# Grafite
**Grafite** (Edinaldo Batista Libânio, born 1979) is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a forward and is best known for leading [VfL Wolfsburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/vfl-wolfsburg) to their first [Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga) title in 2008/09, a season in which he was the league's top scorer with 28 goals and was voted German Footballer of the Year.[1](https://fbref.com/en/players/e98f0780/Grafite) • [2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/grafite/spieler)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Edinaldo Batista Libânio, 1979, Campo Limpo Paulista, Brazil; 189 cm, 78 kg, right-footed forward[1](https://fbref.com/en/players/e98f0780/Grafite) |
| 2008/09 season | Bundesliga champion, top scorer with 28 goals in 25 league games, German Footballer of the Year[2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/grafite/spieler) • [1](https://fbref.com/en/players/e98f0780/Grafite) |
| Strike partnership | 54 combined Bundesliga goals with Edin Džeko in 2008/09, breaking the record of 53 set by Gerd Müller and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge of Bayern Munich in 1971/72[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dd-0e72f028f427-2013a3bdd526-1000--old-trafford-test-for-vfl-s-history-boys/) |
| Wolfsburg record | 31 August 2007 to 30 June 2011: 130 competitive games and 75 goals, including 59 goals in 107 Bundesliga games[2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/grafite/spieler) |
| Champions League debut | Hat-trick in a 3-1 win over PFC CSKA Moskva on 15 September 2009, Wolfsburg's first game in the competition[4](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dd-0e72d14f519e-8b5e0e7456ed-1000--grafite-treble-gets-wolfsburg-going/) |
| Earlier honors | Copa Libertadores and FIFA Club World Cup with São Paulo in 2005[5](https://as.com/us/2018/12/01/futbol/1543630929_145684.html) |
| Retirement | January 2018, after a 17-year professional career; last club Santa Cruz[5](https://as.com/us/2018/12/01/futbol/1543630929_145684.html) |
## Early career
Grafite was a goalkeeper in his youth and was 22 before turning professional with Associação Ferroviária de Esportes. His path to the top was indirect: after Ferroviária he moved through several Brazilian clubs and had a spell in South Korea before joining the French club Le Mans UC in 2006.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dd-0e72f028f427-2013a3bdd526-1000--old-trafford-test-for-vfl-s-history-boys/) His breakthrough came at São Paulo, where he won the [Copa Libertadores](https://www.edgepedia.org/copa-libertadores) and the [FIFA Club World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-club-world-cup) in 2005.[5](https://as.com/us/2018/12/01/futbol/1543630929_145684.html)
The nickname Grafite dates from his childhood and refers to his skill at "rabiscar", dribbling past opponents as if scribbling over them.[6](https://www.legadodabola.com.br/jogadores/grafite/)
## Wolfsburg and the 2008/09 title
Wolfsburg signed Grafite from [Le Mans](https://www.edgepedia.org/le-mans) in August 2007 for a reported fee of €8 million.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dd-0e72f028f427-2013a3bdd526-1000--old-trafford-test-for-vfl-s-history-boys/) In his first Bundesliga season he scored 11 goals in 24 games.[1](https://fbref.com/en/players/e98f0780/Grafite)
**The title season.** In 2008/09 Grafite scored 28 goals in 25 Bundesliga appearances, a rate of 1.21 goals per 90 minutes, and [Wolfsburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/wolfsburg) won their first German championship.[1](https://fbref.com/en/players/e98f0780/Grafite) • [2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/grafite/spieler) His strike partner [Edin Džeko](https://www.edgepedia.org/edin-dzeko) added 26 goals, and their combined 54 broke the Bundesliga record of 53 set by [Gerd Müller](https://www.edgepedia.org/gerd-muller) and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1971/72.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dd-0e72f028f427-2013a3bdd526-1000--old-trafford-test-for-vfl-s-history-boys/) The attacking play ran through the Bosnian playmaker Zvjezdan Misimović, who provided more than 20 assists over the season; Grafite described him as the player who gave him most of his passes after Džeko.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dd-0e72f028f427-2013a3bdd526-1000--old-trafford-test-for-vfl-s-history-boys/)
In August 2009 he was voted German Footballer of the Year for 2009, becoming only the third player from overseas to receive the award after Ailton and [Franck Ribéry](https://www.edgepedia.org/franck-ribery).[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dd-0e72f028f427-2013a3bdd526-1000--old-trafford-test-for-vfl-s-history-boys/)
