Diego (footballer, born 1985) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Ribas and the second or paternal family name is da Cunha.

Quick facts for kids
Diego

Diego in 2019

Personal information

Date of birth

28 February 1985 (age 40)

Place of birth

Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

Height

1.75 m

Playing position

Midfielder

Youth career

1996–2001

Santos

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

2002–2004

Santos

(24)

2004–2006

Porto

(4)

2006–2009

Werder Bremen

(38)

2009–2010

Juventus

(5)

2010–2014

VfL Wolfsburg

(19)

2011–2012

→ Atlético Madrid (loan)

(3)

2014

Atlético Madrid

(1)

2014–2016

Fenerbahçe

(5)

2016–2022

Flamengo

204

(37)

Total

627

(136)

National team^‡

2001

Brazil U17

(0)

2004–2008

Brazil U23

(7)

2003–2017

Brazil

(4)

Honours

Men's Football

Representing Brazil
Copa América
Winner	2004 Peru
Winner	2007 Venezuela
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Runner-up	2003 Mexico–United States
Olympic Games
Bronze	2008 Beijing	Team Competition

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:16, 12 November 2021 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 25 January 2017

Diego Ribas da Cunha (born 28 February 1985), known simply as Diego, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a midfielder. He was known for his amazing skills and creative play on the field.

Diego started his football journey at Santos in Brazil. There, he helped his team win two Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles. Later, he moved to Europe, playing for clubs like Porto, Werder Bremen, Juventus, VfL Wolfsburg, and Atlético Madrid. He won many trophies with these teams, including the UEFA Europa League.

From 2016 to 2022, Diego returned to Brazil to play for Flamengo. He became a key player there, winning the Copa Libertadores and other important titles. Diego also played for the Brazilian national team from 2003 to 2017. He won the Copa América twice and an Olympic bronze medal.

Club Career Highlights

Santos: Early Success

Diego began showing his football talent at just six years old. He joined the famous Santos youth system when he was 12. At 16, he made his first team debut in 2002. In the same year, he helped Santos win the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A championship. He was part of a well-known group of young stars at Santos, including Robinho and Elano.

Porto: European Start

In 2004, Diego moved to Europe to play for Primeira Liga club Porto in Portugal. He was seen as a replacement for another great player, Deco. Diego made his debut for Porto in August 2004. He scored his first goal for the club in October.

Porto won the Intercontinental Cup in a penalty shootout. Diego scored his penalty in that match. However, he found it hard to keep a regular spot in the team. After two seasons, he decided to move to Germany.

Werder Bremen: Shining in Germany

Diego training with Werder Bremen in 2006

In May 2006, Diego signed with German club Werder Bremen. He quickly made a big impact. His first match was in the DFB-Ligapokal, which Bremen won, beating Bayern Munich in the final.

Amazing Start in Germany

The 2006–07 Bundesliga season started brilliantly for Diego. He scored and set up goals in his first few matches. His fantastic performances earned him the "Player of the Month" award multiple times. He was even named the "Best Player of the first half of the Bundesliga season."

Diego became one of Bremen's most important players. Fans called him and teammate Torsten Frings the "two motors of Bremen's midfield." He even scored an incredible goal from 62.5 meters, which was later named "Goal of the Year."

Continued Success

Diego signing autographs for fans in 2007

Diego continued his strong performances in the 2007–08 Bundesliga season. He helped Bremen reach the Champions League group stage. His play even caught the eye of Real Madrid's coach.

Despite rumors, Diego signed a new contract with Bremen until 2011. He continued to lead the midfield, helping his team achieve big wins. He was again voted "Player of the Month" in September.

Farewell Season

Diego celebrating the 2009 DFB-Pokal title with teammate Naldo

Diego's last season with Bremen in 2008–09 was his most successful in terms of goals. He scored 20 goals in all competitions. In the UEFA Cup, he scored six goals in the knockout stages.

