Ânderson Polga facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ânderson Corrêa Polga | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 9 February 1979 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Santiago, Brazil | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Grêmio | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Grêmio | 64 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2012 | Sporting CP | 221 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | Corinthians | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 288 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Brazil | 11 | (3) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Ânderson Corrêa Polga (born on February 9, 1979) is a Brazilian former footballer. He played as a centre-back, which is a defensive position.
Polga spent most of his career playing for Sporting CP in Portugal. He played in 327 official games for them and won four major titles. Before that, he started his professional journey with Grêmio in Brazil.
He also played for the Brazilian national team. He was part of the team that won the 2002 World Cup.
Contents
Club Career: Polga's Journey in Football
Starting Out at Grêmio
Ânderson Polga grew up playing football at Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense in Brazil. He was born in Santiago, Rio Grande do Sul. From early on, he was a very important player in defense for his team.
In 2001, he helped Grêmio win two important trophies. These were the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship and the Brazilian Cup.
Moving to Portugal with Sporting CP
In 2003, Polga moved to Portugal to play for Sporting CP. He made history by becoming the first World Cup champion to play in Portugal.
Polga quickly became a strong defender for Sporting. In his third year, he helped them reach the UEFA Cup final in 2005. Sporting lost that game 3–1 to CSKA Moscow.
He also helped Sporting finish second in the Primeira Liga (the top Portuguese league) four times in a row.
Later Years and Return to Brazil
Polga was not known for scoring many goals. However, he scored his first two goals for Sporting in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League. These goals came in two matches against Dynamo Kyiv.
He played in 43 games during the 2007–08 season. In 2009–10, he played less often but still appeared in 25 official matches. He left Sporting in June 2012 when he was 33 years old and went back to Brazil.
On September 5, 2012, Polga signed with Corinthians. This Brazilian club had recently sold some of their defenders. Polga's contract was not renewed at the end of the 2012 season.
International Career: Playing for Brazil
Polga played his first game for the Brazilian national team in 2002. This match was against Bolivia.
He was then chosen to play in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Brazil went on to win this tournament! Polga played in two full group stage matches during the World Cup.
After 2003, Polga did not play for the national team again. This was despite him playing well for his club team in several seasons.
International Goals
Here are the goals Polga scored for the Brazilian national team:
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 January 2002 | Estádio Serra Dourada, Goiânia, Brazil |  Bolivia |
6–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 7 March 2002 | Estádio Governador José Fragelli, Cuiabá, Brazil |  Iceland |
1–0 | 6–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 6–0 |
Honours: Trophies and Awards
Here are the major titles and awards Ânderson Polga won during his career:
Grêmio
- Campeonato Gaúcho: 1999, 2001
- Copa do Brasil: 2001
Sporting
- Taça de Portugal: 2006–07, 2007–08
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2007, 2008
- UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2004–05
Corinthians
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2012
Brazil
Individual
- Primeira Liga: Player of the Month May 2007
See also
In Spanish: Anderson Polga para niños
