Carlos Eduardo

His breakthrough in the first team at the club and impressive form saw him linked with German club 1899 Hoffenheim.

At first, Grêmio rejected two bids from the German side.

Upon leaving Grêmio, Carlos Eduardo stated he would like to return to the club one day.

Carlos Eduardo Marques (born 18 July 1987), known as Carlos Eduardo, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or a winger.

He is known for speed, good passing, dribbling and strong shots play.

Born in Ajuricaba, Brazil, Carlos Eduardo lived in the city until moving to Porto Alegre at age fourteen to join Grêmio's youth system, where he began his career and meet his future teammate, Lucas Leiva.

Carlos Eduardo turned professional at the age of sixteen.

He later reflected in an interview with Deutsche Welle on his background, saying: "In the south, it's a little cold too. And for me, gaucho football is a little tougher than paulista and carioca, and that helped me a lot. I had a very good school, which was Grêmio. An excellent school, forming great players, like Ronaldinho, Lucas, Anderson. Grêmio was a very beautiful story, I managed to win there and the club gave me the experience to come here to be able to show my football naturally."

Carlos Eduardo was spotted first by a Real Madrid scout in 2005, but Real Madrid decided not to sign him as they thought he would need time to adapt to Spanish football.

Despite not signing for Real Madrid, Carlos Eduardo continued to develop at Grêmio and then signed a three–year contract with the club.

At the start of the 2007 season, he was called up to the Grêmio's first team squad.

Carlos Eduardo made his debut for Grêmio, starting a match and played 68 minutes before being substituted, as the club lost 1–0 against Cerro Porteño in the Copa Libertadores match on 15 February 2007.

He also played in both legs of the final of the Campeonato Gaúcho against Juventude and scored twice in the first leg, as the club won 7–4 on aggregate to win the tournament.

Carlos Eduardo then scored on his league debut on 20 May 2007 and earned himself a Man of the Match, in a 2–0 win over Fluminense.

He played in both legs of the Copa Libertadores semi–finals against Santos and showed clever footwork, rapid turns and dangerous crosses from the left wing, scoring a memorable goal in the semi-final that would turn out be the clinching goal and Grêmio went on to win through away goal following a 3–3 draw on aggregate.

In the Copa Libertadores Finals, Carlos Eduardo played in both legs, when his team Grêmio lost to Boca Juniors 5–0 on aggragate.

He then later added two more goals for the side, scoring against Náutico and Corinthians.

Having established himself in the starting eleven for the side, Carlos Eduardo made thirty–six appearances and scoring seven times in all competitions.

On 29 August 2007, Carlos Eduardo moved for a transfer fee of 8 million euro to 1899 Hoffenheim on a five-year deal and was joined up by Demba Ba.

His transfer fee was a record move made in the 2.

Carlos Eduardo made his debut for 1899 Hoffenheim on 3 September 2007 in a 3–2 loss against Freiburg.

This was followed up by scoring his first goal for the club, in a 3–1 win over Osnabrück.

However, during a match against Paderborn on 21 September 2007, he suffered an abdominal muscle strain that saw him substituted at half time, as 1899 Hoffenheim won 2–0.

After missing one match, Carlos Eduardo returned to the starting line–up, helping the side win 1–0 against 1. FSV Mainz 05 on 30 September 2007.

In a follow–up match against FC Augsburg, he scored his second goal for the club, in a 2–2 draw and was named Man of the Match by Kicker.

Despite being sidelined on two more occasions halfway through the first half of the season, he continued to be a regular player in the first team, playing in the midfield position.

At the end of the 2007–08 season, Carlos Eduardo scored six times in twenty–five appearances in all competitions.

Carlos Eduardo then played an important role against SC Freiburg on 22 February 2008, setting up two goals, in a 2–0 win.

This was followed up by scoring two goals in the next two matches against Osnabrück and Paderborn.

On 6 May 2008, Carlos Eduardo received a three-game suspension after video evidence showed him kicking 1. FC Köln player Roda Antar in the face, which saw Hoffenheim lost 3–1.

Despite this, Carlos Eduardo led the club to promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in history and at 2.

Bundesliga, he was considered the best dribbler in the league.

At the start of the 2008–09 season, Carlos Eduardo returned from suspension and played his first Bundesliga match in the opening game of the season, in a 3–0 win over Energie Cottbus on 16 August 2008.

He scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 4–1 win over Borussia Dortmund on 21 September 2008.

Since the start of the 2008–09 season, Carlos Eduardo started in the first seven matches before suffering from a concussion that kept him out for one match.

He then returned from injury and came on as a 75th-minute substitute, in a 2–1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt on 4 October 2008.

Carlos Eduardo then set up two goals in the next two matches against Hannover 96 and Hamburger SV before scoring his third goal of the season and provided assist for Demba Ba in a 3–1 win over Bochum on 29 October 2008.

He then added two more goals by the end of the year.

However, on 14 January 2009, Carlos Eduardo was in a confrontation with Ivica Olić after he allegedly punched Olić during a friendly match between 1899 Hoffenheim and Hamburger SV which Hoffenheim lost 2–0.

Bundesliga until it was broken by Massimo Bruno in 2014.