Giovani dos Santos facts for kids
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Dos Santos with LA Galaxy in 2017
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 11 May 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Monterrey, Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder, winger, striker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monterrey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | Barcelona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Barcelona B | 27 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Barcelona | 28 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | → Ipswich Town (loan) | 8 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | → Galatasaray (loan) | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | → Racing Santander (loan) | 16 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Mallorca | 29 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Villarreal | 57 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | LA Galaxy | 77 | (26) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | América | 39 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 312 | (66) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Mexico U17 | 8 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Mexico U20 | 6 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Mexico U23 | 9 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2018 | Mexico | 106 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Giovani dos Santos Ramírez (born May 11, 1989) is a Mexican former professional footballer. He was a very flexible player. He could play as an attacking midfielder, a winger, or a secondary striker.
Giovani dos Santos started his football journey when he was very young. The Spanish club Barcelona signed him. He played for their B team until he was 18. He then moved up to the main team, making his first appearance in 2007. That year, World Soccer Magazine named him one of the "Top 50 Most Exciting Teen Footballers."
After one season with Barcelona, Dos Santos moved to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in 2008. He wanted more time on the field. He stayed with Tottenham until 2012, but he often played for other teams on loan. These teams included Ipswich Town, Galatasaray, and Racing de Santander.
Later, Tottenham sold him to Mallorca in 2012. A year later, he joined Villarreal. After three years there, he moved to LA Galaxy in July 2015. He played for LA Galaxy until 2019. His last club was América in Mexico, where he played from 2019 to 2021.
Dos Santos was a key player for the Mexico under-17 team. They won the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru. He first played for the senior national team on September 9, 2007. He played for Mexico in the FIFA World Cup in 2010, 2014, and 2018. He also played in the 2013 and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
With Mexico, Dos Santos won the CONCACAF Gold Cup three times: in 2009, 2011, and 2015. He scored goals in the finals of the 2009 and 2011 tournaments. He was even named the best player of the tournament in 2009. He also helped Mexico win the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Contents
Club Football Journey
Starting at Barcelona
Giovani dos Santos was born in Monterrey, Mexico. He joined Barcelona's famous youth academy, La Masia, when he was 13. He helped his youth team win a regional title. This win allowed them to play in the Youth Copa del Rey. They even beat their big rivals, Real Madrid, to win the national title.
In 2006, Dos Santos got to train with Barcelona's main team. He scored a goal in his first friendly game against Danish club AGF Aarhus. In November 2006, Barcelona included him in their squad for the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.
In mid-2007, he joined the senior team again for their pre-season tour. On August 29, 2007, he became a dual citizen. This allowed him to be part of the official first team. He played his first league game on September 2, 2007. He was 18 years old. Barcelona won 3–1 against Athletic Bilbao.
Dos Santos also made his UEFA Champions League debut on September 20, 2007. Barcelona won 3–0 against Lyon. On May 17, 2008, he scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Real Murcia. This helped Barcelona win 5–3 in their last game of the 2007–08 season. This was also his last game for Barcelona before he moved to Tottenham Hotspur.
Time at Tottenham Hotspur
On June 18, 2008, Dos Santos officially joined Tottenham Hotspur. Barcelona said the transfer fee was €6 million, with an extra €5 million possible based on how many games he played.
Dos Santos scored two goals in a friendly game against UD Tavernes. Tottenham won 8–0. He also played well in other pre-season games. He scored his first goal for Tottenham in a real game on February 26, 2009. It was in the UEFA Cup against Shakhtar Donetsk. After playing 12 games, he was loaned to Ipswich Town.
He returned to Tottenham for the 2009–10 season. He got an assist in his first game against Doncaster Rovers. He later got an ankle injury in a game against Preston North End.
Loan to Ipswich Town
In March 2009, Dos Santos joined Ipswich Town on loan. He played his first game on March 14, 2009. He scored his first goal for them in the next game against Burnley. He scored another goal against Bristol City. He also scored and assisted in a 3–2 win against Norwich City. He finished his loan with four goals in eight games.
Loan to Galatasaray
In January 2010, Dos Santos went on loan to Turkish club Galatasaray. This move meant he reunited with Frank Rijkaard, his old coach from Barcelona. He played his first game for Galatasaray on January 31. He returned to Tottenham in the summer without scoring any goals for Galatasaray.
Loan to Racing Santander
On January 31, 2011, Dos Santos joined Spanish club Racing de Santander on loan. He played his first game on February 5, 2011, against Real Zaragoza. He scored his first goal for Racing on February 27 against Villarreal. Dos Santos scored two goals in a 3–2 win against Hércules.
Playing for Mallorca
On August 31, 2012, Dos Santos signed a four-year deal with Spanish team Mallorca. He wore the number 9 jersey. He played his first game for Mallorca on October 22. He played 60 minutes and helped with two goals in a 3–2 loss to Sevilla. He scored his first goal for Mallorca against Espanyol on January 18, 2013. Even though Mallorca was moved down to a lower league, Dos Santos played a lot. He played 32 games and scored six goals, making him their top scorer. He also had seven assists.
Time at Villarreal
On July 9, 2013, Dos Santos moved to Villarreal. They had just been promoted to the top league. The transfer cost about €6 million. In the 2013–14 season, he scored 11 goals and had 8 assists. He helped the club finish in sixth place.
