Madjer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Madjer

Personal information
Full name	João Victor Saraiva
Date of birth	(1977-01-22) 22 January 1977 (age 48)
Place of birth	Luanda, Angola
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2007	Cavalieri del Mare
2003	Pernambuco
2008	Milano Beach Soccer
2008	Rio de Janeiro
2009	Cavalieri del Mare
2010–2012	Sporting CP
2010	São Paulo
2010	AS Roma
2010	Torres Novas
2010	Lokomotiv Moscow
2011	Alanya Team
2011	Al-Ahli Dubai
2012	Botafogo
2012–2013	Beşiktaş
2013–2014	Lokomotiv Moscow
2014–2019	Sporting CP
National team‡
1998–2019	Portugal	573	(1077)
Honours Representing  Portugal Men's Beach Soccer European Games Gold 2019 Minsk Bronze 2015 Baku FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Silver 1999 Brazil Gold 2001 Brazil Silver 2002 Brazil Bronze 2003 Brazil Bronze 2004 Brazil Silver 2005 Brazil Bronze 2008 France Bronze 2009 UAE Bronze 2011 Italy Gold 2015 Portugal Gold 2019 Paraguay Euro Beach Soccer League Bronze 1998 Bronze 1999 Silver 2000 Silver 2001 Gold 2002 Bronze 2003 Silver 2004 Silver 2005 Silver 2006 Gold 2007 Gold 2008 Silver 2009 Gold 2010 Bronze 2011 Silver 2013 Bronze 2014 Gold 2015 Euro Beach Soccer Cup Gold 1998 Silver 1999 Gold 2001 Gold 2002 Gold 2003 Gold 2004 Bronze 2005 Gold 2006 Bronze 2007 Bronze 2009 Silver 2010 Silver 2012
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 July 2015. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 24 December 2019

João Victor Saraiva (born January 22, 1977), known as Madjer, is a famous retired beach soccer player from Portugal. He played as a forward and is known for scoring many goals. He won many awards, especially at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

Madjer got his nickname from his hero, Rabah Madjer, who was a famous Algerian football player. Many people think Madjer is the best beach soccer player ever! In September 2016, he became the first player to score 1000 goals in international beach soccer games. This happened during an 8–1 win against the England team. In 2019, a well-known magazine called France Football said he was the greatest beach soccer player of all time.

Madjer's Amazing Skills

Madjer was known for his incredible agility and dribbling skills, even though he was quite tall (194 cm or about 6 feet 4 inches). He was also very good at making amazing shots, like volleys, overhead kicks, and bicycle kicks. His special skills were a huge help to his team when they played in big tournaments like the EBSL, Mundialito, and especially the Beach Soccer World Championship.

At the 2005, 2006, and 2008 World Cups, Madjer won the Golden Boot award. This award goes to the player who scores the most goals in the tournament. He was also named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) in the EBSL in 1999, 2006, 2008, and 2009. Madjer stopped playing beach soccer after his team won the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup by beating Italy.

Madjer's Achievements

Madjer had a very successful career, winning many titles with his clubs and with the Portugal national team. He is one of the most decorated players in beach soccer history.

Club Success

Madjer played for several clubs and won many championships:

• Cavalieri del Mare Beach Soccer:
  • Scudetto: 2005
• Sporting Clube de Portugal:
  • Circuito Nacional de Futebol de Praia: 2010, 2016
• FC Lokomotiv Moscow:
  • Russian National Beach Soccer Championship: 2011
  • Euro Winners Cup: 2013
• Alanya:
  • Turkish National Beach Soccer Championship: 2011
• Al-Ahli Club:
  • UAE National Beach Soccer Championship: 2012, 2013, 2014
  • UAE President's Cup: 2014
  • UAE Supercup: 2014
• Beşiktaş J.K.:
  • Turkish National Beach Soccer Championship: 2013

Country Success

Madjer helped the Portugal national team win many important tournaments:

• FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup (3 times): 2001, 2015, 2019
• Euro Beach Soccer League (6 times): 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2019
• Euro Beach Soccer Cup (6 times): 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
• European Games (Gold Medal): 2019
• BSWW Mundialito (4 times): 2003, 2008, 2009, 2012
• Copa Latina (1 time): 2000

Individual Awards

Madjer also won many personal awards for his amazing performances:

• FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Golden Ball (best player) (2 times): 2005, 2006
• FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Golden Shoe (top scorer) (3 times): 2005, 2006, 2008
• Beach Soccer MVP (Most Valuable Player) (3 times): 2003, 2005, 2006
• Beach Soccer Best Player of the Year (2 times): 2015, 2016
• Euro Beach Soccer League MVP (5 times): 1999, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
• Euro Beach Soccer League Top Scorer (6 times): 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009
• Mundialito MVP (6 times): 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012
• Mundialito Top Scorer (5 times): 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012

See also

In Spanish: Madjer para niños