The tragic story of Breno, the former Bayern Munich star who set fire to his own house

Brazil produced and still produces a lot of footballing talent, some of whom make it and some of whom do not. Breno Vinicius Rodrigues Borges, better known as Breno, seemed destined for great things, but single-handedly ruined his own career. Read on to find out how.

Breno was born in Cruzeiro, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo.

He began his career with local football giants São Paulo after spending time in their youth academy, signing his first pro contract in 2007.

Breno made his debut when he was just 17 in the Paulista derby against Palmeiras.

He made an immediate impression and helped São Paulo win the 2007 Brazilian championship, being voted the best defender.

Several European giants showed interest in signing Breno after his first season, with Bayern Munich winning the battle in December 2007. The Brazilian signed a deal until mid-2012 in the Bavarian capital for a reported €12 million (Transfermarkt).

Breno made his official debut for Bayern in a UEFA Cup match against Anderlecht, which the German side lost 1-2.

In his first season, in which he was mainly on the bench, he lifted two trophies with Der Rekordmeister, claiming both the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal.

In the summer of 2008, he represented Brazil at the Summer Olympics in Beijing and won a bronze medal. Breno's career had an incredible start, and nothing seemed impossible for the youngster at that time.

However, things did not get much better in Bavaria in the 2008/09 season, with Breno making just nine appearances for the German side in all competitions.

In January 2010, Bayern decided to loan Breno to 1. FC Nürnberg on a half-year deal.

Breno had a good start at Nürnberg, featuring in seven games, until he suffered a blow in March.

In a game against Bayer Leverkusen, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury that kept him sidelined for the rest of the 2009/10 season and a significant part of the next.

For the 2010/11 campaign, Breno returned to Bayern, where he still made 18 appearances that season.

In September 2011, however, he made the headlines not for his footballing achievements, but for being arrested on 'suspicion of aggravated arson' after his villa was destroyed in a fire.

Before the incident, Bayern had recommended their player to get psychological help, as reported by Bavarian newspaper Münchner Merkur at the time.

Breno was released on bail in October 2011, but was later charged with arson and got a three years and nine months jail sentence in July 2012.

He was released from prison in August 2013, after which he started working as an assistant manager for Bayern's U-23 team.

In December 2014, Breno resumed his football career and returned to São Paulo.

In May 2017, he signed a loan deal at Vasco da Gama, who would take the player on permanently in 2018.

It was at Vasco that Breno hung up his boots, after a career that didn't live up to everyone's expectations.