Zé Roberto facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Zé Roberto

Zé Roberto with Palmeiras in 2017
Personal information
Date of birth	(1974-07-06) 6 July 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth	São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.76 m
Playing position	Left wing-back, midfielder
Youth career
	Palestra de São Bernardo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1994–1996	Portuguesa	61	(1)
1997	Real Madrid	15	(0)
1998	Flamengo	24	(0)
1998–2002	Bayer Leverkusen	113	(17)
2002–2006	Bayern Munich	110	(5)
2006–2009	Nacional	0	(0)
2006–2007	→ Santos (loan)	13	(2)
2007–2009	→ Bayern Munich (loan)	59	(9)
2009–2011	Hamburger SV	54	(7)
2011–2012	Al-Gharafa	14	(1)
2012–2014	Grêmio	82	(6)
2015–2017	Palmeiras	68	(3)
Total		648	(51)
National team
1995–2006	Brazil	84	(6)
Honours Men's football Representing  Brazil Copa América Winner 1997 Bolivia Winner 1999 Paraguay FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 1997 Saudi Arabia Winner 2005 Germany Runner-up 1999 Mexico FIFA World Cup Runner-up 1998 France
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

José Roberto da Silva Júnior (born 6 July 1974), known as Zé Roberto, is a Brazilian former footballer. He played as a left wing-back or a midfielder. He is famous for his time with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in Germany. He also played for Portuguesa, Grêmio, and Palmeiras in Brazil.

Zé Roberto started his career at Portuguesa. After two seasons, he joined Real Madrid in January 1997. He left Real Madrid later that year to play more often. This would help him get picked for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He played for Flamengo before returning to Europe. In 1998, he signed with Bayer Leverkusen.

At Bayer Leverkusen, Zé Roberto helped his team challenge Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title. Leverkusen finished second three times. They also reached the 2002 UEFA Champions League final, but lost to Real Madrid. In 2002, Zé Roberto joined Bayern Munich. There, he won four Bundesliga titles over six seasons. He also played for Santos, Hamburger SV, Al-Gharafa, Grêmio, and Palmeiras. Throughout his career, he played 961 club games. He also played 84 times for the Brazil national team.

Today, Zé Roberto works as a technical advisor for Palmeiras. He helps the players and coaches directly.

Zé Roberto's Football Journey

Starting Out in Brazil

Zé Roberto began his youth career at Palestra de São Bernardo. He became well-known while playing for Portuguesa. He was a left-back and helped his team finish second in the 1996 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

Time in Europe: Real Madrid

In January 1997, he joined Real Madrid for a short time. He helped them win the Spanish league championship in 1997. He was also part of the team that won the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League. He scored one goal for Real Madrid against Rosenborg BK. He then moved back to Brazil to play for Flamengo. Zé Roberto later said he left Madrid to get more playing time. This was important for his dream of playing for Brazil in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

In the first half of 1998, Zé Roberto played for Flamengo. He played alongside famous players like Romário. After this, he was signed by the German club Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Success with Bayer Leverkusen

Zé Roberto joined Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 1998. This is where he truly became famous. He quickly became a favorite player at the club. During his four years there, Bayer Leverkusen had a very successful period. They finished second in the German Bundesliga three times.

In December 2001, he scored a great goal against Deportivo de La Coruña in the Champions League. Bayer Leverkusen won that game 3–0. In April 2002, Zé Roberto announced he would join Bayern Munich. This was after Bayer beat Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals. Even with transfer news, Zé Roberto helped Bayer reach the Champions League final. They lost 2–1 to his old club, Real Madrid. In his four years at Leverkusen, Zé Roberto played in 113 league games and scored 16 goals.

Winning Titles with Bayern Munich and Santos

Zé Roberto with Bayern Munich in 2006

In May 2002, Zé Roberto moved to Bayern Munich. He signed a three-year deal. With Bayern, he won the German league and cup (the "double") three times between 2002 and 2006. He left Bayern in 2006 because he wasn't playing as much. He also said the club needed to change its playing style.

After leaving Bayern, Zé Roberto signed with Club Nacional de Football in Uruguay. However, he never played for them. In August 2006, he joined Santos FC in Brazil for one year. He helped Santos win the 2007 Campeonato Paulista, which was his first title in a Brazilian competition. He scored seven goals in the 2007 Copa Libertadores. Santos reached the semi-finals of that tournament. While at Santos, Zé Roberto played 48 games and scored 12 goals. He played as an attacking midfielder for the first time.

