Anderson (footballer, born 1988) facts for kids
Anderson in 2013
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 13 April 1988 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Porto Alegre, Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2004 | Grêmio | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Grêmio | 19 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Porto | 18 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2015 | Manchester United | 105 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Internacional | 50 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | → Coritiba (loan) | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Adana Demirspor | 12 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 223 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Brazil U17 | 12 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Brazil U23 | 5 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Brazil | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira (born 13 April 1988), known simply as Anderson, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder and is most famous for his time with Manchester United from 2007 to 2015.
Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Anderson started his football journey with Grêmio as a young player. He helped Grêmio get promoted to Brazil's top league. In 2006, he moved to Porto in Portugal, where he won the league title twice. After 18 months, he joined the English club Manchester United. With Manchester United, he won the Premier League four times and the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League. He also won the FIFA Club World Cup and other trophies.
After leaving Manchester United in 2015, Anderson returned to Brazil to play for Internacional. He later played for Coritiba and then for Adana Demirspor in Turkey before retiring in 2020. Anderson also played for the Brazil national team, winning the 2007 Copa América and a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Contents
Club career
Grêmio
Anderson started playing football at a young age for Grêmio in his hometown of Porto Alegre. He made his first team appearance in October 2004, even scoring a goal from a free-kick. Grêmio was relegated that season, but Anderson stayed with the team.
In November 2005, Anderson became a hero for Grêmio. He scored a very important goal in a play-off match against Náutico. This goal helped Grêmio get promoted back to Brazil's top football league. It was a memorable moment because Grêmio had only seven players on the field at the time!
Porto
In January 2006, before he turned 18, Anderson moved to Portugal to join Porto. His mother moved with him to make this international transfer possible.
Anderson quickly helped Porto win the 2005–06 Primeira Liga title in his first season. In the next season (2006–07), he played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. Unfortunately, he broke his leg during a game and missed five months. Despite the injury, he still played in 15 games and helped Porto win the league title again.
Manchester United
Joining the Red Devils
On 30 May 2007, Manchester United announced they would sign Anderson from Porto. It took some time to get a work permit for him to play in the UK, but he finally joined the club on 2 July 2007. He signed a five-year contract and was given the number 8 shirt.
Anderson made his first appearance for Manchester United in a friendly match on 3 August 2007. His official debut was on 1 September 2007 against Sunderland. He also played in the UEFA Champions League and the Football League Cup that season.
In the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final in Moscow, Anderson came on as a substitute in the last minute of extra time. He then scored in the penalty shootout, helping United win the trophy! This was his first big European title.
Winning more trophies
In December 2008, Anderson won the Golden Boy award, which is given to the best young player in Europe. Later that month, he played in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup final, which Manchester United won, becoming world champions.
On 1 March 2009, Anderson helped United win the 2009 Football League Cup Final. He came on as a substitute and scored the winning penalty in the shootout. On 18 May, he played in the game where United secured their third straight Premier League title, which was his second league title with the club.
First goals and injuries
Anderson scored his first competitive goal for Manchester United on 12 September 2009 against Tottenham. He hit the ball into the net from the edge of the penalty area.
In January 2010, Anderson suffered a serious injury. He tore a ligament in his left knee, which meant he missed the rest of the season and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
He returned to training in August 2010 and scored his first goal at Old Trafford, United's home stadium, in a Champions League game against Valencia. In December, he signed a new contract with United, keeping him at the club until 2015. Anderson scored two goals in a Champions League semi-final against Schalke 04, helping United reach the final.
Later years at United
Anderson started the 2011–12 season well, scoring his first goal of the season against Tottenham. He scored again against Norwich City. However, more knee injuries kept him out of action for much of this season.
In the 2012–13 season, Anderson returned and scored a great goal in a League Cup match against Newcastle United. He also had three assists in another League Cup game against Chelsea. Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, even said that Anderson "changed the game" in a match against Queens Park Rangers. He scored his first league goal of the season against Reading but got injured again.
