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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| Full name | Giovani dos Santos Ramírez | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 May 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Monterrey, Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Mexico U17 | 8 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Mexico U20 | 6 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Mexico U23 | 9 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2018 | Mexico | 106 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Giovani dos Santos Ramírez (born 11 May 1989) is a former professional footballer from Mexico. He was a very flexible player, able to play as an attacking midfielder, a winger, or a secondary striker.
Giovani started his football journey when he was very young. The famous Spanish club Barcelona noticed him and he joined their youth academy. He played for their B team before moving up to the main team at 18. In 2007, he was even named one of the "Top 50 Most Exciting Teen Footballers" by World Soccer Magazine.
After one season with Barcelona's main team, Giovani moved to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in 2008. He wanted more chances to play. While he was with Tottenham until 2012, he spent a lot of that time playing for other teams on loan. These teams included Ipswich Town, Galatasaray, and Racing de Santander. Later, he played for Mallorca, Villarreal, and LA Galaxy. His last club was Club América in Mexico.
Giovani was also a key player for the Mexico under-17 team that won the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru. He first played for the senior national team in 2007. He represented Mexico in the FIFA World Cup in 2010, 2014, and 2018. With Mexico, he won the CONCACAF Gold Cup three times: in 2009, 2011, and 2015. He even scored in the finals of the 2009 and 2011 tournaments. He was also part of the Mexico team that won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Barcelona
Giovani was born in Monterrey, Mexico. He joined Barcelona's famous youth academy, La Masia, when he was 13. He helped his youth team win important regional and national titles, including the Youth Copa del Rey.
In 2006, Giovani was invited to train with Barcelona's senior team. He even scored a goal in his first friendly game against AGF Aarhus on 29 July 2006. Later that year, he was part of the team for the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.
He officially joined Barcelona's first team in August 2007. He made his first league appearance on 2 September 2007, coming on as a substitute. He was only 18 years old. He also played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time that month.
On 17 May 2008, Giovani scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against Real Murcia. This was a great way to end his time at Barcelona before moving to England.
Time with Tottenham Hotspur
Giovani moved to Tottenham Hotspur in England on 18 June 2008. Barcelona received about €6 million for the transfer. He scored two goals in a pre-season game against UD Tavernes. His first official goal for Tottenham was in the UEFA Europa League in February 2009.
After playing 12 games for Tottenham, he was loaned to Ipswich Town for the rest of the season. He returned to Tottenham for the 2009–10 season.
Giovani scored and assisted a goal in a UEFA Europa League match against Shamrock Rovers in September 2011. In January 2012, he scored a goal and set up another in an FA Cup game against Cheltenham Town.
Loan to Ipswich Town
In March 2009, Giovani joined Ipswich Town on loan. He made his debut on 14 March 2009. He scored his first league goal in the next game against Burnley. He ended his loan with four goals in eight games.
Loan to Galatasaray
In January 2010, Giovani went on loan to Turkish club Galatasaray. This move meant he worked again with Frank Rijkaard, his old coach from Barcelona. He played 14 games for Galatasaray but did not score any goals.
Loan to Racing Santander
On 31 January 2011, Giovani joined Spanish club Racing de Santander on loan. He made his debut on 5 February 2011. He scored his first goal for Racing against Villarreal on 27 February 2011. He scored two goals in a 3–2 win against Hércules.
Playing for Mallorca
On 31 August 2012, Giovani signed a four-year contract with Spanish team Mallorca. He made his debut on 22 October, helping with two goals in a game against Sevilla. He scored his first goal for Mallorca against Espanyol on 18 January 2013. Even though Mallorca was relegated that season, Giovani was a key player. He played 32 games and was their top scorer with six goals, plus seven assists.
Time with Villarreal
On 9 July 2013, Giovani moved to Villarreal, a team that had just been promoted. He had a great 2013–14 season, scoring 11 goals and providing 8 assists. He helped Villarreal finish in sixth place in the league.
Moving to LA Galaxy
On 15 July 2015, Giovani joined the Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy in the United States. He was signed as a special "Designated Player."
He made his first appearance and scored his first goal for the Galaxy on 6 August in a CONCACAF Champions League game. Three days later, he played his first MLS game, scoring a goal and assisting another in a 3–1 win.
In July 2016 and 2017, Giovani was chosen to be part of the MLS All-Star Game. He was named LA Galaxy Player of the Year and won the Golden Boot for the team in 2016. On 1 March 2019, LA Galaxy decided to release him from his contract.
Playing for Club América
On 6 July 2019, Giovani officially joined Mexican club Club América. This was his first time playing in the Liga MX. He was given the number 10 jersey. In his first big game against Guadalajara, he got a serious thigh injury from a tackle. He needed surgery and was out of action for about six weeks. Club América released Giovani dos Santos on 15 June 2021.
International Career
Youth Team Success
Giovani played in the 2001 Danone Nations Cup in Paris, where he won the Golden Boot award for being the top goalscorer.
During the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, which Mexico won, Giovani was amazing. He helped set up half of Mexico's goals and won the Adidas Silver Ball award as the second-best player in the tournament.
In the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Giovani scored important goals, including a fantastic volley against Gambia. Mexico reached the quarter-finals, and Giovani was awarded the Adidas Bronze Ball for his great performance.
In June 2012, Giovani was called up for the under-23 squad for the 2012 London Olympics. He scored two goals against Gabon and a crucial goal against Senegal in extra time. He was injured in the semi-final against Japan, which meant he couldn't play in the final. However, he watched from the bench as Mexico beat Brazil 2–1 at Wembley Stadium to win the gold medal!
Senior National Team
Giovani first played for the senior team on 9 September 2007. He scored his first two goals for Mexico in a friendly game against Venezuela in June 2009.
He helped Mexico win the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2009, ending a ten-year wait for a victory against the United States on American soil. Mexico won 5–0 in the final, and Giovani was named the best player of the tournament. He also helped Mexico win the Gold Cup in 2011 and 2015. In the 2011 final against the United States, he scored an amazing goal by dribbling past the goalkeeper and chipping the ball into the net. This goal was named the best of the tournament.
Giovani played in the FIFA World Cup for Mexico in 2010, 2014, and 2018. In the 2014 World Cup, he scored a goal against the Netherlands in the Round of 16.
Playing Style
Giovani dos Santos was known for being a fast, skilled, and creative player. He could play in many attacking positions, like a winger or an attacking midfielder. He was also used as a supporting striker. He was very good at dribbling and could both score goals and create chances for his teammates. When he was young, people saw him as a very talented player.
Personal Life
Giovani's father, Zizinho, was also a professional footballer from Brazil who played in Mexico. His mother, Liliana Ramírez, is Mexican. Giovani has two brothers, Éder and Jonathan. Jonathan is also a professional footballer and currently plays for Club América. Giovani has appeared on the cover of the MLS versions of the FIFA 16 and FIFA 17 video games.
Honours and Awards
Giovani dos Santos achieved many great things in his career:
- FIFA U-17 World Championship: 2005 (with Mexico U17)
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2012 (with Mexico U23)
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015 (with Mexico)
- Supercopa de España: 2006 (with Barcelona)
- Campeón de Campeones: 2019 (with América)
He also received individual awards:
- FIFA U-17 World Championship Silver Ball: 2005
- FIFA U-20 World Cup Bronze Ball: 2007
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Golden Ball (Best Player): 2009
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Best Goal: 2011
- LA Galaxy Player of the Year: 2016
- MLS Best XI: 2016
- MLS All-Star: 2016, 2017
See also
In Spanish: Giovani dos Santos para niños
