Walter Samuel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wálter Samuel
Personal information
Full name Wálter Adrián Luján / Samuel
Date of birth March 22, 1978 (1978-03-22) (age 30)
Place of birth    Laborde, Argentina
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current club Internazionale
Number 25
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1996-1997
1997-2000
2000-2004
2004-2005
2005-present		 Newell's Old Boys
Boca Juniors
AS Roma
Real Madrid
Internazionale		 37 (0)
75 (4)
122 (9)
30 (2)
57 (5)   
National team2
1999-2006 Argentina 53 (4)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 24 May 2008.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 24 May 2008.
* Appearances (Goals)

Wálter Adrián Samuel (born Wálter Adrián Luján March 22, 1978 in Laborde, Córdoba Province) is an Argentine football (soccer) player, who currently plays for Internazionale of the Italian league.

Samuel started playing professionally in 1996 in Argentina for Newell's Old Boys, and a year later moved to Boca Juniors where he stayed until 2000. In that year AS Roma bought his contract for €19.8m. He gained fame as one of the best defenders in the Italian league and attracted interest from Spanish team Real Madrid. Real paid 25,000,000 Euros (almost 30,000,000 U.S. dollars) for his transfer in 2004. But Samuel had a poor performance that season, and in August 2005 he returned to the Italian League, with a transfer to Internazionale for 16 million euros, signed 4 year contract[1].

The centre-back got the nickname of The Wall while playing for AS Roma in Italy, due to his defensive skills. In the Milan Derby (23rd December 2007) he hurt himself whilst marking Kaka, and a couple weeks later had reconstructive surgery on his medial cruciate ligament. He is expected to be out until the end of the 07/08 season. He has played 53 matches for the Argentine national team, scoring 4 goals. He played for his country in the 2002 World Cup.

Contents

[edit] Achievements

[edit] Personal life

Son of a single mother, he was born under the name of Walter Luján, but decided to change his mother's lastname for his stepfather's lastname when he was a teenager[2].

He has a daughter.


[edit] References

  1. ^ "Inter complete Samuel signing", uefa.com, 2005-08-01. Retrieved on 2007-07-18. 
  2. ^ "EL JUVENIL LUJÁN QUE ASOMBRÓ A ARGENTINA" - Diario AS (Spanish)

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Argentina squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup
1 Burgos • 2 Ayala • 3 Sorín • 4 Pochettino • 5 Almeyda • 6 Samuel • 7 C. López • 8 Zanetti • 9 Batistuta • 10 Ortega • 11 Verón • 12 Cavallero • 13 Placente • 14 Simeone • 15 Husaín • 16 Aimar • 17 G. López • 18 González • 19 Crespo • 20 Gallardo • 21 Caniggia • 22 Chamot • 23 Bonano • Coach: Bielsa
 Flag of Argentina
v • d • e
F.C. Internazionale Milano – current squad

1 Toldo • 2 Córdoba • 4 J. Zanetti • 5 Stanković • 6 Maxwell • 7 Figo • 8 Ibrahimović • 9 Cruz • 11 Jiménez • 12 Júlio César • 13 Maicon • 14 Vieira • 15 Dacourt • 16 Burdisso • 18 Crespo • 19 Cambiasso • 21 Solari • 22 Orlandoni • 23 Materazzi • 24 Rivas • 25 Samuel • 26 Chivu • 28 Maniche • 29 Suazo • 30 Pélé • 31 César • 36 Bolzoni • 37 Puccio • 40 Fatić • 45 Balotelli • 46 Napoli • 47 Filippini • 50 Siligardi • Coach: Mourinho