Juninho Paulista facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Osvaldo Giroldo Júnior | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 February 1973 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | São Paulo, Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Brazil (staff) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1992 | Ituano | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | São Paulo | 44 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Middlesbrough | 57 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2002 | Atlético Madrid | 55 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | → Middlesbrough (loan) | 28 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | → Vasco da Gama (loan) | 47 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | → Flamengo (loan) | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Middlesbrough | 35 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Celtic | 14 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Palmeiras | 63 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Flamengo | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Sydney FC | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Ituano | 2 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 359 | (79) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–2003 | Brazil | 49 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Osvaldo Giroldo Júnior (born 22 February 1973) is a famous Brazilian footballer. People know him as Juninho or Juninho Paulista. The nickname "Juninho" is common for people named "Júnior" in Brazil. "Paulista" means he was born in the state of São Paulo.
Juninho played as an attacking midfielder. He was a key player for many teams. These included Brazilian clubs like São Paulo and Vasco da Gama. He also played for English club Middlesbrough and Spanish club Atlético Madrid.
He played 49 games for the Brazil national team. He helped them win the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He also won a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Today, he works as a co-ordinator for the Brazil national team.
Contents
Juninho's Football Journey
Juninho started playing football when he was young. He played for local clubs in São Paulo. He also played futsal, which is a type of indoor football.
Starting with Ituano FC
Juninho began his professional career with Ituano in 1990. This team was from Itu, São Paulo. In 1993, he scored a goal against the champions, São Paulo. He was named "man of the match" for his great play.
This caught the eye of São Paulo's coach. They decided to buy the talented young player. Juninho was even voted "Rookie of the Year" that season.
Playing for São Paulo
In 1993, Juninho joined São Paulo. He won many important trophies with them. These included the 1993 Intercontinental Cup. They beat the Italian team Milan in that final.
He also won the 1994 Copa CONMEBOL. Juninho made his first appearance for the Brazil national team in 1995. Soon after, he moved to Europe to play.
Time at Middlesbrough
In October 1995, Juninho signed with Middlesbrough in England. He was 22 years old. Many big European clubs wanted him. It was a surprise when he chose Middlesbrough.
Fans called him "TLF," which means "The Little Fella." This was because he was only 1.65 meters (about 5 feet 5 inches) tall. He quickly became a star attacking midfielder. His skills helped Middlesbrough reach two cup finals in 1997.
They lost both the FA Cup and League Cup finals. Middlesbrough was also moved down to a lower league that year. Juninho was very sad about this. He left Middlesbrough to try and play in the 1998 World Cup for Brazil. He scored 17 goals in 74 games during his first time with the club.
Moving to Atlético Madrid
Juninho then joined Atlético Madrid in Spain. He started well with the team. However, a serious injury stopped him. In 1998, an opponent broke his leg.
This injury kept him from playing for six months. It also meant he missed the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He later returned to Middlesbrough on loan in 1999. He scored four goals in 24 games.
After that, he went back to Atlético Madrid. The team had been moved to a lower league. Juninho was then loaned to Vasco da Gama in Brazil. There, he played with another player also named Juninho. To tell them apart, he became known as "Juninho Paulista." He won two major trophies with Vasco da Gama in 2000. He also had a short loan spell with Flamengo.
Coming Back to Middlesbrough
Juninho started his third time with Middlesbrough in 2002. He stayed for two years. He helped the team win the 2003–04 Football League Cup. This was the club's first major trophy ever!
Fans in Middlesbrough still see him as a hero. They even voted him the club's greatest player in 2007. He always said he wanted to play for Middlesbrough a fourth time. This never happened, but he remains a legend there.
Playing for Celtic
After Middlesbrough, Juninho moved to Celtic in Scotland in 2004. He played his first game against Celtic's rivals, Rangers. Celtic won that game 1–0.
Juninho found it hard to get a regular spot on the team. He felt the coach did not play him enough. He often played in a different position than he was used to. He scored only one goal for Celtic.
Return to Brazil
Juninho went back to Brazil in 2005 to play for Palmeiras. In 2007, he moved to his old team, Flamengo. However, he did not play much there.
His contract ended after he had a disagreement with the coach. This happened after a tough loss in a cup game.
Playing in Australia
In 2007, Juninho decided to join Sydney FC in Australia. He was a "marquee player," which means a special, high-profile player. He had a shoulder injury early on. This caused him pain and affected his play.
Despite this, he had some great games. One memorable game was Sydney's 5–3 win over LA Galaxy. Sydney FC did not offer him a new contract. In April 2008, Juninho announced he was retiring from football.
Coming Back to Play Again
In 2010, Juninho returned to football. He became a player-president for his first club, Ituano. On the last day of the season, he scored a goal that saved them from being moved to a lower league. He also played in a special farewell game for himself at Middlesbrough.
Honours
Juninho won many important trophies during his career:
São Paulo
- Supercopa Libertadores: 1993
- Intercontinental Cup: 1993
- Recopa Sudamericana: 1993, 1994
- Copa CONMEBOL: 1994
Vasco da Gama
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2000
- Copa Mercosur: 2000
Middlesbrough
- Football League Cup: 2003–04
Flamengo
- Campeonato Carioca: 2007
Brazil National Team
- FIFA World Cup: 2002
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 1997
Individual Awards
- Premier League Player of the Month: March 1997
- Premier League Player of the Season: 1996–97
- Middlesbrough Player of the Year: 1996–97
- North-East FWA Player of the Year: 1997
- Bola de Prata: 2000, 2005 (Award for best players in Brazilian league)
- South American Team of the Year: 2000, 2001
See also
In Spanish: Juninho Paulista para niños
