Carlos Eduardo was one of the celebrated players in Al-Hilal. During his five years with the club, he scored 81 goals in 156 matches. He was a fan favourite and was fondly called 'The Super' by the Al-Hilal faithful. During his farewell, he was gifted a golden iPhone and a lion by one of the supporters.
"But I couldn't keep it (the lion) for more than a week, because it ruined my sofa," revealed the Brazilian in an interview to Goal.
However, he has kept Al-Hilal in his heart as he shared a special relationship with the fans. They even compared him to former Brazilian player Rivellino who was one of the stars of Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning team.
"I think this is because in my first match with Al-Hilal against Al-Nasr in London, I scored the goal that won the Super Cup, after which I scored many goals and won titles. Comparison with him is something to be proud of, he was a great player, it was great for me to score goals for Al Hilal. I don't work to be better than any other player, but to help the team."
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Before coming to Asia, Eduardo had played in prominent clubs in Europe like Porto and Nice. During his stint with the Ligue 1 team, he scored five goals in a match which he thinks was one of the turning points in his career.
"My father gave me everything that day. It was not easy, because I was playing as a No. 8 in Nice. To score five goals in one game is not at all easy. I stayed in the history of the French League, that day is never forgotten."
Eduardo shares a special bond with Omar Abdel-Rahman "Amouri", as both of them were teammates at Al-Hilal as well.
"He is good, very good. He has started to recover from his injury, and I think he will be ready soon. We played in Saudi Arabia together. We played very good together. So I wait for him to help us as he is an amazing player," he stated.
The 31-year-old revealed that he had to leave Al-Hilal because the terms of renewal were 'very very bad'. He had no other choice but to leave the club and join Shabab Al Ahli when they came calling.
Although Gerard Zaragoza's men are currently struggling in the AFC Champions League (ACL), Eduardo believes that his team can turn around the fortunes in the upcoming matches.
"Everything is possible in football. We have a good team and a good coach. We have to believe in this and work for it. We have a chance to win the title."
With just a point from two matches, they are in the fourth spot in Group A. The time is ripe for Eduardo to weave his magic once again and win hearts in Dubai after conquering Riyadh.
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