- The Vasco da Gama attacking midfielder overcame two tibia fractures and returned to scoring in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026.
- His header gave Vasco a 1-0 win over Boca Juniors in the first leg of the Semifinals and took him to five goals in this edition.
The first leg of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Semifinals had a protagonist with a special story. Twenty-five minutes into the first half at La Bombonera, Carlos Andrés Gómez sent in a cross from the left and Adson rose to head home the opener against Boca Juniors. It was the only goal of the night: Vasco won 1-0 and took the advantage into the second leg. The tie will be decided on Tuesday, October 20, in Rio de Janeiro.
For the 'Cruzmaltino' attacking midfielder, every goal in this edition carries a value beyond the result. Just six months ago, Adson had gone 16 months without scoring. His last goal had come on August 3, 2024, against Red Bull Bragantino in the Brasileirão, and since then he had played 31 matches without a goal or an assist.
The explanation lay in the medical report. The number 28 suffered two fractures of the tibia in his right leg, one in 2024 and another in 2025, and needed surgery both times. The injuries kept him off the pitch for long stretches and kept his minutes to a minimum during that period.
His return to scoring came on April 30, at São Januário, on the third matchday of Group G. Against Olimpia, Adson delivered a complete performance in the 3-0 win that took Vasco to the top of their group. He provided two assists, one of them to Nuno Moreira six minutes into the second half after winning back the ball, and four minutes later he scored the third. With that output, he became the first player from the team to be directly involved in three goals in a single CONMEBOL competition match since at least 2013.
'Only those who have been through that injury know how hard it is. It's an injury that isn't very common, so being able to help my team with a goal and an assist, and above all with the win, makes me very happy', he said after that match.
It was no isolated flash. On the final matchday of the Group Stage, on May 27, he was decisive again against Barracas Central. He opened the scoring 31 minutes into the first half, doubled the lead just before the break and was involved in the move for the third goal, in another 3-0 win at São Januário that secured second place in Group G and a spot in the Playoffs. He became the second player in this edition to score twice and provide an assist in the same match. He finished the stage as the team's top scorer, with three goals and three assists in just 157 minutes, converting three of his four shots.
With Pedro Emanuel's arrival on the bench in July, Adson also became a card to play on tight nights. In the second leg of the Round of 16 Playoffs against Independiente Medellín, with the tie level, he came on 12 minutes into the second half and started the move that sealed qualification: he found Paulo Henrique, who went past his marker and set up Thiago Mendes for the 1-0, 40 minutes into the second half.
In Asunción, in the second leg of the Round of 16, he scored against Olimpia again. With a left-footed strike 25 minutes into the second half, he made it 3-1 in a comeback that ended 4-1 and took Vasco to the Quarterfinals of a CONMEBOL competition for the first time since 2012. With that goal, he reached seven direct goal involvements in the edition, with four goals and three assists in eight matches. It was the highest tally in the tournament at the time, shared with Gabriel Barbosa and Carlos Garcés, and two more involvements than he had managed in his previous 22 CONMEBOL Sudamericana matches.
In the second leg of the Quarterfinals against Independiente Santa Fe, his contribution came through pressing. Thirty-seven minutes into the first half, he won the ball in the opposition half and laid it off to Alan Saldivia, who set up Bruno Duarte for the 1-0 in the 2-0 win that sealed a place in the Semifinals, Vasco's first in the competition since 2011.
The header at La Bombonera took him to five goals in this CONMEBOL Sudamericana and eight direct goal involvements (five goals and three assists) in his ten matches in the edition, out of a total of nine in 36 games across 2026. He left the pitch 21 minutes into the second half, replaced by Tchê Tchê, with Vasco already down to ten men and holding on to the lead.
On the night of his return to scoring, in April, Adson had summed up on Instagram the road he had traveled: 'So many emotions, so many battles. Only God knows how hard the whole time away was. Thank God, today I was rewarded for all my effort. Very happy not only for my individual performance, but also for the win, which was the most important thing. I thank God, my family, friends and the whole Vasco staff'. Six months later, that reward keeps adding chapters, now in the Semifinals of the Great Conquest.
