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Walter Samuel

Samuel with Inter Milan in 2011

Personal information

Full name

Walter Adrián Samuel

Birth name

Walter Adrián Luján

Date of birth

23 March 1978 (age 47)

Place of birth

Laborde, Argentina

Height

1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)

Position(s)

Centre-back

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

1996–1997

Newell's Old Boys

(0)

1997–2000

Boca Juniors

(4)

2000–2004

Roma

122

(9)

2004–2005

Real Madrid

(2)

2005–2014

Inter Milan

169

(14)

2014–2016

Basel

(2)

Total

469

(31)

International career

1997

Argentina U20

(0)

1999–2010

Argentina

(5)

Managerial career

2018–

Argentina (assistant)

Medal record

FIFA U-20 World Cup

Representing Argentina (as player)
Winner	1997
FIFA Confederations Cup
Runner-up	2005
Representing Argentina (as assistant manager)
FIFA World Cup
Winner	2022
Copa América
Winner	2021
Winner	2024
Third	2019
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Winner	2022

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Walter Adrián Samuel (born Walter Adrián Luján on 23 March 1978) is a former professional footballer from Argentina. He was known as one of the best and toughest centre-backs of his time. His former teammate, Javier Zanetti, even called him the "hardest player" he had ever played with.

Samuel started his club career in Argentina with Newell's Old Boys in 1996. He then moved to Boca Juniors a year later. In 2000, he moved to Europe, playing for Italian club Roma and Spanish club Real Madrid. In 2005, he returned to Italy to join Inter. He stayed there for nine seasons, winning five Serie A titles in a row. He was a key player when Inter won the historic treble (three major trophies) in the 2009–10 season. He played alongside Lúcio in defense under coach José Mourinho. Samuel also played over 50 games for the Argentina national team. He represented his country in two FIFA World Cups and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Argentina finished as runners-up.

About Walter Samuel
Playing for Clubs
International Career
Style of Play
After Football
Career Statistics
- Club
- International
Honours and Awards
- Managerial Honours
See also

About Walter Samuel

Walter Luján was born on March 23, 1978. He made his first professional football appearance under this name. Later, he decided to take the last name of his stepfather, Óscar Samuel. He has two sisters.

Walter Samuel is married to Cecilia. They have two sons and one daughter.

Playing for Clubs

Early Career in Argentina and Italy

Samuel began his professional journey in 1996 with Newell's Old Boys in Argentina. A year later, he moved to Boca Juniors. He played 103 matches for Boca Juniors and scored five goals before 2000. That year, the Italian club Roma bought him. He quickly became known as one of the best defenders in the Italian league. He even earned the nickname Il Muro, which means "The Wall." Samuel helped Roma win the Serie A title in 2001. His strong performances caught the attention of the Spanish team Real Madrid.

In 2004, Real Madrid paid €25 million to sign him. However, Samuel did not have as much success at Madrid. He was one of the three players from outside Europe on the team. In 2005, he and his teammates Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos all received Spanish passports.

Success with Inter Milan

Walter Samuel with Internazionale.

In August 2005, Samuel returned to the Serie A and joined Inter Milan. He signed a four-year contract. He started his time at Inter by winning the 2005 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus. Inter won the game in extra time. He made his league debut for Inter on September 21, helping them win 1–0 against Chievo. In his first season, Samuel played 42 games. Inter won the league title after Juventus was moved down a division due to match-fixing. They also won the Coppa Italia by beating Roma. This meant Inter won three trophies that season.

In December 2007, Samuel got a serious knee injury during a game against Milan. He needed surgery and was out for many months. He started training again in October 2008 and quickly got his place back in the team under coach José Mourinho. His first game back was on November 9, 2008, in a 1–0 win against Udinese.

Samuel was a very important player for Mourinho in the 2009–10 season. He played in defense with Lúcio. Together, they helped Inter win the Serie A title, the Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League. This was a historic achievement for the club. Samuel scored his first goal of that season on October 20 in a Champions League match against Dynamo Kyiv. His goal helped Inter draw 2–2.

On January 9, Samuel scored a winning goal in the last minute against Siena, making the score 4–3. This goal was very important as Inter won the league title by just two points over Roma. He played his 100th Serie A game for Inter on April 24 in a 3–1 win against Atalanta. Samuel played 42 games and scored 4 goals that season. He was praised for his strong defense against teams like Barcelona and Bayern Munich on Inter's way to winning the Champions League.

Walter Samuel with Internazionale as a substitute.

On November 7, 2010, Samuel suffered another serious knee injury. This meant he missed Inter's win in the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup. He returned to action on May 15, 2011, playing in the last few minutes of a 1–1 draw against Napoli. He was very happy to be back playing after almost six months. He thanked the medical staff, his family, and the fans for their support. He played 15 games in the 2010–11 season.

On February 5, 2012, Samuel played his 500th professional match. At the end of that season, he signed a new one-year contract with Inter. This extended his time at the club to eight seasons. On October 7, he scored the winning goal in the Milan derby against Milan. This meant Samuel had won all 10 derbies he had played in. In June 2013, Samuel extended his contract for one more season, which would be his last. He scored his first goal of that season on February 9, 2014, a header that won the game against Sassuolo.

