Hulk Took One of Football’s Most Powerful Free-Kicks vs Santos

Givanildo Vieira de Sousa is the definition of a footballing cult hero. Well, he is when you refer to him by his apt nickname, Hulk.

The Brazilian forward, who’s the spitting image of American actor Lou Ferrigno, is one of the most famous players in the world, despite having never played in one of Europe’s top five leagues. Hulk has had something of a journeyman career, representing professional clubs in Portugal, Japan, China, Russia and his native Brazil.

Wherever he’s played, the muscle-bound star has scored goals aplenty – with a number of them absolute rockets. Hulk’s supreme physical condition, which is perhaps closer to a bodybuilder than a footballer, means he can strike a ball harder than virtually anyone else with his legendary left peg.

Hulk’s Thunderbolt Strike

The shot is memorable despite not even finding the net

When the 38-year-old takes aim from distance, goalkeepers and defenders know to be very, very afraid. It would be easy to sit here and wax lyrical about Hulk’s missiles which have resulted in goals, but instead it’s time to relive an effort that actually struck the post.

Don’t worry, the fact the ball came into contact with the woodwork doesn’t hamper the absolute absurdity of it all. In 2022, Hulk blew the minds of football fans when he took perhaps the most powerful free-kick ever seen while representing Atletico Mineiro in a match versus Santos.

The ball was struck with such venom that it nearly broke the post in two. In fact, the power generated by Hulk saw the resulting deflection nearly kickstart a counterattack for Santos. View the thunderbolt below:

The phrase ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ has never been more applicable to a moment in a football match. The goalkeeper must have felt relived he wasn’t required to attempt to save the effort.

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Hulk’s Career

He’s still going strong in his late 30s

His rise to fame came during his time in Portugal, playing for FC Porto from 2008 to 2012. Hulk became a household name on the European stage for his rocket of a left foot and unique stature. Big things were expected of him and several of Europe’s elite clubs were linked with signing the ex-Sao Paulo youth academy prospect.

However, the Russian Premier League was emerging as one of the most wealthy leagues around and Zenit St Petersburg snapped up the talented Brazilian. He added one more league title to the four he won with Porto and departed the European game, moving to China.

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Hulk, Oscar, Marouane Fellaini, Paulinho, Carlos Tevez and others joined the Chinese Super League but it never became what it set out to be.

Hulk returned to Brazil in January 2021 after a goal-filled stint in the Chinese Super League with Shanghai SIPG. The forward is still with Atletico Mineiro and he’s enjoyed a fair amount of success at the club.

He played a pivotal role in the club’s treble-winning 2021 season, finishing as the country’s top scorer in the process. At the time of writing, Hulk has scored 113 times in 214 matches in Atletico Mineiro colours, which is a mighty impressive record. Despite being in his late 30s, the attacker doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon.