On 14 May 2011 an era will come to an end: Leonardo De Deus Santos, better known to God and the football fans as "Dede", will leave Borussia Dortmund after 13 years with the club. But the most loyal foreign player in the history of German football would like to stay in the Bundesliga though he hasn´t decided yet where to go.

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Wants to play: Dede.

"He has decided to look for a new challenge", said a visibly moved BVB sporting director Michael Zorc, whose first signing in the summer of 1998 was Dede. The two had held talks before Tuesday´s announcement "that were not about money." Zorc acknowledged Dede´s merits: "For a decade he stood for top performances on the left side. His cross that Ewerthon poked over the line won BVB the German Championship in 2002."
Dede has appeared in 319 Bundesliga games for Borussia Dortmund since 1998. He was a first-choice player until the 2008/2009 season, and has been, defensively as well as offensively, one of the best fullbacks of the Bundesliga. The Brazilian, who also holds a German passport since 23 October 2007, was described as "indestructible", and amazed medical experts with the speed he recovered from injuries.
His streak of bad luck began on 16 August 2008. In the season opener at Leverkusen he suffered a knee cruciate ligament injury, and after his comeback in March 2009, Dede was slowed by light to medium injuries resulting in the loss of his regular place to Marcel Schmelzer.
"I have always respected the coach´s decisions," said the 32-year-old. "Schmelle plays well, he´s a great colleague. But I´m still quick, still have my qualities and I feel too young for the bench." Dede hasn´t decided yet where to go next. His heart will be with Dortmund, that much is for sure. "When I came here as a 20-year-old I thought, ´You´ll only stay three years. Germany is not for me.´ But after I while I learned to love BVB. The decision to stay this long was the right one. I would make it again."