**The famous goal.** On 4 April 2009, in Wolfsburg's 5-1 win over Bayern Munich, Grafite scored a solo goal that became one of the most replayed in Bundesliga history: he took the ball past two defenders and the goalkeeper Michael Rensing and, with his back to goal, rolled it in with his heel.[7](https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/bundesliga/vfl-wolfsburg/article13437898/VfL-Wolfsburg-Mit-dem-tollen-Hackentor-begann-Grafites-Abstieg.html)
## Champions League and later Wolfsburg years
Wolfsburg's first [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league) campaign began with Grafite's hat-trick in a 3-1 win over PFC CSKA Moskva on 15 September 2009; he left the pitch to a standing ovation in the 89th minute.[4](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dd-0e72d14f519e-8b5e0e7456ed-1000--grafite-treble-gets-wolfsburg-going/) He scored no further goals in the competition: he was sent off for a provocation in the home game against Beşiktaş, served a suspension, and returned only for the final group match, a 1-3 defeat to Manchester United in which [Michael Owen](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-owen) scored three times.[8](https://www.vfl-wolfsburg.de/en/newsdetails?cHash=704250f4be6f592a650311dc72195e04&tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=8065)
His output declined after the title season: 11 Bundesliga goals in 2009/10 and 9 in 2010/11, as Wolfsburg finished 8th and then 15th.[1](https://fbref.com/en/players/e98f0780/Grafite) He left the club on 30 June 2011 with 75 goals from 130 competitive appearances.[2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/grafite/spieler)
## Later career and retirement
After Wolfsburg, Grafite played in the United Arab Emirates for Al-Ahli Dubai and in Qatar for Al-Sadd before returning to Brazil for the final years of his career.[5](https://as.com/us/2018/12/01/futbol/1543630929_145684.html) His last club was Santa Cruz, where he played in the 2016 Série A and 2017 Série B, and he retired in January 2018 after 17 years as a professional.[5](https://as.com/us/2018/12/01/futbol/1543630929_145684.html) • [1](https://fbref.com/en/players/e98f0780/Grafite)
He has remained connected to Wolfsburg as a club brand ambassador and lives with his family in Rio de Janeiro, where he says he is regularly approached by fans of the club.[8](https://www.vfl-wolfsburg.de/en/newsdetails?cHash=704250f4be6f592a650311dc72195e04&tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=8065)
## Assessment
Grafite's Wolfsburg totals rest heavily on one extraordinary season: 28 of his 59 Bundesliga goals came in the 25 games of 2008/09, and the remaining 31 were spread over 82 games.[2](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/grafite/spieler) • [9](https://www.beinsports.com/en-mena/football/bundesliga/articles/where-are-they-now-grafite) That season, and the heel goal against Bayern, made him one of the defining figures of the only Bundesliga title Wolfsburg have won.[7](https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/bundesliga/vfl-wolfsburg/article13437898/VfL-Wolfsburg-Mit-dem-tollen-Hackentor-begann-Grafites-Abstieg.html)
## References
1. [Grafite Stats, Goals, Records, Assists, Cups and more, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/players/e98f0780/Grafite)
2. [Grafite - Spielerprofil, DFB Datencenter](https://datencenter.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/grafite/spieler)
3. [Old Trafford test for VfL's history boys, UEFA.com (30 September 2009)](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dd-0e72f028f427-2013a3bdd526-1000--old-trafford-test-for-vfl-s-history-boys/)
4. [Grafite treble gets Wolfsburg going, UEFA.com (15 September 2009)](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dd-0e72d14f519e-8b5e0e7456ed-1000--grafite-treble-gets-wolfsburg-going/)
5. [¿Qué fue de Grafite, brasileño del gol maradoniano al Bayern?, AS (1 December 2018)](https://as.com/us/2018/12/01/futbol/1543630929_145684.html)
6. [Grafite: biografia, carreira e títulos, Legado da Bola](https://www.legadodabola.com.br/jogadores/grafite/)
7. [VfL Wolfsburg: Mit dem tollen Hackentor begann Grafites Abstieg, WELT](https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/bundesliga/vfl-wolfsburg/article13437898/VfL-Wolfsburg-Mit-dem-tollen-Hackentor-begann-Grafites-Abstieg.html)
8. [„Ich werde ständig auf den VfL angesprochen", VfL Wolfsburg (7 November 2021)](https://www.vfl-wolfsburg.de/en/newsdetails?cHash=704250f4be6f592a650311dc72195e04&tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=8065)
9. [Where Are They Now? Grafite, beIN SPORTS](https://www.beinsports.com/en-mena/football/bundesliga/articles/where-are-they-now-grafite)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of South America › Brazilian men's footballers › Contemporary Brazilian footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license