Marcos Senna facts for kids
Senna warming up with Villarreal in 2008
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Marcos Antônio Senna da Silva | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 17 July 1976 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | São Paulo, Brazil | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Rio Branco-SP | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Rio Branco-SP | 39 | (12) | ||||||||||
| 1998 | → América-SP (loan) | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Corinthians | 43 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2001 | Juventude | 14 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2002 | São Caetano | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2002–2013 | Villarreal | 292 | (25) | ||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | New York Cosmos | 55 | (13) | ||||||||||
| Total | 443 | (51) | |||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2010 | Spain | 28 | (1) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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Marcos Antônio Senna da Silva, known simply as Senna, is a retired professional footballer. He was born on 17 July 1976. Senna played as a central midfielder, a player who helps both attack and defense in the middle of the field.
He was famous for his great passes and powerful long-range shots. Senna was also very good at taking penalty kicks. He spent most of his career in Spain playing for Villarreal. He played 363 official matches over 11 seasons with them. Ten of those seasons were in La Liga, Spain's top football league, where he scored 33 goals. He finished his playing career with the New York Cosmos in the United States. With them, he won the Soccer Bowl championship twice.
Even though he was born in Brazil, Senna played for the Spanish national team for four years. He played in the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. He was a starting player when Spain won the Euro 2008 tournament.
Contents
Marcos Senna's Football Journey
Early Career and Moving to Spain
Senna was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He started his football journey with Rio Branco Esporte Clube. Early in his career, he played for several Brazilian clubs. He even won the Club World Cup in 2000 with Corinthians. In 2002, he was a runner-up in the Copa Libertadores with São Caetano.
Later in 2002, Senna moved to Spain to play for Villarreal CF. In his first two seasons, he only played in 25 La Liga matches. This was mainly because of a serious knee injury he got in August 2003.
Life at Villarreal CF
After recovering from his injury, Senna became a key player for Villarreal. He helped the club reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in the 2005–06 season. Eventually, he became the captain of the team.
Almost Joining Manchester United
In the summer of 2006, Senna was very close to joining Manchester United. He had one year left on his contract with Villarreal. Villarreal was ready to sell him for about £4 million. However, the deal was delayed because Manchester United tried to sign another player. When Manchester United came back with an offer for Senna on the last day of transfers, Villarreal said no. Senna was tired of the delays and decided to stay at Villarreal. He signed a new three-year contract soon after.
A Special Goal and Relegation
On 27 April 2008, Senna scored an amazing goal against Real Betis. He shot the ball from inside the center circle! He called it "the best goal of my life." That season, he scored three more goals in 33 matches. Villarreal finished second in the league, their best-ever finish, behind champions Real Madrid.
After almost two seasons with many injuries, Senna, at 35 years old, became fully fit again for the 2011–12 season. He was the main playmaker for Villarreal. On 21 March 2012, he scored a goal from a free kick in the 83rd minute against Real Madrid, making the score 1–1. Sadly, Villarreal was relegated from the top league that season after 12 years.
Playing for New York Cosmos
On 13 June 2013, after helping Villarreal return to the top league, Senna signed with the new North American Soccer League club, New York Cosmos. He played his first game for them on 3 August, a 2–1 win. He scored his first goal on 1 September. In his first year, he was named the league's player of the week twice. He also helped the team win the NASL Fall Championship and the Soccer Bowl. He scored the winning goal in the final championship match.
On 13 November 2013, Villarreal held a special match for Senna to honor him. He played in a 3–0 win against the Cosmos. He started the game for Villarreal and helped set up the first goal. The crowd gave him a minute of applause in the 19th minute, which was his jersey number. He then played the second half for the New York Cosmos. He left the field with 20 minutes left to another standing ovation.
Senna scored his first goal of the 2014 season on 12 May 2014. It was the winning goal in a 1–0 home win. He scored his second goal on 9 August with a spectacular free kick. He helped the Cosmos reach third place in the league.
On 10 June 2015, just before his 39th birthday, Senna announced he would retire. His last game was the Soccer Bowl on 15 November. His team won 3–2 against Ottawa Fury FC. This was also the last game for his national teammate, Raúl.
Representing Spain
Senna became a Spanish citizen in early 2006. He was chosen to be part of the Spanish squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. His first game for Spain was on 1 March in a friendly match against Ivory Coast.
Winning Euro 2008
In the quarter-finals of Euro 2008, Senna scored the third penalty kick for Spain in a penalty shootout against Italy. Spain won 4–2 and moved on to the semi-finals. He played the entire final match, which Spain won 1–0 against Germany. He was named in UEFA's official team for the tournament. Some experts even said Senna was the best player of the tournament.
Senna scored his first goal for Spain against Armenia on 10 September 2008. Spain won that game 4–0 in a 2010 World Cup qualifying match. On 20 May 2010, after a season with many injuries at Villarreal, Senna, then 33, was not chosen for Spain's final 23-man squad for the World Cup. FC Barcelona's Sergio Busquets took his place. Spain went on to win the FIFA World Cup in South Africa that year.
How Senna Played the Game
Senna usually played as a central or defensive midfielder. He was good at winning the ball back from opponents. He also helped create attacks from deep in the midfield, like a deep-lying playmaker. His role was sometimes compared to a "metodista" in Italian football. This means he could control the game and help his team defend.
In 2008, a journalist named Glenn Moore said Senna was known for his "passing, disciplined positioning, tackling and long-range shooting." He also praised Senna's "genial personality and commanding performances." Senna was also very good at free kicks and penalties.
Experts and his teammates said he brought "balance" to Spain's midfield at Euro 2008. He did the "dirty work," meaning he helped win the ball back and control the middle of the field. He did this with his hard work, passing, and ability to find open space. Even though he wasn't a big player, his skills fit perfectly with Spain's "tiki-taka" style of play, which focused on short passes.
Senna once said about his style: "My style is simple and objective. I don't like when players try to do easy things in a complicated way." He added that his teammates helped him, and their quality made opponents worry, giving him more space to pass. His former coach, Giovanni Savarese, also praised Senna's leadership.
Senna's Life Off the Field
Senna's younger brother, Márcio, was also a footballer. Marcos Assunção, who played for clubs like A.S. Roma, is his cousin. Both of them were also midfielders.
Senna is a Christian. He talked about his faith in a documentary called "The Prize: Chasing the Dream" with fellow footballer Kaká. He is also a member of Athletes in Action, an international Christian group.
In 2008, Senna, along with Raúl Albiol and Guillermo Franco, started an organization called Evangélico FC. This group had 140 athletes and 16 coaches. Its goal was to share Christian values with young athletes in Spain.
Major Wins and Awards
Senna won many important titles during his career:
São Caetano
- Copa Libertadores runner-up: 2002
Corinthians
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1999
- Campeonato Paulista: 1999, 2001
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2000
Villarreal
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003, 2004
New York Cosmos
- North American Soccer League: 2013 Fall Championship, 2015 Spring Championship
- Soccer Bowl: 2013, 2015
- North American Supporters' Trophy: 2015
Spain
Individual Awards
- UEFA European Championship: Team of the tournament 2008
- Don Balón Award – Spanish Player of the Year: 2008
