About Hulk (footballer)
Givanildo Vieira de Sousa (born 25 July 1986), mononymously known as Hulk (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈʁuwki]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Fluminense. After starting out professionally with Vitória and then playing three years in Japan, he played several seasons in Portugal with Porto, winning ten titles – including the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League and three national championships. He was crowned the league's top scorer once. In 2012, he joined Russian Premier League side Zenit Saint Petersburg for €60 million, winning all three domestic honours and being named the competition's best player and being top scorer, once each. He was transferred to Shanghai Port for an Asian record €58.6 million in 2016. In 2021, he returned to his homeland and joined Atlético Mineiro, winning the national league and becoming the club's seventh all-time top scorer in a five-year spell. Hulk made his international debut in 2009, and played for Brazil at the 2012 Summer Olympics as one of the three permitted over-age players. He went on to represent the Brazilian team in their 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup victory and fourth-place finish at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He is described by FIFA's official website as "a direct powerhouse of a centre- or wide-forward who knows his way around the box". Strongly built for a footballer, he acquired his nickname from his father, who was a fan of The Incredible Hulk television series starring Lou Ferrigno. He was transferred to Shanghai SIPG for an Asian record €58.6 million in 2016. When Moroccan teammate Tarik Sektioui suffered an injury, Hulk was given an opportunity to play forward and scored his first official domestic league goal for Porto in a 2–0 home win against C.F. In the 2009–10 season, Hulk established as an automatic first-choice.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.