Sonny Anderson facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anderson da Silva | ||
| Date of birth | 19 September 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Goiatuba, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1987 | XV de Jaú | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1991 | Vasco da Gama | 42 | (1) |
| 1992 | Guarani | 18 | (4) |
| 1992–1994 | Servette | 52 | (31) |
| 1994 | Marseille | 20 | (16) |
| 1994–1997 | Monaco | 91 | (51) |
| 1997–1999 | Barcelona | 47 | (16) |
| 1999–2003 | Lyon | 110 | (71) |
| 2003–2004 | Villarreal | 38 | (13) |
| 2004–2005 | Al-Rayyan | 20 | (24) |
| 2005–2006 | Al-Gharafa | 19 | (6) |
| Total | 457 | (231) | |
| International career | |||
| 1987 | Brazil U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 1989 | Brazil U20 | 6 | (3) |
| 1997–2001 | Brazil | 6 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2011 | Neuchâtel Xamax | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Anderson da Silva (born on September 19, 1970), known as Sonny Anderson, is a former professional footballer from Brazil. He played as a striker, which means he was a forward player whose main job was to score goals. Sonny was known for scoring many goals for his clubs, especially Lyon, Monaco, and Barcelona. He spent most of his career playing in France, where he played 221 matches and scored 138 goals in Ligue 1, France's top football league.
He also played for the Brazilian national team in the 2001 Confederations Cup. He played six games for his country and scored one goal.
Contents
Sonny Anderson's Club Journey
Starting in Brazil
Sonny Anderson was born in Goiatuba, a city in Brazil. He began his professional football career with CR Vasco da Gama. At first, he didn't score many goals. After not scoring in 18 games in his last year there, he moved to another Brazilian club, Guarani.
Playing in Europe: Switzerland and France
Sonny's first time playing football outside Brazil was with Servette FC in Switzerland. He made a big impact right away! In his first season (1992–93), he scored 18 goals. The next season (1993–94), he helped his team win the national league by scoring 11 goals in just the first half of the season.
In January 1994, he moved to France to play for Olympique de Marseille. After six months, the team faced some problems and was moved down to a lower league. So, Sonny moved to another top French team, AS Monaco FC. He continued to score many goals there and helped Monaco win the league title in 1997. He also won individual awards for his great performance.
Time at FC Barcelona
In 1997, Sonny Anderson joined FC Barcelona, a famous Spanish club. He had to compete with other great players like Luis Enrique and Patrick Kluivert to be a starting player. Still, he did very well, scoring ten goals in La Liga, Spain's top league, in his first season (1997–98). Barcelona won two major titles that year: the league and the Spanish cup, which is called "the double."
In his second year, he had some disagreements with the team's manager, Louis van Gaal, and played less. This led him to return to France in 1999, joining the rising team Olympique Lyonnais for about €18 million. He became a very important player for Lyon's attack. He helped the team win the first two of their seven league championships in a row!
Later Career and Retirement
When he was 33, Sonny Anderson returned to Spain to play for Villarreal CF. In his only full season there (2003–04), he scored 12 goals. Some of his important goals included one against Real Madrid (scoring just two minutes after coming onto the field), another against his former club Barcelona (scoring in the 89th minute), and one against Valencia CF. He also helped Villarreal reach the semifinals of the UEFA Cup.
After helping Villarreal win the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Sonny finished his playing career in Qatar. Later, he returned to Lyon to work with the team's strikers, helping them improve their goal-scoring skills.
In June 2007, Sonny Anderson had a special farewell match at the Stade de Gerland, Lyon's stadium. It was a game between his friends and the Lyon team that won the French championship in 2002. Four years later, he left his role at Lyon and started a coaching career, joining Neuchâtel Xamax in Switzerland. However, he was let go after only two league games as a coach.
Sonny Anderson's International Career
Sonny Anderson's success with his clubs didn't quite carry over to his international career with the Brazil team. He only played six games for Brazil. His first game was a friendly match against South Korea on August 11, 1997, where he scored his only goal for his country. He was also part of the Brazilian team that played in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. He played his last international game that same year.
Sonny Anderson's Achievements
Sonny Anderson won many important titles and awards during his football career:
Team Honours
Vasco da Gama
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1989 (Brazilian League)
Servette
- Swiss Super League: 1993–94 (Swiss League)
Monaco
- Ligue 1: 1996–97 (French League)
Barcelona
- La Liga: 1997–98, 1998–99 (Spanish League)
- Copa del Rey: 1997–98 (Spanish Cup)
- UEFA Super Cup: 1997 (European Super Cup)
Lyon
- Ligue 1: 2001–02, 2002–03 (French League)
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2000–01 (French League Cup)
- Trophée des Champions: 2002 (French Super Cup)
Villarreal
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003, 2004 (European Club Competition)
Individual Awards
- Swiss Super League Top Scorer: 1992–93 (Scored the most goals in the Swiss League)
- Swiss Super League Best Foreign Player: 1992–93
- Ligue 1 Top Scorer: 1995–96, 1999–2000, 2000–01 (Scored the most goals in the French League three times!)
- Ligue 1 Étoile d'Or: 1995–96 (Award for best player in the French League)
- Ligue 1 Best Player: 1996–97
- UEFA Cup Top Scorer: 2003–04 (Scored 6 goals, the most in the UEFA Cup)
- Qatar Stars League Top Scorer: 2004–05 (Scored 24 goals, the most in the Qatar League)
See also
In Spanish: Sonny Anderson para niños