Samuel wore the captain armband for the first time on February 15, 2014, in a 2–1 win against Fiorentina. His last goal for Inter came in a 4–0 win against Sampdoria in April 2014. Samuel left Inter at the end of the 2013–14 season. He had played 236 games and won 13 trophies in nine years. His last game for the club was on May 10, 2014, in a 4–1 win against Lazio. This win helped Inter get a spot in the UEFA Europa League for the next season.

Time with FC Basel

After nine seasons with Inter, Samuel signed a one-year contract with Basel in Switzerland on July 23, 2014. He joined the team for their 2014–15 season. He made his debut for Basel in the Swiss Cup on August 23, 2014, as Basel won 4–0. He played his first league game for Basel on August 31, when Basel won 3–1 against Young Boys.

Basel played in the Champions League group stage. They reached the knockout phase by drawing 1–1 against Liverpool on December 9, 2014. However, they were knocked out by Porto in the round of 16. Samuel scored his first goal for Basel in the last game of that season on May 25, 2015. Basel won 4–3 against St. Gallen. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Basel won the championship for the sixth time in a row. Basel also reached the final of the 2014–15 Swiss Cup but finished as runners-up. Samuel played 26 games that season and scored 2 goals.

In June 2015, Samuel extended his contract with Basel for another year. However, on October 16, he announced that he planned to retire at the end of the 2015–16 season because of physical difficulties. He played his 100th UEFA club competition game on December 10, 2015. Samuel played the final match of his career on May 25, 2016, at the age of 38. Basel lost 1–0 to Grasshoppers. At the end of the 2015–16 Super League season, Samuel won the championship for the second time with Basel.

During his two seasons with Basel, Samuel played a total of 61 games and scored four goals.

International Career

Samuel was part of the Argentina U20 team that won the 1997 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He played in the opening match against Hungary, which Argentina won 3–0. He also played in the other group matches as Argentina finished first in their group.

Samuel played 56 matches for the Argentina senior team between 1999 and 2010, scoring five goals. He represented his country in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the 1999 Copa América and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Argentina finished as runners-up.

Style of Play

Walter Samuel was considered one of the best defenders of his time. He was a tall, fast, strong, and aggressive centre-back. He was excellent at heading the ball, both when defending and when trying to score from set pieces. His defensive skills were impressive. He had a great sense of where to be on the field, could understand the game well, and was tough in his marking and tackling. These qualities made him very good at predicting what opponents would do. His strong and determined way of playing earned him the nickname Il Muro, which means "The Wall." Even though he was a great defender, his career was sometimes affected by injuries.

After Football

Samuel as assistant manager of Argentina, 2022

In August 2019, Samuel started taking courses to become a professional football coach. He is currently an assistant coach for the Argentina team, a role he has held since 2019.

He was part of the Argentina coaching staff that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Newell's Old Boys	1995–96	Argentine Primera División	5	0	—		—		—		5	0
	1996–97		35	0	—		—		—		35	0
	1997–98		2	0	—		—		—		2	0
	Total		42	0	—		—		—		42	0
Boca Juniors	1997–98	Argentine Primera División	12	0	—		—		—		12	0
	1998–99		34	2	—		7	0	—		41	2
	1999–2000		31	2	—		19	1	—		50	3
	Total		77	4	—		26	1	—		103	5
Roma	2000–01	Serie A	31	1	2	0	8	3	—		41	4
	2001–02		30	5	2	0	12	0	1	0	45	5
	2002–03		31	2	6	0	10	0	—		47	2
	2003–04		30	1	2	0	8	0	—		40	1
	Total		122	9	12	0	38	3	1	0	173	12
Real Madrid	2004–05	La Liga	30	2	2	0	8	0	—		40	2
Internazionale	2005–06	Serie A	27	2	5	0	9	0	1	0	42	2
	2006–07		18	3	5	0	3	0	1	0	27	3
	2007–08		12	0	1	0	5	1	0	0	18	1
	2008–09		17	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	20	1
	2009–10		28	3	1	0	13	1	0	0	42	4
	2010–11		10	0	0	0	3	0	2	0	13	0
	2011–12		27	2	1	0	6	1	1	0	35	3
	2012–13		16	1	1	0	5	0	—		22	1
	2013–14		14	2	1	0	—		—		15	2
	Total		169	14	17	0	45	3	5	0	236	17
Basel	2014–15	Swiss Super League	12	1	2	0	4	0	—		18	1
	2015–16	Swiss Super League	17	1	3	0	7	1	—		27	2
	Total		29	2	5	0	11	1	—		47	3
Career total			469	31	36	0	128	8	—		641	39

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Argentina	1999	10	1
	2000	10	0
	2001	8	2
	2002	6	0
	2003	5	1
	2004	6	0
	2005	5	1
	2006	2	0
	2007	0	0
	2008	0	0
	2009	0	0
	2010	4	0
Total		56	5

Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Samuel goal.

List of international goals scored by Walter Samuel
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	3 February 1999	Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela	Venezuela	1–0	2–0	Friendly
2	28 March 2001	El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Venezuela	5–0	5–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	8 November 2001	El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Peru	1–0	2–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	20 August 2003	Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy	Uruguay	2–2	3–2	Friendly
5	11 November 2005	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	England	2–1	2–3	Friendly