José Bosingwa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
José Bosingwa

Bosingwa playing for Trabzonspor in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth	(1982-08-24) 24 August 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth	Mbandaka, Zaire
Height	1.83 m
Playing position	Right-back
Youth career
1996–1997	Fornos de Algodres
1997–2000	Boavista
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2003	Boavista	41	(0)
2000–2001	→ Freamunde (loan)	11	(0)
2003–2008	Porto	107	(3)
2008–2012	Chelsea	89	(3)
2012–2013	Queens Park Rangers	23	(0)
2013–2015	Trabzonspor	51	(0)
2016	Trabzonspor	12	(0)
Total		334	(6)
National team
2003–2004	Portugal U21	18	(0)
2007–2015	Portugal	27	(0)
Honours Men's football Representing  Portugal UEFA European Under-21 Championship Third 2004 Germany
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

José Bosingwa da Silva (born on August 24, 1982) is a Portuguese former professional footballer. He played as a right-back, which is a defensive position on the right side of the field.

Bosingwa was known for being an attacking right-back. He was fast and could run up and down the sides of the field, causing problems for opposing teams. He spent most of his career playing for Porto in Portugal and Chelsea in England. During his career, he won 13 major trophies. This includes the important UEFA Champions League title with both clubs. He won it in 2004 with Porto and again in 2012 with Chelsea.

He also played for the Portugal national team from 2007. Bosingwa represented his country at Euro 2008 and the 2004 Summer Olympics. He played in 27 international matches for Portugal.

Club Career

Early Years in Portugal

José Bosingwa was born in Mbandaka, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). His father was Portuguese and his mother was Congolese. When he was very young, his family moved to Seia, a town in Portugal. He was the youngest of ten children.

As a young player, Bosingwa joined the youth team of Boavista FC. He started his professional career on loan at S.C. Freamunde in the Segunda Liga, which is Portugal's second division. He played a few games there. When he first started, he played as a midfielder.

Playing for Porto

After playing two full seasons with Boavista, Bosingwa joined FC Porto. This was in 2003, and the team was coached by the famous José Mourinho. In his first year, he didn't play much, appearing in only 13 league games. However, he made his UEFA Champions League debut on September 16, 2003. Porto went on to win the Champions League that season, and Bosingwa played in seven of their matches.

From the 2004–05 season onwards, Bosingwa became Porto's main right-back. He took over this role after other players left. He was a very important part of the team as Porto won three more league titles in the next four years. During this time, he was involved in a serious car accident, but thankfully, everyone survived.

Moving to Chelsea

Bosingwa training with Chelsea in 2008

On May 11, 2008, Porto announced that Bosingwa would be joining Chelsea in England. The transfer fee was about €20.6 million (around £16.3 million). He signed a three-year contract and joined the London club after Euro 2008. His national team coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, and fellow player Deco also joined Chelsea around the same time. He was first given the number 16 jersey but later switched to number 17.

Bosingwa played his first game for Chelsea in the Premier League on August 17, 2008. It was a 4–0 home win against Portsmouth. He scored his first goal for Chelsea against Stoke City on September 27. He scored another goal later with a powerful shot from 25 yards against West Bromwich Albion.

In 2009, Bosingwa received a ban for two European matches. This was because of comments he made about a referee after a Champions League game against FC Barcelona. He later apologized for his words.

In October 2009, Bosingwa got a knee injury. This meant he couldn't play for the rest of the season. Chelsea won the league title that year, but Bosingwa hadn't played enough games to get a medal. He also missed the 2010 FIFA World Cup because of his injury.

On October 16, 2010, exactly one year after his injury, Bosingwa returned to play against Aston Villa. He came on as a substitute in the second half.

In the 2011–12 season, Bosingwa returned to the starting lineup under the new manager, André Villas-Boas. On August 27, 2011, he scored his first goal in three years with a long-range shot against Norwich City.

Bosingwa playing for Chelsea in 2012

On April 24, 2012, Bosingwa played a very important role in a Champions League semi-final match against Barcelona. He came on early in the game due to an injury to a teammate. He helped his team get a 2–2 draw, which meant Chelsea won the overall match 3–2 and reached the final. He even had to play as a centre-back for part of the game.

Bosingwa played the entire 120 minutes of the Champions League final against FC Bayern Munich. Chelsea won the match 4–3 in a penalty shootout, becoming the first club from London to win the tournament. Bosingwa and the other defenders were praised for how well they stopped Bayern's strong attackers. Soon after, his contract with Chelsea ended, and he left the club.

Queens Park Rangers

On August 17, 2012, Bosingwa signed a three-year contract with Queens Park Rangers. He scored his first goal for his new team on August 28 against Walsall in a League Cup game. He left the club in July 2013.

Trabzonspor

On July 29, 2013, Bosingwa signed a three-year contract with Trabzonspor, a team in the Turkish Süper Lig. He left the club in November 2015 but returned in the next transfer window, signing a five-month deal.

International Career

Bosingwa in action against Denmark in September 2008

Because he played so well for his clubs, Bosingwa was first called up to the Portugal national team in May 2007. He played his first game on June 2 in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Belgium. He soon became the first-choice right-back and played in all four of Portugal's matches at the Euro 2008 tournament. He was even chosen for the team of the tournament.

Bosingwa also played for Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He also played for the under-21 team at the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

After more than three years away from the national team, Bosingwa was called up again on November 7, 2014. This was by the new manager, Fernando Santos, for a Euro 2016 qualifier and a friendly match.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Honours

Bosingwa on Chelsea's victory parade following their UEFA Champions League victory in 2012

Porto

• Primeira Liga (Portuguese League): 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
• Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup): 2005–06
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (Portuguese Super Cup): 2004, 2006
• UEFA Champions League: 2003–04
• Intercontinental Cup: 2004

Chelsea

• FA Cup: 2008–09, 2011–12
• FA Community Shield: 2009
• UEFA Champions League: 2011–12

Individual Awards

• FC Porto Player of the Year: 2007
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2008

See also

In Spanish: José Bosingwa para niños