Walter Samuel facts for kids
Samuel with Inter Milan in 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 23 March 1978 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Laborde, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Newell's Old Boys | 42 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Boca Juniors | 77 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Roma | 122 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Real Madrid | 30 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2014 | Inter Milan | 169 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Basel | 29 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 469 | (31) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Argentina U20 | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2010 | Argentina | 56 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018– | Argentina (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Walter Adrián Samuel is a famous former footballer from Argentina. He was born on March 23, 1978, as Walter Adrián Luján. Many people think Samuel was one of the best centre-backs of his time. He was known as a very tough defender. His former teammate, Javier Zanetti, even called him the "hardest player" he ever played with.
Samuel started his football journey in Argentina in 1996. He then moved to Europe in 2000. He played for big clubs like Roma in Italy and Real Madrid in Spain. In 2005, he went back to Italy to play for Inter. He stayed there for nine seasons and won five Serie A titles in a row! He was a key player when Inter won the amazing "treble" in the 2009–10 season. This meant they won the league, the cup, and the Champions League all in one year.
For his country, Argentina, he played over 50 games. He represented Argentina in two FIFA World Cups and other major tournaments. After retiring as a player, he became an assistant coach for the Argentina national team. He helped them win the 2022 FIFA World Cup!
Contents
Early Life and Family
Walter Samuel was born as Walter Luján. He used this name when he first started playing football professionally. 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
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Starting His Career
Samuel began his professional football career in Argentina in 1996. He played for a team called Newell's Old Boys. A year later, he moved to Boca Juniors, another big Argentine club. He played 103 games for Boca Juniors and scored five goals before the year 2000.
In 2000, Roma, an Italian club, bought him for a lot of money. He quickly became known as one of the best defenders in Italy. People even gave him the nickname Il Muro, which means "The Wall." He helped Roma win the Serie A title in 2001. His great playing caught the eye of the Spanish team Real Madrid.
Real Madrid bought him in 2004. He played 40 games for them but did not have as big an impact there.
Becoming an Inter Milan Star
In August 2005, Samuel returned to Italy and joined Inter Milan. He signed a four-year contract. He started his time at Inter by winning the 2005 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus. He played 42 games in his first season. Inter won the league title and the Italian Cup, completing a domestic treble.
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In December 2007, Samuel got a serious knee injury during a game against AC Milan. He had surgery and was out for many months. But he worked hard and came back strong in October 2008. He quickly got his spot back in the team under manager José Mourinho.
Samuel was a very important player for Mourinho in the 2009–10 season. He played alongside Lúcio in defense. That season, Inter won the Serie A title, the Italian Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. This was a historic "treble" win! He even scored a goal in the Champions League against Dynamo Kyiv. He also scored a last-minute winning goal against Siena in the league. He played his 100th Serie A game for Inter in April. Samuel played 42 games that season and scored 4 goals. He was praised for his strong defense against teams like Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
On November 7, 2010, Samuel suffered another bad knee injury. This meant he missed the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup, which Inter won. He returned to play in May 2011. He was very happy to be back on the field. He played 15 games in the 2010–11 season.
In February 2012, Samuel played his 500th professional game. He signed a new contract with Inter, staying for an eighth season. In October, he scored the winning goal in the Milan derby against Milan. This meant he had won all 10 derbies he played in! He extended his contract for one more season in June 2013. He scored his first goal of that season in February 2014.
Samuel wore the captain armband for Inter for the first time in February 2014. His last goal for the club was in April 2014. Samuel left Inter Milan at the end of the 2013–14 season. He played 236 games and won 13 trophies in nine years with the club. His last game for Inter was on May 10, 2014.
Final Years at Basel
After nine seasons with Inter, Samuel joined Basel in Switzerland on July 23, 2014. He signed a one-year contract. He played his first game for Basel in August 2014. He also made his league debut that month.
Basel played in the Champions League that season. They made it to the knockout stage by drawing against Liverpool. Samuel scored his first goal for Basel in May 2015. Basel won the Swiss championship for the sixth time in a row that season. Samuel played 26 games for Basel in his first year.
In June 2015, Samuel extended his contract with Basel for another year. However, in October, he announced he would retire at the end of the 2015–16 season. He said it was because of physical difficulties. He played his 100th UEFA club competition game in December 2015. Samuel played his very last career match on May 25, 2016, at age 38. Basel won the championship again that season.
During his two seasons with Basel, Samuel played 61 games and scored four goals.
Playing for Argentina
Samuel was part of the Argentina U20 team that won the 1997 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He played in the opening game and helped Argentina win their group.
Samuel played 56 games for the Argentina senior team between 1999 and 2010. He scored five goals for his country. He played for Argentina 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 second.
How He Played the Game
Walter Samuel is 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 in defense and when scoring goals from set pieces. He had great defensive skills, like knowing where to be on the field and being able to read the game. He was also known for his tough marking and strong tackles. His powerful and consistent playing style earned him the nickname Il Muro ("The Wall"). Even though he was a great defender, his career was sometimes affected by injuries.
What He Does Now
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In August 2019, Samuel started taking courses to become a professional football coach. He is now an assistant coach for the Argentina national team. He has been in this role since 2019.
He was part of the coaching team that helped Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Walter Samuel's Trophies
Boca Juniors
- Primera División: 1998 Apertura, 1999 Clausura
- Copa Libertadores: 2000
AS Roma
- Serie A: 2000–01
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2001
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10
- Coppa Italia: 2005–06, 2009–10, 2010–11
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010
- UEFA Champions League: 2009–10
FC Basel
- Swiss Super League: 2014–15, 2015–16
Argentina U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1997
- Toulon Tournament: 1998
Argentina
- FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2005
Individual Awards
- South American Team of the Year: 1999
- ESM Team of the Year: 2001–02, 2003–04
- Serie A Defender of the Year: 2010
- FIFA FIFPro World XI Nominee: 2005, 2009, 2010
- IFFHS Argentina All Times Dream Team (Team C): 2021
As Assistant Manager
Argentina
- FIFA World Cup: 2022
- Copa América: 2021, 2024; third place: 2019
- CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022
