Renato (footballer, born 1979)

Renato Dirnei Florêncio Santos, known simply as Renato, was born on 15 May 1979 in Santa Mercedes, São Paulo, and is a Brazilian former professional footballer. A central midfielder with good heading ability in spite of a small frame, he played most of his professional career in Spain with Sevilla, where he made 286 official appearances and scored 39 goals. He came through the youth system of Guarani, moved to Santos in 2000, joined Sevilla in 2004, later played for Botafogo, and returned to Santos, announcing his retirement in November 2018 after 425 matches and 33 goals for that club in total. Internationally he made his debut for Brazil in 2003 and was part of the squads that won the 2004 Copa América and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, playing all six matches of the former.