West Ham fans will be surprised that this former player is still in action

Nene arrived at West Ham United in 2015 with a good CV, having played for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, AS Monaco, and Espanyol. However, prior to his stint with West Ham, he was with Al-Gharafa in Qatar.

He joined West Ham as a free agent in February of 2015. He is predominantly an attacking midfielder, but the Hammers had Stewart Downing in form that season. Club captain Kevin Nolan also played in that position.

Nene could also play as a striker, and at the time, West Ham had a striking crisis with Andy Carroll injured. The Hammers still had Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia, Carlton Cole, and Eliot Lee. This meant that in his brief spell, Nene was often used out wide.

The Brazilian was limited to just eight substitute appearances for the Hammers in the Premier League. He did not score or make an assist. However, he did come close to scoring against Aston Villa as his long shot went over the bar.

Nene's time at West Ham was brief

On the final day of the season, Nene was left on the bench as West Ham drew 0-0 with Newcastle United. Cole played up front in that game, with Valencia and Downing on either side. Cheikhou Kouyate and Nolan were the more advanced midfielders.

Morgan Amalfitano replaced Valencia, and Lee came on for Kouyate. It was fitting that Lee got to play in that game, as his father, Rob, is a legend from his playing days at Newcastle. That match was also Sam Allardyce's last as West Ham manager. It was announced that he was leaving straight after the match, even before Allardyce could say it in a post-match interview. Slaven Bilic was to be his replacement, and Nene was released at the end of the season too.

He returned to Brazil with Vasco da Gama after leaving West Ham. Nene would also play for Sao Paolo, Fluminense, and Juventude. Now, at the age of 45, he is still playing for Botafogo da Paraíba. They are not the Brazilian side that also goes by Botafogo, but a club in the third tier.

This season, Nene has still managed 10 goals in 33 games in all competitions for the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C side. It is not known how much longer he will play, but a career as a reporter could be on the cards. Over the summer, he worked for the Brazilian channel CazéTV covering the World Cup.