Moving to LA Galaxy
On July 15, 2015, the Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy announced they had signed Dos Santos. He joined as a special player called a Designated Player. The deal was reportedly worth US$7 million.
On August 6, Dos Santos played his first game for the Galaxy. He scored his first goal in a CONCACAF Champions League game against Central FC. Three days later, he played his first MLS game. He scored a goal and assisted another in a 3–1 win against Seattle Sounders FC.
In July 2016, Dos Santos was chosen for the 2016 MLS All-Star Game. On July 21, 2016, he scored a goal just three minutes after coming into a game. This helped the Galaxy win 4–2 against Seattle Sounders in the U.S. Open Cup. In July 2017, he was again chosen for the 2017 MLS All-Star Game.
On March 1, 2019, LA Galaxy announced they had released Dos Santos from his contract.
Playing for Club América
On July 6, 2019, Dos Santos officially joined Mexican club Club América. This was his first time playing in the Liga MX. He signed a three-year deal and was given the number 10 jersey. In his first big game, Súper Clásico, against Guadalajara on September 28, Dos Santos got a serious injury to his right leg. He had to leave the game and needed surgery. Club América released him on June 15, 2021.
International Football Career
Youth Team Success
Dos Santos played in the 2001 Danone Nations Cup in Paris. Mexico finished fifth, and Dos Santos won the Golden Boot award for being the top scorer.
During the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, his team won the tournament. Dos Santos helped with half of Mexico's goals. He won the Adidas Silver Ball as the second-best player.
In the U-20 World Cup Qualifiers, Dos Santos scored two goals. He helped Mexico qualify for the tournament. During the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Mexico was in Group C. Dos Santos scored in games against Gambia and Portugal. Mexico made it to the quarter-finals but lost to Argentina. Dos Santos was awarded the Adidas Bronze Ball.
In June 2012, Dos Santos was called up for the under-23 squad. They played in the 2012 London Olympics. On July 29, he scored two goals against Gabon, helping Mexico win 2–0. He scored his third goal of the tournament on August 4 against Senegal. He scored a key goal in extra time, helping Mexico win 4–2. He played in the semi-final against Japan. He had to leave the game early due to an injury. This meant he couldn't play in the final against Brazil. However, he was on the bench and watched Mexico win the gold medal 2–1 at Wembley Stadium.
Playing for the Senior National Team
Dos Santos was first chosen for the senior team by coach Hugo Sánchez. He played his first game for Mexico on September 9, 2007, in a 1–0 win against Panama. He wore the number 10 jersey. He scored his first two goals for Mexico on June 24, 2009, in a friendly game against Venezuela. He was named the best player of that game.
Dos Santos scored his third goal for Mexico on July 19 in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-final against Haiti. He also helped with two assists in the 4–0 win. On July 26, 2009, he helped Mexico win the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 5–0 victory over the United States. He was named the best player of the tournament.
On September 5, 2009, Dos Santos helped with all three goals in a 3–0 win over Costa Rica. This was during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification games. He scored the first goal and assisted the next two.
At the 2010 World Cup, Dos Santos started every game for Mexico as a right winger. He was voted second for the FIFA Young Player of the Tournament award.
Dos Santos was called up for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. On June 9, 2011, he scored two goals against Cuba in a 5–0 win. In the final match against the United States, he scored a fantastic goal. He dribbled past the goalkeeper and chipped the ball into the net. That goal was named the best goal of the tournament.
Miguel Herrera called Dos Santos to play in the 2014 World Cup. He played in Mexico's first game against Cameroon. On June 29, 2014, he scored the first goal in a 2–1 loss against the Netherlands in the round of 16.
In May 2018, Dos Santos was chosen for Mexico's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He was included in the final 23-man squad for the tournament.
How He Played
Giovani dos Santos was a fast, skilled, and creative player. He could play in many attacking positions. He often played as a winger or an attacking midfielder. He was also used as a supporting striker. He was a very talented playmaker with great flair and dribbling skills. People said he was "clever" and "sharp." He could both score goals and create chances for his teammates. When he was young, he was seen as a very promising talent. In 2010, Don Balón magazine named him one of the 100 best young players in the world.
About His Family
Dos Santos is the son of Zizinho, a former Brazilian footballer. Zizinho played for Mexican clubs like América and León. Giovani's mother, Liliana Ramírez, is Mexican. Giovani has two brothers and two half-brothers. His older brother, Éder, played as a defensive midfielder for América's reserve team. His younger brother, Jonathan, also plays football for América. Giovani dos Santos has even appeared on the cover of the MLS versions of the FIFA 16 and FIFA 17 video games.
Honours
América
- Campeón de Campeones: 2019
Mexico U17
- FIFA U-17 World Championship: 2005
Mexico U23
Mexico
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015
Individual Awards
- FIFA U-17 World Championship Silver Ball: 2005
- FIFA U-20 World Cup Bronze Ball: 2007
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Golden Ball: 2009
- CONCACAF Gold Cup All-Tournament Team: 2009
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Best Goal: 2011
- MLS Best XI: 2016
- MLS All-Star: 2016, 2017
- Premios Univision Deportes MLS Player of the Year: 2016
Images for kids
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Dos Santos against Sevilla midfielder Hedwiges Maduro
See also
In Spanish: Giovani dos Santos para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
