Dortmund's top 5 Brazilians

Couto joins BVB on an initial loan that can be made permanent at the end of the season, fresh off a stunning La Liga campaign with Girona, where he helped fire Míchel's side to a first ever UEFA Champions League qualification.

The future looks bright for the right-back, and there are plenty of his countrymen to draw inspiration from. bundesliga.com picks out five of the best…

Dedê (1998-2011)
Position: Left-back
Games: 398
Goals/assists: 13/55
Honours: 2x Bundesliga (2002 and 2011)

Few players, let alone Brazilians, have played more games for Dortmund than their former left-back, Dedê. Indeed, he is seventh on their all-time list and the highest non-German, with 16 more games than Poland's Łukasz Piszczek.

Dedê, who joined BVB from Atlético Mineiro as a 20-year-old in 1998, got off to a difficult start in Germany, stretchered off minutes into his debut - a 2-1 loss at Stuttgart - but he soon recovered.

By 2002, he was at the peak of his game, and with compatriot Evanílson manning the opposite flank, Dortmund won their sixth Bundesliga title as well as reaching the final of that year's UEFA Cup.

Júlio César (1994-1999)
Position: Centre-back
Games: 116
Goals/assists: 10/3

Honours: 2x Bundesliga (1995 and 1996), Supercup (1995), Champions League (1997), Intercontinental Cup (1997)

Júlio César was already an established star with Juventus and Brazil when he left the Bianconeri for BVB in 1994, but he still arguably played his best football at the Signal Iduna Park, then known as the Westfalenstadion.

César wasn't called up by his nation for the USA '94 World Cup, but soon got over that disappointment by winning consecutive Bundesliga and Supercup titles across his first two seasons in the Ruhrpott.

A complete defender who could step into midfield and hit a fine free-kick, César was injured for the victorious Champions League final in 1997, replaced by Martin Kree, but played enough for a medal and remains a club legend.

Márcio Amoroso (2001-2004)
Position: Striker
Games: 89
Goals/assists: 43/13
Honours: Bundesliga (2002)

Márcio Amoroso was Dortmund's and for a time the Bundesliga's record signing when he joined from Parma in 2001, and although he only spent three seasons with Die Schwarzgelben, he glistened brightly, especially in his maiden campaign.

That first season at BVB brought with it the 2002 Bundesliga title, during which Amoroso top scored with 18 goals, forming a formidable little-and-large strike partnership with Jan Koller and adding another eight strikes in all competitions.

His flame flickered before moving onto Málaga in 2004, but the consensus remains that Amoroso would have had many more than his 19 Brazil caps (and nine goals) if he hadn’t been in the same generation as 'the original' Ronaldo.

Evanílson (1999-2005)
Position: Right-back
Games: 170
Goals/assists: 4/30
Honours: Bundesliga (2002)

Evanílson spent six seasons playing opposite Dedê, and although he ultimately enjoyed seven seasons fewer than his compatriot at the Signal Iduna Park, he nonetheless racked up 170 appearances and was central to their Bundesliga title in 2002.

Evanílson's 30 assists helped him to average a direct goal-involvement inside every five games he played for Dortmund, and it's not for nothing he was understudy to the great Cafu in Brazil's victorious Copa América campaign in 1999.

Ewerthon (2001-2005)
Position: Forward
Games: 154
Goals/assists: 54/22
Honours: Bundesliga (2002)

Another key component of the 2002 vintage, Ewerthon may have been outscored by Amoroso in their debut seasons, but his 10-goal and six-assist contribution from the right flank was nonetheless significant. 

He and Koller assisted each other on his debut, and Ewerthon kept up a similar level throughout his stay, tallying double digits for goals in each of his four of his full seasons with Dortmund.