When Portugal's Brazilian-born playmaker Deco switched nationality there were doubts over whether he deserved to play for his adopted country.

Since making his first appearance against Brazil [Images] in 2003, though, the quality of his passing and movement in midfield have silenced the doubters and made him a regular in the team.

Deco started on the bench in that friendly in the Oporto stadium three years ago but came on to mark his debut with a free kick that gave Portugal a 2-1 win. He now has 33 caps.

Some established players in the squad, such as Luis Figo and Rui Costa, had reservations about Deco playing for Portugal.

However, his strengths were confirmed at Euro 2004 and he is one of Luiz Felipe Scolari's [Images] key players for the World Cup.

"My choice of Deco had to do with his technical and professional qualities and his strong determination in reaching the objectives," Scolari said of his native compatriot.

"Deco doesn't talk a lot but when he does everybody listens," said his Barcelona team mate Lionel Messi [Images].

Nicknamed 'the magic one', Deco is the perfect playmaker with his long, raking passes and is deadly with free kicks.

The 28-year-old played a central role in helping Barca to win their first league title in six years last season and enjoyed more success in the season just ended by retaining the Spanish title and beating Arsenal [Images] to win the Champions League in Paris. He has also recently renewed his contract with the club until 2010.  

Born in Sao Paulo in 1977 -- full name Anderson Luis de Souza -- Deco came to Portugal in 1997 and played for Benfica and then Porto where he won the Champions League before joining Barca for 21 million euros on a four-year deal in July 2004.

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard knows it was money well spent and sings the praises of the diminutive Brazilian.

"Deco is the barometer of our season, when he is in form the quality of the game rises, when he is not so good the team as a whole performs less well," said the Dutchman.