Denílson de Oliveira Araújo (born 24 August 1977), known simply as Denílson, is a Brazilian football pundit and former professional player who played as a forward. In a 17-year career, he played mainly for São Paulo and Real Betis who made him the world's most expensive player in 1998. He also appeared for teams in five other countries during his career. Denílson gained more than 60 caps for Brazil, making his full debut before his 20th birthday and representing the nation in six international tournaments, including two World Cups (winning the 2002 edition). Denilson was known for his dribbling skills. Club career São Paulo and Betis Born in Diadema, São Paulo, Denílson made his senior debuts with local São Paulo at the age of only 17, appearing with the team in the 1994 Copa CONMEBOL and winning the tournament. In 1998, he broke the world-record transfer fee when Real Betis paid £21.5 million for his services. He made his La Liga debut on 29 August in a 0–0 away draw against Deportivo Alavés, and finished his first season with 35 games and two goals as his team ranked in 11th position; the Andalusians were relegated to Segunda División in 2000. Denílson spent some months back in his country with Flamengo, on loan, but returned in January 2001 to be a productive attacking unit for Betis as it achieved promotion back (21 games, one goal). He continued to be regularly played in the following top flight campaigns, but more often than not as a substitute. In 2004–05 Betis finished in fourth position and qualified to the UEFA Champions League, also adding the season's Copa del Rey, but Denílson was only a fringe player now, starting in just three games and playing only 290 minutes. Bordeaux In the 2005 off-season, Denílson was sold to French club Bordeaux for an undisclosed amount, four years before his Betis contract was due to expire. In his only season in Ligue 1 he appeared regularly to help to a second-place finish, albeit trailing eventual champions Olympique Lyonnais by 15 points. As the team failed to match Denílson's wage demands, he left and signed for Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr FC, where he played for a couple of months. FC Dallas On 24 August 2007, Denílson joined FC Dallas of Major League Soccer, becoming the team's designated player. he made his league debut on 1 September, entering in