Football is a national obsession in Brazil and by the time Viana was 6, he had joined a junior football school.
Speaking through an interpreter - Southern United coach Luiz Uehara - Viana (21) said the football school did not normally accept children younger than 8 but made an exception for him.
He was very skilled and stood out among the many talented youngsters in the area. He remained in the system and between the ages of 10 and 13 improved a lot and was selected for a Sao Paulo representative side that toured Chile.
He spent a year at Sao Paulo Academy and then joined Corinthians. When he was 16, the club offered him his first professional contract.
''So he kept playing but injuries put him down in the competition,'' Uehara said.
He was sidelined for only two months ''but with so many good players, as you can imagine, the club started to loan him out to smaller clubs''.
Viana ended up with Cotia FC. The opportunity to come to Dunedin and play for Southern United came about through Uehara, who was looking for a player who would be sharp in front of goal and give his side some fire power.
Southern United will need Viana to be on form. It faces defending champion Waitakere United in its season-opening game at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Sunday.
The coach is confident he has secured a player who will help Southern United - formerly Otago United - become more competitive. The club narrowly avoided the wooden spoon last year.
''We're not Otago United any more,'' Uehara said.
''We're a brand-new team and we want to build a brand-new team culture. Part of that is to play a more intelligent form of football ... and the type of football that is sustainable and get it to a level that we can win.
''And I thought we need a player like Henrique in front of the goal who can contribute by putting the ball in and scoring goals.
''He is a skilful player ... and he reads the game really well. The team is still [learning] but we are getting better and better and will become more confident.
''I believe we do have the players here [to be more competitive] but what we are lacking, and what I'm working on, is the experience to play that level of football.''