In June 2007, Zé Roberto returned to Bayern Munich. He said, "It was as if I’d never been away." He helped them win another domestic double. Zé Roberto played very well in his new role as a defensive midfielder. He scored five goals and worked well with Mark van Bommel.

Zé Roberto started the 2008–09 season strongly, scoring four goals in his first 11 games. He played 59 league games and scored nine goals in his second time at Bayern. He left the club in 2009 because they would not offer him a new two-year contract.

Moving to Hamburger SV and Al-Gharafa

Zé Roberto training with Hamburg in 2009

Zé Roberto's contract with Bayern ended in June 2009. He joined Hamburger SV on a two-year contract in July 2009. In May 2011, Zé Roberto confirmed he would not stay with Hamburg. He wanted a longer contract than the club offered.

On 10 July 2011, Zé Roberto signed a two-year contract with the Qatari club Al-Gharafa.

Back to Brazil: Grêmio and Palmeiras

After one season with Al-Gharafa, Zé Roberto came back to Brazil in May 2012. He joined Grêmio FBPA. He helped them finish third in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. In December 2012, he said he wanted to finish his career at Grêmio and extended his contract.

On 9 December 2014, Zé Roberto left Grêmio. The club decided not to renew his contract.

Final Years with Palmeiras

Zé Roberto playing for Palmeiras in 2017

On 22 December 2014, Zé Roberto joined Palmeiras on a one-year contract. He was immediately made team captain. He helped them win the 2015 Copa do Brasil, scoring four goals and a penalty in the final. He signed a one-year extension to his contract in October 2015. On 28 November 2016, he won his first national championship in Brazil. He said he would not retire after that season. On 9 December, he signed a new contract with Palmeiras until the end of 2017. On 24 November, he announced that his match against Botafogo two days later would be his last. He then retired from playing football.

Playing for Brazil

Zé Roberto was part of the Brazil squads for the 1998 and 2006 World Cups. In 1998, he helped Brazil reach the final. He played once but was on the bench when Brazil lost to France 3–0. He missed the 2002 World Cup because of a calf injury. In the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Zé Roberto scored Brazil's third goal against Ghana. He was named "man of the match" in that game. He was also the only Brazilian player chosen for the tournament's All-Star Team.

Zé Roberto helped Brazil win the 1997 and 1999 Copa América tournaments. He scored Brazil's third goal in their 3–1 win over Bolivia in the 1997 final.

He also played for Brazil in the 1997 and 2005 FIFA Confederations Cups. Brazil won both of these tournaments. He played the entire final in 2005, where Brazil beat Argentina 4–1.

How Zé Roberto Played

Zé Roberto in 2011

Zé Roberto was a fast, hard-working, and flexible player who used his left foot. He could play as a defender on the left side or in several midfield positions. He was known for his skill, vision, and effective playing style. He was also good at dribbling, passing, crossing, and tackling.

He started as an attacking full-back or wing-back on the left. Sometimes he played as a box-to-box midfielder. Later, he played as a left-winger and then as a more creative attacking midfielder. At Bayern Munich, Zé Roberto was excellent as a defensive midfielder. He could read the game well, stop opposing attacks, and start counter-attacks. This new role helped him get called up to the Brazil national team again. There, he formed a strong midfield partnership with Emerson.

Life After Playing Football

In 2022, Betsson, a sports betting and casino company, announced Zé Roberto as a global ambassador. He signed a three-year deal to represent their brand in Brazil.

As of July 2024, Zé Roberto has over 2.8 million followers on Instagram. He has become a big fitness influencer in Brazil.

Personal Life and Beliefs

Zé Roberto is married to Luciana, and they have three children.

He is a Christian. He has said that having God in his heart is the most important thing. He believes that money and fame will fade, but God is special.

He supported Brazil manager Tite's choice to include Dani Alves in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Awards and Trophies

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 1996–97
• Supercopa de España: 1997

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08
• DFB-Pokal: 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08
• DFL-Ligapokal: 2004, 2007

Santos

• Campeonato Paulista: 2007

Palmeiras

• Série A: 2016
• Copa do Brasil: 2015

Brazil

• Copa América: 1997, 1999
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 1997, 2005; runner-up: 1999
• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1998
• Lunar New Year Cup: 2005

Individual Awards

• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2007–08
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2006
• Bola de Prata: 2012, 2014
• Campeonato Paulista Team of the year: 2015
• Goal of the Year in the Brasileirão: 2016