Anderson played the full 90 minutes in Sir Alex Ferguson's very last match as Manchester United manager in May 2013.
Loan to Fiorentina and departure
In January 2014, Anderson joined the Italian club Fiorentina on loan for the rest of the season. He played seven games for them before returning to Manchester United.
For the 2014–15 season, Anderson was given a new shirt number. He played only two more games for Manchester United before leaving the club in January 2015.
Internacional
On 3 February 2015, Anderson moved back to Brazil and signed a four-year deal with Internacional.
In his first game for Internacional, he missed a penalty kick. In his second match, which was played at a very high altitude in Bolivia, Anderson had to be substituted after 36 minutes and needed an oxygen mask because of the thin air.
He played regularly for Internacional, including in the Brazilian Série A.
Adana Demirspor
In July 2018, Anderson joined Adana Demirspor, a team in Turkey. He played 14 games in his first season there. In September 2020, Anderson announced that he was retiring from professional football.
International career
In April 2005, Anderson played for Brazil's under-17 team. In October of the same year, he played in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship and won the Golden Ball award, which means he was the best player in the tournament. Brazil finished second.
Anderson made his debut for the senior Brazilian team on 27 June 2007 in a match against Mexico. He made his first start for Brazil a few days later against Chile.
In July 2008, Anderson was chosen to play for the Brazil Olympic football team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He scored Brazil's first goal in their game against New Zealand, which they won 5–0. On 22 August 2008, Brazil won the bronze medal at the Olympics after beating Belgium.
Style of play
When he was younger, Anderson was seen as a very talented and promising player. He was known for his speed, strength, and good vision on the field. His former manager, Alex Ferguson, said that Anderson "can tackle, he's lightning quick, he's brave and he can pass the ball."
Anderson was also good at dribbling and taking free kicks. He had good stamina and could play in different midfield positions, including as a central midfielder or an attacking midfielder. Some people compared him to the famous Brazilian player Ronaldinho when he was starting out.
However, as his career went on, Anderson faced challenges, including injuries. Despite his natural talent, some felt he didn't quite reach his full potential.
Personal life
In July 2010, Anderson was involved in a serious car accident in Portugal. Luckily, he was pulled from the car just minutes before it caught fire. He suffered minor injuries but recovered and returned to training.
Anderson's father passed away when Anderson was 14 years old. Anderson has three siblings. He also has five children: three daughters and two sons.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | State League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Grêmio | 2004 | Série A | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 2005 | Série B | 13 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 25 | 8 | |||
| Total | 19 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 31 | 9 | ||||
| Porto | 2005–06 | Primeira Liga | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | 15 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 3 | |||
| Manchester United | 2007–08 | Premier League | 24 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | 17 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | 14 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |||
| 2010–11 | 18 | 1 | — | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 4 | |||
| 2011–12 | 10 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | |||
| 2012–13 | 17 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 105 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 38 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 181 | 9 | ||
| Fiorentina (loan) | 2013–14 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Internacional | 2015 | Série A | 30 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 20 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 43 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 1 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 88 | 6 | |||
| Coritiba (loan) | 2017 | Série A | 12 | 0 | 11 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 3 | ||||
| Adana Demirspor | 2018–19 | TFF First League | 11 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 12 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||||||
| Career total | 223 | 14 | 47 | 9 | 30 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 44 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 371 | 30 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2007 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |
Honours
Grêmio
Porto
- Primeira Liga: 2005–06, 2006–07
- Taça de Portugal: 2005–06
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2006
Manchester United
- Premier League: 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13
- Football League Cup: 2008–09
- FA Community Shield: 2011, 2013
- UEFA Champions League: 2007–08
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2008
Internacional
- Campeonato Gaúcho: 2015
Brazil U17
- South American U-17 Championship: 2005
- FIFA U-17 World Championship runner-up: 2005
Brazil U23
- Olympic Bronze Medal: 2008
Brazil
- Copa América: 2007
Individual
- FIFA U-17 World Championship Golden Ball: 2005
- Golden Boy: 2008
See also
In Spanish: Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira para niños
