Victor did not make a name for himself until his mid-20s, but the goalkeeper has certainly made up for lost time since his transfer to Gremio in 2008.
Born in Santo Anastacio in 1983, Victor started out at Paulista in 2003. The highlight of his four-year spell there was helping the Jundiai minnows win the Copa do Brasil 2005, and consequently representing them in their maiden Copa Libertadores campaign the following year.
Victor joined Gremio at the front end of 2008, and made a grand impression in his first season among the Brazilian elite. Courtesy of his sharp reflexes and astute positioning, O Tricolor Gaúcho conceded the fewest goals in the competition and finished an impressive second.
Victor was rewarded by being named in the Rede Globo-CBF team of the season, and after starring in the early stages of the Copa Libertadores 2009, he earned another present: a first call-up to Dunga's Brazil squad for the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009.
The Tricolor keeper has since bolstered his profile with coach Dunga and has become a regular in the Seleção. Victor finished 2009 a few more individual awards too – a second Rede Globo-CBF team of the season spot and Placar magazine’s Bola de Prata for the best goalkeeper of the year – and is on track to be Julio Cesar’s immediate understudy.
