Eder - Quick Thinking

Brazil, Italy, China. Empoli, Frosinone, Brescia, Cesena, Genoa, Milano, China.

Looking back at Eder Citadin Martins' career, you might think he spent more time packing his bags than on the training pitch. But make no mistake, he put in the work. He ran, he scored and, above all, he had a special talent for being in the right place at the right time.

Born on November 15th, 1986, Eder turns 40 today. This is the story of a player who always knew how to seize the moment.

Eder was born in Lauro Müller, Brazil, but made his name as a footballer in Italy. He joined Empoli before moving around the country, playing for Frosinone, Brescia, Cesena and Sampdoria. It was practically a crash course in Italian geography. In Genoa, he established himself as one of the most exciting forwards in Serie A. He was quick, skilful and knew how to find the back of the net. He also met a young Argentine by the name of Mauro Icardi. The two played together before going their separate ways. But in January 2016, fate brought them back together. Inter signed Eder from Sampdoria, with Roberto Mancini keen to strengthen his attack. Icardi was reunited with his former teammate.

La Gazzetta dello Sport even came up with an unusual headline to mark the occasion: “Electronic injection: Eder plus Icardi”. A play on words so elaborate that it deserves to be remembered. His start in the Nerazzurri shirt wasn't the easiest. His first goal came on April 23rd against Udinese, in the 95th minute, sealing a 3-1 victory. But his finest moment came just a few weeks later. Euro 2016. Italy vs. Sweden. Eighty-eight minutes of hard work, few clear-cut chances, Ibrahimović on the opposing side and the feeling that the game was destined to finish 0-0. Then Eder got on the ball. He drove forward from the left, cut inside, skipped past the defenders and let fly. A curling right-footed shot, perfectly placed into the bottom corner. Goal.

Italy won 1-0, booked their place in the Round of 16 and discovered that sometimes all it takes to unlock the most difficult of games is a Brazilian with an Italian passport and a deadly aim. And if one goal was enough for Italy, Eder decided to go one better for Inter a few months later. December 8th, 2016. San Siro. The Europa League and Sparta Prague were in town. Eder opened the scoring in the first half, but the Czech side drew level after the break. It was starting to look like one of those nights when everything goes wrong. But in the 90th minute, just as everyone was expecting the final whistle, Eder struck again to make it 2-1. A brace for the Brazilian-born Italian forward, three points for Inter and yet another reminder that he had a knack for making an impact in the closing stages.

Eder continued to do what he did best. He wasn't always a starter, but he was often decisive. He scored against Chievo, Pescara, Empoli, Sassuolo and Lazio. He grabbed a brace against Udinese, rescued a point against Torino and, in February 2018, scored against Bologna to help Inter end a lengthy winless run. In other words, he wasn't necessarily the man who started the game, but he was often the one who helped turn things around. In the summer of 2018, he said goodbye to Milano and headed for China. Another journey, another league, another adventure.

Today, Eder turns 40. His career has taken him a long way, but more importantly, he has scored goals that have stayed in the memories of fans for years. Against Sweden in the 88th minute. Against Sparta Prague in the 90th. Because he had a special talent: showing up when it mattered most. And when time was running out, he always seemed to find a way to make an impact.