Walter Henrique da Silva (born 22 July 1989), known simply as Walter, is a Brazilian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a striker for

Esporte Clube Pelotas Esporte Clube Pelotas, more commonly referred to as Pelotas, is a professional football club based in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Founded in 1908, it plays in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série D, Série D, the fourth tier of Brazilian foot ...

Early life

Born in

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...

, Walter was the youngest of six siblings born to his mother Edith, all the four males' names starting with the letter "W" (himself, Waldemir, Waldex and Wandeork). During his childhood, he viewed the dead bodies of two people who had just been murdered inside a

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

, including that of his brother Waldemir at the age of 18 due to gang-related issues.

Club career

Early years

Walter started his career with

Sport Club do Recife Sport Club do Recife, (; known as Sport Recife or Sport, is a Brazilian sports club, located in the city of Recife, in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. Founded in 1905, the club currently plays in Série B. In football, the club has w ...

, finishing his youth development at

Sport Club Internacional Sport Club Internacional (), commonly known as Internacional or simply Inter, is a Brazilian professional Association football, football club based in Porto Alegre. They play in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Série A, the first divisio ...

after joining its junior team in 2007. He made his professional debut two years later. Walter played 11 matches in his first season in the Série A, but failed to score any goals. In May 2009, he suffered a serious knee injury which sidelined him for several months.

Porto

In August 2010, Walter joined

FC Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...

from Portugal, signing a five-year contract. The

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...

club acquired the player's registration rights and 75% of his economic rights from

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

an side

C.A. Rentistas Club Atlético Rentistas, known simply as Rentistas is a Uruguayan professional football (soccer), football club based in Cerrito de la Victoria, Montevideo. Founded in 1933, the club competes in the Uruguayan Segunda División. History In 1971 ...

for

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

6 million, and later sold 25% to Pearl Design Holding Ltd. (a UK

shell company A shell corporation is a company or corporation that exists only on paper and has no office and no employees, but may have a bank account or may hold passive investments or be the registered owner of assets, such as intellectual property, or s ...

, directed by Mário Jorge Queiroz e Castro) for €2.125 million;

announced in its annual accounts that the club had received R$9,192,000 in transfer fee (around €4 million), but part of that was re-distributed to third parties for R$1,980,033– it was also reported that the side owned 50% of the player's economic rights, with the other half belonging to third parties. Walter played his first official game for Porto on 19 August 2010 in a

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

play-off round The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

against

K.R.C. Genk Koninklijke Racing Club Genk (), commonly known as KRC Genk, Racing Genk or simply Genk, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Genk in Belgian Limburg. Racing Genk plays in the Belgian Pro League and have won four cham ...

, featuring eight minutes in a 3–0 away win. On 16 October 2010 he made his first start, scoring a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

in the 4–1 home victory over A.D. Os Limianos in the

third round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

of the

Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; "Cup of Portugal") is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Placard since the 2015–16 seaso ...

. The following month, again as a starter, he netted his first league goal, at home against

Portimonense SC Portimonense Sporting Clube is a Portuguese sports club based in Portimão. Founded on 14 August 1914, it is most notable for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. It a ...

(2–0). Walter spent the vast majority of his first season as a backup to

Radamel Falcao Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano and often captains the Colombia national team. Nicknamed "''El Tigre''" (Spanish for ''The Tige ...

, but managed to finish with ten goals in all competitions in 25 appearances. On 15 October 2011, he scored four in a 8–0 away rout of C.A. Pêro Pinheiro in the domestic cup. Subsequently, Walter was loaned several times by Porto, alternating between his country's Série A and B. Throughout his career, he struggled immensely with weight problems. In August 2018, while at the service of

Centro Sportivo Alagoano Centro Sportivo Alagoano, commonly referred to as CSA, is a Brazilian professional football club based in Maceió, Alagoas. It competes in the Série C, the third tier of Brazilian football, as well as in the Campeonato Alagoano, the top flight ...

, Walter was arrested at his home in

Maceió Maceió (), formerly sometimes Anglicised as Maceio, is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state of Alagoas, Brazil. The name "Maceió" is an Indigenous term for a spring. Most maceiós flow to the sea, but some get trapped and form la ...

, after allegedly pointing a

toy gun Toy guns are toys which imitate real guns, but are designed for recreational sport or casual play by children. From hand-carved wooden replicas to factory-produced pop guns From Gilroy Gardens and cap guns, toy guns come in all sizes, prices ...

to an

Eletrobras Eletrobras (, full name: Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A.) is a major Brazilian electric utilities company. The company's headquarters are located in Rio de Janeiro. It is Latin America's biggest power utility company, tenth largest in the wo ...

employee. On 11 December, he tested positive for

furosemide Furosemide is a loop diuretic medication used to treat fluid build-up due to heart failure, liver scarring, or kidney disease. It may also be used for the treatment of high blood pressure. It can be taken by injection into a vein or by mouth ...

and

sibutramine Sibutramine, formerly sold under the brand name Meridia among others, is an appetite suppressant which has been discontinued in many countries. It works as a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor similar to a tricyclic antidepressant. Un ...

metabolites after a match against

Grêmio Esportivo Brasil Grêmio Esportivo Brasil, commonly referred to as Brasil de Pelotas, is a Brazilian professional club based in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul founded on 7 September 1911. It competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, the third tier of Brazilia ...

, being suspended until further notice. The banned substances were found in prescription drugs he had been taking to fight his obesity problem.

International career

Walter played with Brazil under-20s in the 2009 South American Championship. He scored five goals in the tournament held in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, being crowned top scorer as the national team won their tenth title in the category.

Career statistics

Honours

Internacional *

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Porto *

: 2010–11, 2011–12 *

: 2010–11 *

: 2010–11 Goiás *

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B The Campeonato Brasileiro Série B is commonly referred to as the Brasileirão Série B (Série B), and until 2022 was officially called Brasileirão Sportingbet by sponsorship reasons. It is the second tier of the Brazilian football league system ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Campeonato Goiano The Campeonato Goiano is the football league of the state of Goiás, Brazil. Format First Division First stage *Teams are divided in two groups of six teams. *Double round-robin, in which all teams home-and-away games against the team fro ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

Atlético Paranaense *

Campeonato Paranaense Campeonato Paranaense, which has been contested since 1915, is the top-flight football league of the state of Paraná, Brazil. Format The format has changed in 2014. 12 teams are together in a single group. They play against each other once, ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Brazil *

South American Youth Football Championship The South American Youth Football Championship, also known as U-20 South American Championship and es, Torneo Juventudes de América, "Campeonato Sudamericano Sub 20" or pt, Juventude da América (English: "America's Youth") is a South American f ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Individual * Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year:

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walter 1989 births Living people Brazilian men's footballers Footballers from Recife Men's association football forwards Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Campeonato Brasileiro Série B players Campeonato Brasileiro Série C players Esporte Clube São José players Sport Club Internacional players Cruzeiro Esporte Clube players Goiás Esporte Clube players Fluminense FC players Club Athletico Paranaense players Atlético Clube Goianiense players Paysandu Sport Club players Centro Sportivo Alagoano players Esporte Clube Vitória players Associação Desportiva São Caetano players Botafogo Futebol Clube (SP) players Santa Cruz Futebol Clube players Amazonas Futebol Clube players Goiânia Esporte Clube players Esporte Clube Pelotas players Primeira Liga players FC Porto players UEFA Europa League winning players Brazil men's under-20 international footballers Brazilian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Brazilian sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in association football