Hulk

Givanildo Vieira de Sousa was born on 25th July 1986, in Campina Grande, Brazil, to Maria do Socorro Souza and Jovan Souza. He has numerous siblings. He got the name Hulk from his father, who found his son’s behavior similar to that of the famous Marvel Comics’ superhero of the same name. His similarity to the actor Lou Ferrigno, who played the Incredible Hulk on the TV show of the same name, is another reason he is associated with the name.

Not much is known about his childhood or personal life. According to some online sources, he is possibly single.

Hulk’s professional career began with the Esporte Clube Vitoria in Salvador, Bahia in 2004. He was then loaned to Japan to play for Kawasaki Frontale Sapporo Consadole Sapporo in 2005. He moved to Tokyo Verdy in 2007 and proved himself to be a very efficient player. He scored a total of 37 goals in 42 matches and also became the top goal scorer of the season.

He next moved to the Portuguese team Porto. He scored his first goal for the team in a 2-0 win against C.F. Os Belenenses. As the season advanced, his performances improved and he was selected as one of the Top 10 Stars by UEFA.com. He continued to perform well and won the Portuguese League Player of the Month award six times. He also became the league’s top scorer once, and won ten major titles, including the 2010-11 UEFA Europa League as well as three national championships.

In 2012, he started playing for the Zenit Saint Petersburg of the Russian Premier League. He scored his first goal in his second league match against FC Krylia Sovetov Samara, which ended in a 2-2 draw. After having disagreements with the head coach Luciano Spalletti, Hulk declared that he would be leaving the club in January 2013. However, since FIFA regulations don’t allow players to play for more than two clubs in a season, he was forced to stay till June 2013. Later, it was revealed that he had made amendments with the club’s management. He was named as one of the top XI players of the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League group stage.

In 2016, Hulk joined the Chinese club Shanghai SIPG. He reportedly signed a contract worth £45 million. He scored his first two goals for his team in a match against Beijing Guoan in September the same year. The match also marked his return from a two-month lay-off due to an injury.

Hulk made his international debut for Brazil on 14th November 2009 in a friendly match against England in Doha. He scored his first three international goals in a 3-1 victory against Denmark on 26 May 2012. He next played at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

He represented Brazil at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. He helped his team win the Confederations Cup title for the fourth time. He represented his country again at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where Brazil finished in the fourth place.