He helped Bremen reach their first-ever UEFA Cup final. However, he received a yellow card that meant he couldn't play in the final. Bremen lost the final without him. In his very last match for Bremen, he assisted the winning goal in the DFB-Pokal final, securing another trophy for the club.

Juventus: Italian Challenge

On 26 May 2009, Diego moved to Serie A club Juventus in Italy. He signed a five-year contract. He made his debut for Juventus in a friendly match, where he scored and assisted a goal.

In his first league game, he assisted a goal. He then scored twice in his second Serie A match against Roma. He also scored against other big teams. However, he faced challenges adapting to the team's playing style and eventually decided to leave.

VfL Wolfsburg: Back to Germany

Diego in 2010

In August 2010, Diego returned to Germany, joining VfL Wolfsburg. He scored on his debut for the club. During his time at Wolfsburg, he had some disagreements with the team's management.

Loan to Atlético Madrid

In 2011, Diego joined Atlético Madrid in Spain on a season-long loan. He quickly became a key player for them. He scored his first goal for Atlético in a UEFA Europa League game against Celtic.

On 9 May 2012, Diego scored a goal in Atlético's win over Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League Final. This helped Atlético win the title for the second time in three years. Diego said his time with Atlético was "magical."

Back to Wolfsburg

After his loan, Diego returned to VfL Wolfsburg. Despite initial difficulties, he started playing well again. He scored his first goal of the 2012–13 Bundesliga season in October 2012.

He continued to impress, scoring important goals and providing assists. He became the club's top scorer that season. He stayed with Wolfsburg for the first half of the 2013–14 Bundesliga season.

Atlético Madrid: A Second Spell

On 31 January 2014, Diego returned to Atlético Madrid. He wanted to play in the Champions League again. He scored in his debut match back with Atlético.

On 1 April, Diego scored a fantastic long-range goal against Barcelona in the Champions League. This helped Atlético reach the semi-finals. Atlético also won the La Liga championship that season, their first league title in 18 years.

Diego playing for Fenerbahçe in 2014

Fenerbahçe: Turkish Adventure

After his contract with Wolfsburg ended, Diego moved to Turkish club Fenerbahçe in July 2014. He was given the number 10 shirt. He made his debut in the opening game of the season.

Diego played regularly for Fenerbahçe. He scored his first league goal in May 2015. In his first season, he made 30 appearances and scored five goals.

Flamengo: Brazilian Homecoming

Diego in 2019

In July 2016, Diego returned to Brazil to play for Flamengo. He had always wanted to play for a Brazilian club. He quickly became a very important midfielder for the team.

He made an instant impact, scoring the winning goal in his debut match. He continued to score in the next game too. In the 2019 Copa Libertadores Final, Diego came off the bench and helped set up both goals for his teammate Gabriel Barbosa. Flamengo won the match 2-1.

Diego also captained Flamengo to win their first Recopa Sudamericana title in 2020. He signed a contract extension in August 2020, continuing his successful time at the club.

Retirement

Diego officially ended his amazing football career on 12 November 2022, at the age of 37.

International Career

Diego first played for the Brazilian national team in April 2003. He was part of the Brazil under-23 team that played in the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He scored two goals in that tournament.

Diego with the Brazil national team in 2006

In 2004, Diego was called up for the senior Brazil squad for the 2004 Copa América. He played a key role in Brazil winning the tournament, scoring in the penalty shootout in the final against Argentina.

He also won the 2007 Copa América with Brazil. In 2008, he earned a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

In January 2017, Diego was called back to the Brazilian team for a friendly game against Colombia. Brazil won that game 1-0.

How Diego Plays

Diego was known as a creative playmaker in football. He was great at dribbling the ball and had excellent vision to see passes. He usually played as an attacking midfielder.

He was also good at scoring goals and taking free kicks. Diego was famous for his fancy tricks and skills, like using back-heels and feints to surprise opponents.

Personal Life

Diego has Italian family roots, as his great-grandparents moved from Italy to Brazil. Because of this, he received his Italian passport in 2004.

