Lincoln (footballer)

Lincoln Cássio de Souza Soares
Personal information
Full name	Cássio de Souza Soares
Date of birth	January 22 1979 (1979-01-22) (age 29)
Place of birth	São Brás do Suaçuí, Brazil
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Galatasaray S.K.
Number	10
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1997–2001 2001–2004 2004–2007 2007–	Atlético Mineiro Kaiserslautern Schalke 04 Galatasaray S.K.	50 0(4) 53 (12) 83 (20) 09 0(3)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 27 October 2007. * Appearances (Goals)

Cássio de Souza Soares (born January 22, 1979 in São Brás do Suaçuí) is a Brazilian football player. He is currently playing for the Turkish Club Galatasaray S.K. Lincoln is known foremostly for his stint in the German Bundesliga. He was signed in 2001 by 1. FC Kaiserslautern as a replacement for playmaker Ciriaco Sforza, who was bought by Bayern Munich. The slender, but technically gifted, Lincoln made an immediate impact and contributed to a strong FCK finish in that season. However, trouble was afoot within the club from Rhineland-Palatinate, heavy internal friction was experienced and this was not helped by a large turnover of players. The last straw was when Lincoln went AWOL in Spring 2004. It turned out that he had headed back to his native Brazil as he felt it would be better for an injury he was apparently suffering from. This was not endorsed by the club and earned him a season-long suspension. Many of the clubs fans, members of the board and playing staff were left embittered by the fact that Lincoln left the club while they struggled against relegation. Lincoln's reputation had suffered, and it was seen as a surprise when Schalke 04 signed the playmaker. However, his game flourished while at the Ruhrgebiet club, and he was one of the strongest pillars in the surprising Schalke 2004-05 campaign that earned them second place in the Bundesliga. Although Lincoln experienced a dip in form in 2005-06, he firmly established himself as one of the best playmakers in the Bundesliga. Lincoln was also a member of the 1999 Atlético Mineiro team, who were runners-up in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, which also had Marques, Belletti, Caçapa, Galvan and the 1999 top-scorer Guilherme in the side, among others. In June 2007 Lincoln signed a four-year contract for Galatasaray S.K., for a fee of around €4.5m. He was greeted at the Ataturk International Airport with a crowd of 4,000 Galatasaray supporters (see: ultrAslan ). Some of the club's supporters consider him the new Gheorghe Hagi. Lincoln has scored 4 times in his first season in the 2007/2008 Turkcell Super League and he has made a few important assists showing great performances both in Turkish league and Uefa cup games. He has become a favorite of the Galatasaray fans. He was taken out of the squad of the 7th week clash against the arch rivals Besiktas JK. Karl-Heinz Feldkamp took Lincoln and Hakan Sukur out of the matchsquad because they had broken the camp rules by bringing family and friends to training. After the 2-1 win thanks to the goals of Hakan Balta and Shabani Nonda (P), some have called Karl-Heinz Feldkamp a braveheart and a hero, but many other supporters have criticised him because of his decision. After being taken out of the squad for Besiktas match, Lincoln has shown quite a lack of form. He has been either out for injury, or unable to impress anyone on the pitch. The Galatasaray fans are still waiting for him to catch his form, as he is considered as a superstar, but yet some voices has been rising critisizing his approach to the previous games.

External links

• Lincoln Fan