André Felipe, known in football as André Balada, has announced his retirement at the age of 34. His final professional match was for Cabofriense on September 11th, in a 2-0 loss to Olaria during the third phase of the Copa Rio, which led to his team’s elimination.
Join us as we look back at André’s career and his accomplishments.
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Index
André Felipe’s Career
Born in Cabo Frio, André was signed by Santos in 2008, and in his first season, he won the U-20 Campeonato Paulista, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer.
He was promoted to Santos’ first team in 2009, debuting in the Campeonato Paulista against Mogi Mirim. His first goal in the Brasileirão came later that year in a 2-0 win over Fluminense.
In 2010, he established himself as a key player for a star-studded Santos team that featured Neymar, Ganso, and others. He helped Santos win the Campeonato Paulista, finishing as the team’s second-highest scorer with 13 goals, just behind Neymar, who scored 14.
André also played a pivotal role in Santos’ Copa do Brasil victory, finishing as the second-highest scorer with 8 goals, once again behind Neymar, who netted 11.
Thanks to his strong performances, André was sold to Dynamo Kyiv mid-year but remained at Santos until the end of the season.
He left Santos with 51 matches and 28 goals in his first stint.
At Dynamo Kyiv, André had limited opportunities, appearing in just six matches without scoring. He then moved to Bordeaux in France, where he had another brief stint, playing eight games without finding the back of the net.
After his disappointing time in Europe, André returned to Brazil in July 2011, joining Atlético Mineiro as their most expensive signing at the time. He enjoyed a strong debut, scoring against Fluminense in the Brasileirão.
In 2012, André won the Campeonato Mineiro, receiving three individual awards and finishing as the tournament’s second-highest scorer.
In August 2012, André returned to Santos but couldn’t replicate his early-career form. He left the club midway through 2013 and joined Vasco da Gama.
At Vasco, André was the team’s top scorer in the 2013 Brasileirão but was part of the squad that was relegated to Serie B. He was sent back to Atlético-MG at the end of the season.
In 2014, André had few opportunities at Atlético, and in November, he, along with teammates Jô and Emerson Conceição, was suspended for disciplinary reasons.
In 2015, André was reinstated but continued to underperform. Due to his high wages, he was loaned to Sport midway through the season.
Despite joining late, André quickly established himself as a starter, delivering strong performances and scoring regularly. He finished as the second-highest scorer in the Brasileirão with 13 goals, helping Sport achieve their best-ever finish in the competition, placing sixth.
After a highly successful 2015, André wanted to remain at Sport but returned to Atlético-MG and was signed by Corinthians at the start of 2016.
At Corinthians, André became infamous for missing a penalty in the 2016 Libertadores against Nacional. The match ended 2-2, and Corinthians were eliminated in the round of 16.
He left Corinthians with six goals in 29 matches and was signed by Sporting CP in August 2016, where he struggled, scoring just three goals in 15 games.
In 2017, André returned to Sport and had a fantastic individual season, despite the team’s struggles in the Brasileirão. He scored 16 goals, becoming the player with the most goals for Sport in a single edition of the Brasileirão. Against Grêmio, André netted a hat-trick in a 4-3 comeback victory.
Photo: Williams Aguiar/Sport Recife
In the final match of the Brasileirão, André scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Corinthians, a result that saved Sport from relegation as they finished 15th with 45 points. Earlier in the year, he also won the Campeonato Pernambucano.
André built a strong connection with Sport fans, and in an interview with Globoesporte, he said: “I want to thank all the clubs I played for, especially Sport, which embraced me in a way I never expected. I have a lot of affection for this club.”
In 2018, he moved to Grêmio, where he stayed until 2020. He alternated between starting and coming off the bench, winning the Campeonato Gaúcho in 2019, and parted ways with the club in 2020. He left Grêmio with 11 goals in 75 matches.
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Foto: Yuri Edmundo/BP Filmes
Afterward, André joined Gaziantep but stayed less than a year, scoring three goals in 22 matches.
In May 2021, André returned to Sport for a third stint. Despite a promising start, scoring a crucial equalizer in a 2-2 draw against Internacional in his debut in the Brasileirão, André had a quiet year and left the club in October 2021.
In the latter stages of his career, André played for Cuiabá, Torpedo Moscow, and Ponte Preta.
He then moved to América-RJ, where Romário was the president. His standout moment was scoring a hat-trick against Cabofriense in the second division of the Campeonato Carioca.
His final club was Cabofriense, the team from his hometown, where he began his youth career.
André was called up to the Brazilian national team by Mano Menezes in 2010 while playing for Santos. He was on the preliminary roster for the 2012 Olympics but did not make the final squad.
André’s Farewell to Football
In an interview about his retirement, André revealed that he had planned to retire at 30 but was convinced by his father to keep playing for a few more years.
When asked if he had fulfilled his goals in football, André said:
“I did what I needed to do. I think a bit of the routine, a bit of everything, and the desire to have a normal life caught up with me. I think that desire caused some issues with football because I thought I was a normal person, but I wasn’t—I was a public figure.”
André plans to stay involved in football by working on Cabofriense’s project.
“We are trying to turn the club into a SAF (Sociedade Anônima do Futebol). It’s not an overnight process, but Cabofriense currently doesn’t have a stadium because it’s public. So, we are seeking a concession to manage it. We’re also looking for new partners to strengthen Cabofriense. It’s all very new; I only stopped playing about a month ago, so there’s time to work on it.”
André has retired, and his presence will be missed by Santos and Sport fans in particular.
Written by Henry Miller.