Diego is married to Bruna Letícia Araújo. They have three children: two sons named Davi (born 2011) and Matteo (born 2013), and a daughter named Letícia (born 2021).

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			State league		National cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Santos	2002	Série A	28	10	—		3	1	—		11	2	42	13
	2003		33	9	6	1	—		18	4	—		57	14
	2004		9	4	10	0	—		9	4	—		28	8
	Total		70	23	16	1	3	1	27	8	11	2	127	35
Porto	2004–05	Primeira Liga	30	3	—		1	0	6	1	2	0	39	4
	2005–06	Primeira Liga	18	1	—		2	1	4	1	—		24	3
	Total		48	4	—		3	1	10	2	2	0	63	7
Werder Bremen	2006–07	Bundesliga	33	13	—		3	0	14	2	—		50	15
	2007–08		30	13	—		3	1	10	4	—		43	18
	2008–09		21	12	—		5	2	13	7	—		39	21
	Total		84	38	—		11	3	37	13	—		132	54
Juventus	2009–10	Serie A	33	5	—		2	2	9	0	—		44	7
	2010–11	Serie A	0	0	—		0	0	3	0	—		3	0
	Total		33	5	—		2	2	12	0	—		47	7
VfL Wolfsburg	2010–11	Bundesliga	30	6	—		2	0	—		—		32	6
	2012–13		32	10	—		5	3	—		—		37	13
	2013–14		15	3	—		3	2	—		—		18	5
	Total		77	19	—		10	5	—		—		87	24
Atlético Madrid (loan)	2011–12	La Liga	30	3	—		1	0	12	3	—		43	6
Atlético Madrid	2013–14	La Liga	13	1	—		2	0	4	1	—		19	2
Fenerbahçe	2014–15	Süper Lig	25	3	—		5	2	—		—		30	5
	2015–16	Süper Lig	28	2	—		7	1	10	0	—		45	3
	Total		53	5	—		12	3	10	0	—		75	8
Flamengo	2016	Série A	17	6	—		0	0	1	0	—		18	6
	2017		27	10	8	4	6	1	11	3	1	0	53	18
	2018		26	6	9	2	2	0	7	0	—		44	8
	2019		16	1	12	3	4	0	9	1	2	0	43	5
	2020		26	1	13	1	0	0	6	0	2	0	47	2
	2021		19	0	7	1	6	0	9	0	1	0	42	1
	2022		19	1	5	1	5	0	6	0	1	0	36	2
	Total		150	25	54	12	23	1	49	4	7	0	283	42
Career total			555	123	70	13	67	16	161	31	20	2	873	185

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Brazil	2003	7	2
	2004	5	0
	2006	1	0
	2007	12	1
	2008	8	1
	2017	1	0
Total		34	4

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Diego goal.

List of international goals scored by Diego
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	16 July 2003	Mexico City, Mexico	Honduras	2–1	2–1	2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2	23 July 2003	Miami, United States	United States	2–1	2–1	2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3	1 June 2007	London, England	England	1–1	1–1	Friendly
4	31 May 2008	Seattle, United States	Canada	1–0	3–2	Friendly

U-23 & Olympics

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	6 August 2003	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	Dominican Republic	3–0	5–0	2003 Pan American Games
2.	7 January 2004	Concepción, Chile	Venezuela	1–0	4–0	2004 Olympic Games qualification
3.	9 January 2004	Concepción, Chile	Paraguay	1–0	3–0	2004 Olympic Games qualification
4.	23 January 2004	Viña del Mar, Chile	Chile	3–1	3–1	2004 Olympic Games qualification
5.	28 July 2008	Singapore	Singapore	1–0	3–0	Friendly
6.	13 August 2008	Qinhuangdao, China PR	China	1–0	3–0	2008 Olympic Games
7.	22 August 2008	Shanghai, China PR	Belgium	1–0	3–0	2008 Olympic Games