazil took to the pitch wearing orange and black shirts.

Of course, one could argue that the list is not complete. Because there are no goalkeepers among the Brazilians. In response, we want to remind you that in July 2004, Shakhtar midfielder Batista kept the Pitmen’s goal in the game vs Borysfen. That was a compulsory measure, but the newly-fledged goalkeeper rode out the awkward situation with honour. He confidently stood between the sticks for 20 minutes, keeping sheets clean until the final whistle. Isn’t he worth topping our squad list?

Fans, of course, remember the pioneer Brandao. He played his debut match for Shakhtar on July 12, 2002. The Pitmen beat Tavriya 5-2 in Donetsk back then. Brandao went down in history not only as the first Brazilian at the club. His goal tally has reached 91 goals for Orange-Blacks in different competitions, which is a record figure for Shakhtar’s internationals.

Let’s dwell on the goals. Two players excelled in their debut games: Alan Patrick (the winning goal in the cup meeting with Sverdlovsk-based Shakhtar) and Dentinho (the Premier League game vs Obolon on July 10, 2011).

A bit of age stuff. Willianmade his debut appearance at the youngest age of all, he turned 19 years, 1 month and 6 days that day. And the most experienced player is versatile Batista. He played his first match for Shakhtar at the age of 29 years, 4 months and 6 days. He, by the way, is one of Shakhtar’s oldest debutants.

It happened twice that two players made their debut in the same match. Here our ‘keeper’ pops up again.On July 10, 2004, Batista and Matuzalem first played for Shakhtar in Ukraine’s first Super Cup edition. The second double debut was in European competition. On February 16, 2005, Jadson and Elano took the pitch as subs in the first match against German Schalke 04. Who would suggest back then that the Jadson would score the last winner in the history of UEFA Cup and lift the honorary trophy.

Speaking of European competitions… Except Jadson and Elano, two other Brazilian players made their debut for Shakhtar in European cup matches. On February 13 this year, Taison debuted in the encounter against Dortmund and on February 18, 2010, Douglas Costa took to the pitch vs Fulham from London.

If we sum up the stats, the following picture emerges then. 18 Brazil internationals aggregately played 1812 games, scoring 456 goals out of 1015 netted by the entire team since July 2002.

Role wise, the Brazilians, of course, have a significant margin in midfield, with 2 defenders, 13 halfbacks and 3 strikers.

For now, the three most fielded players are Fernandinho (277 apps), Jadson (272) and Willian (221). The best striker is Luiz Adriano, who has bagged 79 goals, so he can beat Brandao’s record.
 
By: FC Shakhtar Press Office