Deco must have been questioning the wisdom of his decision to choose Portugal over his native Brazil as the hosts kicked off Euro 2004 without him.

A little over two weeks into the tournament, though, and the 26-year-old midfielder is established as the man most likely to lead his adopted country to victory over the coming week.

"I could never have imagined 10 years ago that I would be preparing for a semi-final at the European Championship," Deco, who was born in Sao Paulo, said as he looked towards Wednesday's game against the Netherlands in Lisbon.

"It is a little strange."

It has been an incredible year for Deco, who inspired Porto's successful defence of their domestic title and drove the team on to victory in the Champions League, earning the man of the match award in the final 3-0 victory over Monaco.

His form over the past two seasons has brought offers from several of Europe's biggest clubs and a move at the end of the tournament, possibly to Barcelona, will make him an extremely wealthy man.

But even he did not expect to play much of a role at Euro 2004 after drifting further and further out of Luiz Felipe Scolari's plans for the tournament.

RUFFLED FEATHERS

Deco scored the winning goal on his international debut, curiously against Brazil, in March 2003.

Scolari's decision to pick his former countryman ruffled a lot of feathers in Portugal, however, with Luis Figo in particular criticising the switch in allegiance.

Whether it was in deference to his senior players or not, Scolari gave Deco only occasional opportunities in the side and Rui Costa went into Euro 2004 as the first choice for the playmaking role in the side.

A 2-1 defeat to Greece in the opening game forced Scolari into a quick rethink, though, and Deco has been in the starting line-up in each of the last three games.

He is almost certain to be in the side again on Wednesday, commanding on the ball, bristling with confidence and looking for those impossibly angled passes to break open the defence.

He also believes he will be in Lisbon again for the final.

"Honestly, I think we'll do it," Deco said. "I believe we're superior to the Dutch and I think we're going through."

A place in the European Championship final looked an absurd idea after the defeat against surprise package Greece. If it sounds more realistic now, Deco deserves much of the credit.