Cleiton Ribeiro Xavier (; born 23 March 1983) is a Brazilian former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as an
attacking midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
. He is known by his powerful and accurate free kicks, dribbling skills and passes.
Club career
In his early career, Cleiton Xavier played for
CSA and
Internacional, and was loaned out various times.
Palmeiras
In early 2009,
Palmeiras signed Cleiton from the relegated
Figueirense. Cleiton Xavier proved he had good talent in Palmeiras's first matches in the
Libertadores Cup and in the
São Paulo State Championship. On 29 April 2009 Cleiton Xavier scored an 87th minute away-goal against
Colo-Colo
Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
in the
Libertadores Cup that secured Palmeiras' progression to the knockout stages of the tournament, it was a very long-range shot inside the goalkeeper's left angle.
Later in the
Série A alongside teammate
Diego Souza, Cleiton Xavier made an outstanding season with Palmeiras, leading the competition for 19 rounds, however Palmeiras finished 5th due to losses in the final matches and did not qualify for the Libertadores Cup. Cleiton Xavier was elected the 3rd best player of the season, even though he had an injury.
In 2010, Cleiton Xavier remained with Palmeiras and also started well the year. He participated in Palmeiras's first ten goals in the
São Paulo State Championship.
Metalist Kharkiv
On 14 July 2010, Cleiton Xavier transferred to
FC Metalist Kharkiv
Football Club Metalist Kharkiv, also known as Football Club Metalist Kharkov or FC Metalist Kharkov ( ), is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club based in Kharkiv that plays in the Ukrainian First League during the 2023– ...
for €4.5 million. In 2013, he became popular for scoring a fastest equalizing goal from the starting line after the restart of the match against local league rival,
Chornomorets. He then inspired them to a 3 – 1 victory which boosted their chances to qualify for next season
Champions League campaign in which the victory lift them above another local rival who competing for the same spot,
Dynamo Kyiv
The Football Club 'Dynamo Kyiv', also known as Dynamo Kyiv, or simply Dynamo, ( ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Kyiv. Founded in 1927 as a Kyivan football team of republican branch of the bigger Soviet Dynamo Sports Society ...
.
Club statistics
Honours
;Internacional
*
Rio Grande do Sul State League: 2003, 2004
;Figueirense
*
Santa Catarina State League: 2008
;Palmeiras
*
Copa do Brasil
The Copa do Brasil () is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and it is the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de Portugal, ...
:
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
*
Campeonato Brasileiro:
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
;Vitória
*
Campeonato Baiano
The Campeonato Baiano (), also known as the Baianão (), is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of Bahia. Run by the Bahia Football Federation (FBF), it is the second-oldest state football championship o ...
: 2017
References
External links
*
*
*
figueirense.com
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xavier, Cleiton
1983 births
Living people
Brazilian men's footballers
Brazilian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine
Centro Sportivo Alagoano players
SC Internacional players
Sport Club do Recife players
Brasiliense FC players
Sociedade Esportiva do Gama players
Marília Atlético Clube players
Figueirense FC players
SE Palmeiras players
FC Metalist Kharkiv players
Esporte Clube Vitória players
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
Ukrainian Premier League players
Footballers from Alagoas
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine
Pan American Games silver medalists in football
Pan American Games silver medalists for Brazil
Men's association football midfielders
Footballers at the 2003 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games
21st-century Brazilian sportsmen