🎥 Legendary Botafogo goalkeeper Jefferson emotionally bids farewell | OneFootball

Icon: OneFootball

OneFootball

Blaise Bourgeois·27 November 2018

🎥 Legendary Botafogo goalkeeper Jefferson emotionally bids farewell

Article image:🎥 Legendary Botafogo goalkeeper Jefferson emotionally bids farewell

After playing nearly 600 matches in Brazil and Turkey over 20 seasons, including 13 of those at Botafogo, Jefferson will retire at the end of the season at the age of 35.

Playing in front of over 28,000 fans at the Nilton Santos Stadium on Monday night for the last time, Jefferson made three saves en route to a 2-1 win over Paraná in Botafogo’s home finale.


OneFootball Videos


Jefferson has played nearly 450 matches for Botafogo – making him the 3rd-most experienced player for the club all-time behind Nilton Santos and the legendary Garrincha.

In addition to a stellar career that began in 2000 at Cruzeiro and took him to Botafogo, Trabzonspor, Konyaspor, and back to Botafogo in 2009, Jefferson earned 22 caps for Brazil.

Jefferson made his international debut in 2011, earning a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw against rivals Argentina in the Superclásico de las Américas.

Jefferson was also a part of the 23-man squad that won the 2013 Confederations Cup and reached the 2014 World Cup semi-finals on home soil.

His most memorable moment on the international stage may have happened in 2014, when he saved a Lionel Messi penalty en route to a 2-0 win in that year’s version of the Superclásico de las Américas.

Jefferson also played every minute for Brazil in the 2015 Copa América, where they lost to Paraguay in the quarter-finals via shootout.

Botafogo will play their final match of the season this Saturday at Atlético Mineiro.

Jefferson may not be leaving the club entirely, as it’s rumoured that he could have a place on the Botafogo board of directors beginning next season.