| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Roberto da Silva Jr. | ||
| Date of birth | 6 July 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Ipiranga, São Paulo, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Al-Gharafa | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–1997 | Portuguesa | 61 | (1) |
| 1997–1998 | Real Madrid | 15 | (0) |
| 1998 | Flamengo | 24 | (0) |
| 1998–2002 | Bayer Leverkusen | 113 | (17) |
| 2002–2006 | Bayern Munich | 110 | (5) |
| 2006–2007 | Santos | 48 | (12) |
| 2007–2009 | Bayern Munich | 59 | (9) |
| 2009–2011 | Hamburger SV | 54 | (7) |
| 2011– | Al-Gharafa | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1995–2007 | Brazil | 84 | (6) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:18, 31 May 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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José Roberto da Silva Jr. (born 6 July 1974 in Ipiranga), commonly known as Zé Roberto, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for Al-Gharafa of the Qatari League as midfielder.
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Zé Roberto started the youth ranks of the Lecture of São Bernardo, however, was playing in Portuguesa in São Paulo, Brazil, where he became known throughout Brazil because of the conquest of vice in the Brasileirão 1996.
He then joined Real Madrid for a brief spell where he helped them win La Liga, before moving back to Brazil to play for Flamengo.
Zé passed by Flamengo in 1998 and served in Gávea alongside big names in football like Romário and Palhinha. He played in twenty-four league games, but failed to score. His spell at Flamengo was very short, considering that in that same year 1998, he was eventually negotiated with Bayer Leverkusen, Germany.
He joined Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 1998. It was at Leverkusen that he made a real name for himself, fast becoming a popular figure at the club. During his four year stay at the club, Bayer enjoyed its most successful period, being German Bundesliga runners-up on three occasions and reaching the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final. In four years at the club Zé Roberto appeared in 113 league matches scoring 16 goals.
In May 2002, he joined Bayern Munich for a reported €12 million[1][2] where he claimed the domestic league and Cup double three times between 2002 and 2006. He found his starting spot threatened under coach Felix Magath. Following the announcement that he would not return to Bayern Munich, he publicly criticized the club's style of play and predicted struggles if changes were not made.
On 31 August 2006, Zé Roberto signed a one-year deal with Santos[3] and helped the team to win the 2007 Campeonato Paulista in a brilliant style. The win was his first and only title (to date) in a Brazilian competition. He scored seven goals in the Copa Libertadores 2007, where Santos reached the semi-finals. During his time with Santos he appeared in 48 official matches scoring 12 goals, playing for the first time in his career as an attacking midfielder.
On 22 June 2007, Bayern Munich officially announced the return of Zé Roberto on a Bosman transfer. He had completed his medical with the German club a day before and was offered a two-year contract.[4]
He stated, "It was as if I’d never been away," en route to winning a fourth domestic double with the Bavarians. During Bayern's 2007–08 season, he scored five goals and was influential in Bayern's domestic and cup double. The revitalised Zé Roberto demonstrated all his newly-acquired skills by scoring five goals and forming a rock-solid partnership with Mark van Bommel in his new role in central defensive midfield.
He made a successful start to the 2008–09 season – scoring four goals in his first 11 starts. He would conclude his second spell at the Bavarian club appearing in 59 league matches scoring nine goals.
His contract with Bayern ran until 30 June 2009. The club offered him a contract until 2010, though Zé Roberto declined.[5] Bundesliga side Hamburger SV officially announced signing Zé Roberto to a two year contract on 2 July 2009.[6][7] But Der Spiegel reported Hamburg actually paid €4 million sign-on fees to Zé Roberto's agent Juan Figer, which Bayern also paid €1 million in 2007.[8][9] In May 2011, Zé Roberto confirmed that he would not renew his contract with the German team, because he wanted a longer contract than the new one offered by the club.[10]
On 10 July 2011, Zé Roberto signed a two-year contract with the Qatari club Al-Gharafa.[11]
Zé Roberto was part of the Brazil squad at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup. Zé Roberto scored Brazil's third and final goal in a man of the match performance in Brazil's second round match against Ghana in the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.
Germany
Spain
Brazil
Brazil national team
Zé Roberto is a devout Catholic and is married to Luciana, with whom he has three children: Endrik, Miriá, and Isabelli.[12]