Marcos Venâncio de Albuquerque (born 16 June 1980), commonly known as Ceará, is a Brazilian right wingback.
Career
Ceará began his football career in the city of Crato in the state where Ceará was born. Ceará began his football career when he joined Gama youth academy and earned a nickname Ceará. In 1999, he joined Brazilian side Santos where he spent one year and then joined various Brazilian clubs in the lower division like Associação Atlética Portuguesa and São José. In 2001, Ceará joined Santa Cruz where the club became 25th place in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, which resulted relegation to Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. At Santa Cruz, he made 19 league appearances. The following year, he joined Botafogo where he played against Sport Club do Recife in the Brazil Cup which resulted 1–1 draw. In the second leg, Sport Club do Recife won 7–2 to go through to the next round.
Ceará career changed when he joined Coritiba where he stayws for two years. In 2003, Ceará and his teammate led the Coritiba win the Campeonato Paranaense and finished fifth in the league.
São Caetano
In 2004, Ceará joined Associação Desportiva São Caetano. At São Caetano, Ceará broke into the first team and the club was able to achieve success when they won Campeonato Paulista. In the same season, Ceará was the skilled defensive player who has been increasingly used at the time as well as left-right-back, making 26 appearances and scoring 1. The club was able to win the moment a major trophy in club history, Campeonato Paulista. This was the peak of the team, thereafter the results are in decline, especially after the deprivation of São Caetano points due to the death of Serginho who collapsed in the field in a match against São Paulo on 27 October 2004.
Internacional
In 2005, Ceará moved again but this joined Sport Club Internacional where he had a successful season. On 25 June 2005, Ceará made his debut for the club against São Paulo, which the club later was a success winning the FIFA Club World Championship. Came up to the end of the season, Ceará made 13 appearances and the club won the Campeonato Gaúcho in the same year. In the league, Internacional placed in second behind first place Corinthians, just three points adrift.
In 2006, Ceará wore number shirt 14 at Internacional and the club was more successful for the club when they won their first title in Copa Libertadores final beating São Paulo 4–3 on aggregate where he played in both legs, playing in the right back position. In the first leg, Ceará was replaced by Wellington Monteiro in the 56th minute but played in the decisive second leg of the full playing time. With winning the Copa Libertadores, the club participate in the FIFA Club World Cup at Japan. At the FIFA Club World Cup, the club started in the semi-final against Egyptian side Al Ahly where they won 2–1 to progress to the final. In the final, Ceará made a name for himself at Sport Club Internacional, where he was part of the side that famously beat F.C. Barcelona to win the 2006 FIFA Club World Championship where he played in the right back position. Ceará also acted as a regular force also in the defensive line from Internacional. He was made up of 31 league matches and scored three goals. Once again in the league, the club placed in second behind São Paulo with nine points adrift.
In 2007, the club was not able to achieve winning a cup but did won the Recopa Sudamericana by beating Mexican side Pachuca 5–2 on aggregate where he played in both legs, playing in the right back position. Ceará was still a regular place as he made ten league games (+ 1 goal) before he took shortly after a shift to Europe. In total at Internacional, Ceará made 55 appearances and scoring 4 where he frequently struck by his defense actions and by his appearance in the Copa Libertadores and the FIFA Club World Cup and international organizations to gain attention. Ceará signed a new deal with Internacional until 2011.