Henrique had just transferred from Brazilian first division club SE Palmeiras to FC Barcelona, only to have to pack his bags and head to another team.
The 21 year-old did not transfer to Ajax Amsterdam or Benfica Lissabon, as Barca had hoped because of their participation in European football, but instead is has been picked up by Bayer 04 Leverkusen, who did not qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Bayer have acquired Henrique Adriano Buss on loan for one season.
Return to Barcelona in for 2009-10
The loan was made possible because Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola had already filled all the positions he had for non-EU foreign players and so was not able to make us of the Brazilian defender.
In the 2009-2010 season 21 year-old player will definitely return to Barcelona, as Leverkusen has no option to buy in the case of Henrique. The raw diamond from Brazilian should get some polish this season under the guidance of Bayer coach Bruno Labbadia and then he will return to the Primera Division.
“He has everything to become one of the great ones”
Henriques former coach at Palmeiras, Vanderlei Luxemburgo, told “Kicker” that “he has everything a player needs to become one of the great ones. Henrique is one of the most talented defenders that I've seen in recent years.”
That talent was on display in 18 match appearances and is one of the main reasons Luxemburgo and co. were able to win the regional championship for the first time in eight years.
Henrique was rewarded for his talents and debuted for the Brazilian international team in a match against Venezuela on June 6, 2008 in Boston.
Brazilian-Bayer connection continues to thrive
Bayer Leverkusen enjoy a good reputation in South America thanks to former Brazilian players like Emerson, Lucio, Ze Roberto and Juan. And thanks to their good repoir, the club was able to acquire Chilean international player Arturo Vidal in May 2007.
Now Bayer add centre-back Henrique to the squad along side Brazilian midfielder Renato Augusto, who signed a five-year contract with Bayer on July 10th.
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