Anderson Polga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Personal information
Anderson Polga
Full name	Anderson Corrêa Polga
Date of birth	9 February 1979
Place of birth	Santiago, Brazil
Height	1.80 m
Nickname	Polgao
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Sporting Clube de Portugal
Youth clubs
	Gremio B
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1995-2000 2003-Present	Grêmio Sporting	94 (5) 67(2)
National team²
2002-2003	Brazil	11 (3)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 September 2006. ² National team caps and goals correct as of 26 November 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Anderson Corrêa Polga (born February 9, 1979), usually called Anderson Polga or just Polga, is a Brazilian football defender. He currently plays in Portugal for Sporting, having previously played for Grêmio. He was a World Champion at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Polga is a rock solid centre back with plenty of experience, he is a very good tackler and a good header of the ball. He is one of Sporting's most consistent performers.

A masterful defender both on the deck and in the air, FIFA World Cup winner Anderson Polga came to prominence at Grêmio FPA in his native Brazil before heading to Europe to play for Sporting Clube de Portugal.

Club Groomed at Grêmio, the central defender made his senior debut in 1999 and went on to shine in the following three seasons, scoring three goals in more than 60 games for the Brazilian side. During that time he helped his team to secure both the 2001 Rio Grande do Sul Championship and the Copa do Brasil. However, his biggest achievement came in the 2002 FIFA World Cup when he helped Brazil claim an unprecedented fifth title, featuring in two games in Korea/Japan. His qualities made him a target for several European teams but it was Sporting who secured the defender's services in 2003/04. Since than he has established himself has a regular of the Lisbon team, who he helped to reach the final of the 2004/05 UEFA Cup, though he was an unusued substitute against PFC CSKA Moskva, and finish second in the Liga the following season, after which he signed a new three-year deal.

He was called into the 2002 World Cup squad having only made his Brazil debut that year against Bolivia

Sporting Clube de Portugal - Current Squad
1 Ricardo \| 4 Polga \| 8 Ronny \| 10 C. Martins \| 11 Tello \| 12 Caneira \| 13 Tonel \| 15 M. Garcia \| 16 Tiago \| 18 Nani \| 19 Alecsandro \| 20 Y. Djaló \| 21 P. Farnerud \| 22 R. Patrício \| 24 M. Veloso \| 27 Custódio \| 28 Moutinho \| 31 Liédson \| 34 J. Alves \| 76 Paredes \| 78 Abel \| 80 Bueno \| Manager: P. Bento

	Brazil squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup Champions (5th Title)
1 Marcos \| 2 Cafu \| 3 Lúcio \| 4 Roque Júnior \| 5 Edmílson \| 6 Roberto Carlos \| 7 Ricardinho \| 8 Gilberto Silva \| 9 Ronaldo \| 10 Rivaldo \| 11 Ronaldinho \| 12 Dida \| 13 Belletti \| 14 Anderson Polga \| 15 Kléberson \| 16 Júnior \| 17 Denílson \| 18 Vampeta \| 19 Juninho \| 20 Edílson \| 21 Luizão \| 22 Rogério Ceni \| 23 Kaká \| Coach: Scolari