Cássio de Souza Soares
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lincoln Cássio de Souza Soares | ||
| Date of birth | 22 January 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | São Brás do Suaçuí, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1997 | Atlético Mineiro | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2001 | Atlético Mineiro | 49 | (4) |
| 2001–2004 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 53 | (12) |
| 2004–2007 | Schalke 04 | 83 | (20) |
| 2007–2009 | Galatasaray | 42 | (13) |
| 2010–2011 | Palmeiras | 25 | (3) |
| 2011 | → Avaí (loan) | 17 | (3) |
| 2012–2015 | Coritiba | 33 | (4) |
| 2014–2015 | → Bahia (loan) | 1 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 1999 | Brazil U23 | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Lincoln Cássio de Souza Soares (born 22 January 1979 in São Brás do Suaçuí), commonly known as Lincoln, is a Brazilian former footballer.
Lincoln was a member of the 1999 Atlético Mineiro team, who were runners-up in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, a team that also included Marques, Juliano Belletti, Caçapa, Carlos Galván, and the 1999 top-scorer Guilherme, among others.
Lincoln was signed in 2001 by Kaiserslautern as a replacement for playmaker Ciriaco Sforza, who was bought by Bayern Munich. The slender, but technically gifted Lincoln made an immediate impact and contributed to a strong Kaiserslautern finish in that season. However, trouble was afoot within the club from Rhineland-Palatinate: heavy internal friction was experienced and this was not helped by a large turnover of players. The last straw was when Lincoln disappeared in spring 2004; it turned out that he had headed back to his native Brazil as he felt it would be better for an injury he was apparently suffering from. This was not endorsed by the club and earned him a season-long suspension. Many of the club's fans, members of the board, and playing staff were left embittered by the fact that Lincoln left the club while they struggled against relegation.
Lincoln's reputation had suffered and it was seen as a surprise when Schalke 04 signed the playmaker. However, his game flourished while at the Ruhrgebiet club, and he was one of the strongest pillars in the surprising Schalke 2004–05 campaign that earned them second place in the Bundesliga. Although Lincoln experienced a dip in form in 2005–06, he firmly established himself as one of the best playmakers in the Bundesliga.
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