The striker collects excellent numbers
Having spent time in the youth teams of Bahia and Vitoria, as well as playing for Londrina and Mirasol, striker Zeca has had his most productive season in 2025 since arriving in professional football. Defending for Shandong Taishan FC, the Brazilian achieved the highest goal participation rate of his career: there were 26 appearances and he was directly involved in 25 goals, with 13 balls into the net and 12 assists – an average of 0.96 per game.
Zika celebrated performance and valued growth throughout the year.
– It was a season that I rate as very positive. I came back from a recovery period, and thank God I was able to play many matches and help the team win. I am happy with the large number of contributions to the goals. Even though I’m a striker, I like to move and leave the area, and that shows in my assists. Of course I’m looking to score, but if there’s a teammate in a better position, I’ll use him. My thinking is always collective,” he explained.
The season also saw the striker cement his fourth experience in Asian football. Since his departure from Mirasol in 2022, Zika has played for Daegu FC in South Korea, where he has scored 16 goals and dished out eight assists in 38 appearances. In 2023, he played for Pohang Steelers, scoring 17 goals and one assist in 44 matches. He arrived in Shandong in 2024, but a knee injury limited him to just 10 matches, scoring three goals and three assists on the year.
Now fully recovered, the striker is aiming for an even more impressive season in 2026.
– This season represents a major development for me after a period of absence. Getting back to playing regularly was very important and showed me that I am fully recovered and ready to help Shandong even more next year. He concluded his speech by saying: “Now is the time to analyze the mistakes we made, understand what we can improve and work to make the 2026 season better, and fight for titles.”