Felipe Anderson is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder.
Felipe Anderson Pereira Gomes is probably one of the most exciting players ever to have worn the Lazio jersey. At the same time he is also one of the most frustrating players ever to have worn the Lazio jersey. Enormously talented, with great potential, he is able to do some of the most incredible things on the pitch but also to switch off completely and be almost catatonic in the same game. However in recent years he has become a lot more reliable.
Born on April 15, 1993 in Santa Maria, he started playing football at the age of six. His youth career began with Santos in 2007 but he was soon promoted to the senior team and made his debut in 2010. In Santos he often played alongside Neymar.
Lazio bought him in 2013 but, despite the fact that one could see he had the skills and potential, in his first year he did not really make any significant impact. This did not change much in the following season either with the exception of a couple of matches.
The full talent of Felipe Anderson exploded in the 2014-2015 season under Stefano Pioli. Devastating to say the least, he was able to switch on and change the course of the game. The “devastating mode on” button started at Parma in December 2014 and he was decisive in the eight consecutive wins from February to April. He finished with nine goals as Lazio qualified for the Champions League playoff and were not too far off a second place which could have given a direct qualification.
The 2015-2016 was not as positive and Felipetto was able to show his talents sparsely. The 2016-2017 season saw a return to form and, though not as devastating as those matches in 2015, he put in solid performances. The problem came up when Simone Inzaghi changed the team to a 3-5-2 formation to allow Keita Balde to play closer to Immobile. Anderson was forced to go back and forth on the right wing and give a hand in defence. He did not do too badly, but one could see that it was not his cup of tea.
In the next season Keita was sold to Monaco and Felipe Anderson took his place next to Immobile, but a serious injury in pre-season training put him out of the squad. He was substituted by Luis Alberto, who became the ideal partner for Ciro. The Neapolitan started to score even more regularly than usual. Back from injury, Felipe Anderson struggled to find space as Luis Alberto had become fundamental for the team. A fallout with Inzaghi in Lazio-Bologna in February meant that 2017-2018 was to be his last season for Lazio.
Lazio sold him to West Ham United in the summer of 2018. His first year with The Hammers, under manager Manuel Pellegrini, was a good one, but the 2019-2020 season was not. Pellegrini was sacked in December and there was a lack of feeling with the new manager David Moyes. Felipetto ended up on the bench and asked for a transfer.
In October West Ham loaned him to Porto, but he hardly played at all. The Porto manager Sergio Conceicao did not particularly want him, and the two quarrelled and fell out.
In all his time away from Lazio, Felipe Anderson continued to show affection for the club via social media. Lazio fans always got a thumbs up from him at the shout of Forza Lazio, and many fans hoped one day he could return.
The opportunity arrived in the 2021-2022 season. Felipe Anderson came back, and back was also the magic as well as the fan frustration, though less than previous years. In the first year of his second stint he appeared in all of the games, he started in 42 of them and came on as a substitute in the other six. He did the same also in the 2022-23 season where he also played as centre-forward when Ciro Immobile was injured. He demonstrated strong reliability that season, a player one can always count upon. His performances were not so good in 2023-24 but he still gave a decent contribution of goals and assists.
Maurizio Sarri stated that Felipe Anderson “is an extraordinary player, when he plays at 100% he can be really something. But he has his down moments. It’s up to me to limit the down moments to a minimum”. And he has certainly done so.
At the end of the 2023-24 season, he decided not to renew his contract and signed for Palmeiras. He said to the fans on his last match I want to thank you because from day one you welcomed me, not only as a footballer but first as a boy and now as a man. I thank you because you have given me much more than what football could give me. Always Forza Lazio”.
He leaves after 326 appearances, 149 of these consecutive. He is 11th in the all time games for Lazio, behind Vincenzo D’Amico and above Cristian Ledesma.
Felipe Anderson has two caps for Brazil (both as substitute), and has played quite a lot of games for the Olympic Team. He was part of the squad that won the Gold Medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games of 2016.
Lazio Career
Season | Total played (Goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League | Conference League | Super Coppa |
2013-14 | 20 (1) | 13 | 2 | - | 5 (1) | - | - |
2014-15 | 37 (11) | 32 (10) | 5 (1) | - | - | - | - |
2015-16 | 47 (9) | 35 (7) | 2 | 2 | 7 (2) | - | 1 |
2016-17 | 41 (5) | 36 (4) | 5 (1) | - | - | - | - |
2017-18 | 32 (8) | 21 (4) | 4 (1) | - | 7 (3) | - | - |
2021-22 | 48 (7) | 38 (6) | 2 | - | 8 (1) | - | - |
2022-23 | 50 (12) | 38 (10) | 2 | - | 6 (1) | 4 (1) | |
2023-24 | 51 (5) | 38 (5) | 4 | 8 | - | - | 1 |
Totals | 326 (58) | 251 (46) | 26 (3) | 10 | 33 (8) | 4 (1) | 2 |
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