Today FRANCE Leads a Life of Ostentation: The Inspiring Story of the Former São Paulo Center Forward. Today, Canal Isto é Futebol has the privilege of remembering the trajectory of one of the players who lit up the fields of Brazilian and international football during the effervescent decade of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s. The name of this icon?
Françoaldo Sena de Souza. However, in the world of football, he simply went by France. Our exceptional athlete from Maranhão was born in the city of Codó, on March 2, 1976.
A true danger within the penalty area, França immortalized his name with the São Paulo Futebol Clube shirt, achieving glorious moments also in the German and Japanese football scene. . From the moment he hung up his boots and announced his retirement from football, the star showed no intention of remaining involved with football.
He currently resides in Tokyo, Japan and, according to a website specializing in finance, he is one of the most successful football players after the end of his career. About França's life after his retirement from the sport, details about his personal life, his career and his current activities will be revealed later in this video. Stay tuned to find out more about what the Brazilian football icon has been up to since leaving the sporting spotlight.
BEGINNING IN FOOTBALL. On the football scene, França's journey from Maranhão began in a remarkable way. He was revealed and took the first steps in his career at Nacional de Manaus, in 1993.
It was at this club that, in a unique match, the young Mofó, as he was affectionately known among those closest to him, surprised everyone by scoring impressive scores. 18 goals. In the following year, França signed a contract with XV de Jaú, a team from São Paulo, under the command of coach José Poy, a tricolor icon who was quick to draw the attention of São Paulo Futebol Clube to the talent of the "blondie" from Amazonas.
At the end of 1995, França took a crucial step in his trajectory by joining the São Paulo academy, led at the time by another idol, Darío Pereyra. In his first participation in the prestigious Copa São Paulo de Futebol Juniors, coming off the bench, the young striker left his mark with three goals that quickly caught the eye of the renowned coach of the first team, Telê Santana. França was then promoted to the professional squad and had the opportunity to train with Telê for a brief period of just ten days.
However, an unexpected turn of events shook the young talent, as master Telê Santana was removed from his duties due to a stroke, causing uncertainty in his nascent career. However, fate smiled on France, as Muricy Ramalho, who took over the team on an interim basis, recognized the player's potential and chose to keep him in the main squad, thus paving the way for a brilliant career full of achievements. France's football journey was just beginning, and the world would witness the emergence of a great talent.
GLORY IN SÃO PAULO. In 1996, even facing competition from names like Müller and Almir, França was not intimidated and, acting as a reserve in the Campeonato Paulista, left his mark by scoring eight goals, including a memorable bicycle goal against Rio Branco at the Estádio do Pacaembu. In 1998, França played a fundamental role in São Paulo winning the Campeonato Paulista, facing arch-rivals Corinthians.
On that occasion, the center forward shone by finding the net twice and becoming the competition's top scorer. Over the course of 327 matches wearing the São Paulo shirt, França built an impressive record, with 182 goals, which places him as the fifth highest scorer in the club's history. Furthermore, he boasts the 11th best goal average on the team, with an impressive average of 0.
56 goals per game. His achievements include two Campeonato Paulista victories, in 1998 and 2000, in which França was also top scorer, with 12 and 18 goals, respectively. Furthermore, he stood out in São Paulo's victory in the Rio-São Paulo Tournament in 2001, finishing as top scorer once again, scoring 6 goals.
França's remarkable performance, both in terms of finishing and assists, led him to receive call-ups to the national team. Brazilian, playing between 2000 and 2002. One of the memorable moments was in a friendly between Brazil and England, in May 2000, when France was responsible for scoring the Brazilian goal in the 1-1 draw, at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
. In 2002, although already negotiated with the German club Bayer Leverkusen, França continued his success at São Paulo, scoring a significant number of goals and once again winning the top scorer of the Rio-São Paulo Tournament, with 19 goals. However, a dramatic turn of events occurred during the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil, when França suffered a serious injury, which unfortunately prevented him from being called up for the 2002 World Cup, a moment that left an indelible mark on the player's history and of Brazilian football.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN. After a period of treatment and recovery from an injury, França embarked on a new stage in his career when he transferred to Bayer Leverkusen in July 2002. The transfer to the German club involved a significant sum of 12 million dollars and a contract lasting five years.
In his first season with the German club, França was unable to replicate the same performance he had shown at São Paulo. The striker from Maranhão often found himself on the bench in Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League games. In fact, France faced considerable challenges when trying to adapt to the demanding physical training and language barrier.
However, in the second season, 2003/2004, França began to show his ability and ability. He became a starter and formed an effective attacking partnership with Bulgarian Berbatov, helping Bayer Leverkusen reach third place in the Bundesliga and secure their place in the Champions League once again. In the third season, França had an impressive start, highlighted by a victory in the classic against Bayern Munich, with a remarkable score of 4-1 and two goals scored by him.
Furthermore, his team defeated the renowned "galacticos" of Real Madrid, with a convincing 3-0. However, an injury came to hinder his positive streak and his performance suffered a sharp drop. In May 2005, França played his last match for the German club, thus ending an important chapter of his career in European football.
JAPANESE FOOTBALL and END OF CAREER. In August of the same year that he ended his spell at Bayer Leverkusen, France made a bold decision by not renewing his contract and moving to Kashiwa Reysol, from Japan. Unfortunately, the team was unable to avoid relegation to the Japanese second division.
In 2006, France remained loyal to Kashiwa and played a crucial role in taking the team back to the elite of Japanese football. After five years in Japan, the experienced player decided to terminate his contract with the club in July 2010. The subsequent period saw França endure a year of inactivity before resuming his career in August 2011 when he signed for Yokohama FC.
However, his time at the club was short, with just five games played and one goal scored. There were rumors that France could return to Brazil to reinforce teams like Ceará, but unfortunately, there was no agreement and the player waited for a possible return to São Paulo. However, realizing that the time had come, França made the decision to end his career in 2011, while at Yokohama FC, after seven seasons in Japan.
It is interesting to note that in 2013, França revealed that, despite receiving invitations from renowned Brazilian clubs, such as Santos and Flamengo, chose not to accept them, choosing to follow other paths after his retirement from football. LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL. France, in contrast to many of his professional colleagues who choose to return to their roots in their homeland after ending their career, chose to establish his residence in Japan.
His decision was based on the country's security, in addition to the social and cultural stability that Land of the Rising Sun offers. Currently, França lives a solitary life in Tokyo, enjoying the fortune he earned during his career as a football player. Our star loves to show off his cars, yachts and lots of fun on social media, as well as claim that he is very successful with women.
He declared himself a true admirer of the Asian lifestyle and has no immediate plans to return to Brazil. His solitary stay in a distant place, according to the former player, represents a period of rest in his career and an opportunity to reflect on the direction of his life in the future. Despite the distance from his family, who live in São Paulo, including his ten-year-old daughter, the result of a marriage that ended in 2004, França chose to live a life of "bon vivant".
He uses part of his fortune to enjoy life, keeping himself in good physical shape through activities such as weight training. His post-retirement life connected him with people from high society, including Japanese and foreign millionaires, with whom França befriended through the social circles he began to frequent. Even though he is far from football, his love for São Paulo Futebol Clube remains firm in his heart, and he still cheers and cheers for the club whenever he watches the games, even if it happens from a distance.
