Wendel Geraldo Maurício e Silva, commonly known as Wendel, is a retired Brazilian footballer, who mainly played as a defensive midfielder.
Club career
Wendel started his career with Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in 1998 with the youth team. By 2000 he began featuring in some matches for the senior side. In 2005, he was loaned out to Santos on an 18-month deal. After a successful spell there, Wendel secured a move to Bordeaux from Cruzeiro in August 2006.
Bordeaux
Soon after he signed for Bordeaux, he broke into the first team and by the end of his first season he had played a total of 29 league games with 5 goals. He was much more active in his second season, scoring 12 league goals to go along with 7 assists in 36 league games. The 2008–09 started brightly for Wendel as he started every game. In the season opener against Caen he had a free-kick on target in the early minutes, had an open shot on target and then set up Yoann Gourcuff to score from outside the area. Then against Nantes he set up a goal. After four games he finally opened his account by scoring against Nice, following this up by scoring again three days later against Le Havre AC in a 2–2 draw. Bordeaux went on to win Ligue 1, the club's first title triumph since 1999 and added the Coupe de la Ligue trophy in 2009 under the management of Laurent Blanc. In the Coupede la Ligue Final, Wendel opened the scoring in the third minute against Ligue 2 side Vannes OC in an eventual 4–0 triumph for his side. Wendel appeared in 29 games that season, starting 25 of them, and added 4 goals and 9 assists. The 2009–10 campaign for Bordeaux would prove to be less successful, as they could not retain their league or league cup trophies. However, Wendel was very productive in the league from his wide position, scoring 11 goals and adding 6 assists. The following season proved even more difficult after the departures of Marouane Chamakh and Yoann Gourcuff. Wendel's last appearance for the club came on 29 May 2011, in the final match of the 2010–11 Ligue 1 season. He capped his final performance with a goal in a 2–0 victory over Montpellier HSC which ensured that Bordeaux finished the season in 7th place.
Al-Ittihad
After five seasons in the southwest of France, Wendel moved on in August 2011. During his time with Les Girondins he scored 35 goals in 156 Ligue 1 appearances, scoring hat tricks against Toulouse FC and PSG. After his departure, he signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad.
International
Wendel was first capped for Brazil at the 2004 CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament. Wendel received French nationality in 2011 and it was reported that he desired to play for France,. However, in fact, he is ineligible to play for a national team other than his native Brazil because he only held Brazilian nationality when he represented Brazil.
