Juninho was part of the Middlesbrough revolution when Steve Gibson and Bryan Robson first dragged the club into the Premiership.
He fell out of favour with various Brazilian coaches after playing in England and later Spain.
But a switch back to his home country got his career back on the right track and helped secure a place in the World Cup squad.
The 29-year-old lost his place in the starting line-up after figuring in the opening matches.
But he still possesses delightful control and touch on the ball and is a match of any player in a talented midfield.
Only five players were more capped than him during the South American side's troubled qualification bid, in which he scored just once in nine appearances.