Edson Pereira de Barros (born 30 September 1971), known as Niquinha, is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a midfielder.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edson Pereira de Barros | ||
| Date of birth | 30 September 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Belo Horizonte, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1995 | Náutico | 44 | (5) |
| 1996 | Sport | 0 | (0) |
| 1997 | Manchete | ||
| 1997–2009 | Rio Ave | 340 | (18) |
| 2009–2010 | Francana | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editBorn in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Niquinha started his professional career in Brazil with Clube Náutico Capibaribe and Manchete Futebol Clube, with a spell in between with Sport Club do Recife in which he collected no Série A appearances. He moved to Portugal in 1997, joining Rio Ave F.C. where he went on to become one of its most influential players, with nearly 400 competitive games for the Vila do Conde club.
After still contributing regularly in the 2008–09 season – 22 matches, 16 starts – as Rio Ave eventually retained their Primeira Liga status, Niquinha returned home aged 38, joining amateurs Associação Atlética Francana.
