Rodrigo Possebon

Rodrigo Possebon
Personal information
Full nameRodrigo Pereira Possebon
Date of birth13 February 1989
Place of birthSapucaia do Sul, Brazil
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing positionCentral midfielder
Club information
Current team
Náutico
Youth career
2006–2008Internacional
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2008–2010Manchester United3(0)
2009–2010Braga (loan)0(0)
2010–2011Santos11(0)
2012Vicenza0(0)
2012Criciúma9(0)
2013Mirassol0(0)
2013Juventude7(0)
2014–Náutico7(0)
National team
2009Italy U201(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 09:58, 26 August 2014 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:16, 30 June 2009 (UTC)[1]

Rodrigo Pereira Possebon (born 13 February 1989) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Náutico. He signed for Santos from Manchester United on 20 August 2010.[2] He previously played for Internacional in Brazil, and went on loan to Braga of Portugal for the first half of the 2009–10 season.

Due to his ancestry, he has been capped for the Italy under-20s, playing one match for them in 2009.

Career

Club career

Early career

Born in Sapucaia do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Possebon began his football career playing for Internacional in a defensive midfield role. Possebon was spotted by Manchester United's Brazil-based scout, John Calvert-Toulmin, while following up the club's interest in twin full backs, Fábio and Rafael da Silva.[3]

Manchester United

Manchester United signed Possebon in January 2008, and since his father is of Italian descent, Possebon qualified for an Italian passport, and so was not subject to European Union legislation regarding non-Europeans working in Europe.[4] Possebon was allocated the number 34 shirt, which was vacated by Ryan Shawcross, for the remainder of the 2007–08 Premier League season.[5] He made his professional debut for the club as a substitute, coming on for Ryan Giggs during the second half of the 1–1 draw with Newcastle United on 17 August.[6]

On 23 September 2008, during a Football League Cup match, he was injured in a challenge by Middlesbrough captain Emanuel Pogatetz, for which the Austrian player received a straight red card.[7] It was initially feared that he had broken his leg, but Manchester United later confirmed otherwise.[8] Possebon made his return from injury on 22 October 2008, scoring in the Manchester United Reserves' 3–0 win over Manchester City.[9]

Possebon made his FA Cup debut on 13 February 2009, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Cristiano Ronaldo in a Fifth Round fixture with Derby County.[10][11] On 1 March 2009, Possebon won his first major trophy in English football after he was part of the Manchester United squad that beat Tottenham Hotspur 4–1 on penalties after the 2009 League Cup final finished goalless.[12]

Possebon joined Braga on loan, initially for the entire duration of the 2009–10 season.[13] However, after falling out of favour, he returned to Old Trafford in January, after making just one appearance for the club.[14]

Santos

On 19 August 2010, Santos announced that they had agreed terms with Possebon for his transfer from Manchester United. The two teams were still negotiating the fee for the transfer, but an announcement by Manchester United indicated that the transfer would be completed by the following day.[2]

Possebon made his Santos debut in an away draw against Atlético Mineiro.[15]

International career

Although he was born in Brazil, Possebon was eligible for an Italian passport due to his father's ancestry. He applied for an Italian passport when signing for Manchester United, in order to avoid work permit legislation for non-EU citizens working in the United Kingdom.[4] Following a relatively successful first season with Manchester United, Possebon received a call-up from Italy under-20 coach Francesco Rocca for the penultimate match of the 2008–09 Four Nations tournament against Germany on 22 April 2009.[16]

Career statistics

Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other[17] Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Manchester United 2008–09 302030000080
Total 302030000080
Braga (loan) 2009–10 000000100010
Total 000000100010
Santos 2010 300000000030
2011 50000050171271
Total 80000050171301
Vicenza 2011–12 000000000000
Total 000000000000
Criciúma 2012 900000000090
Total 900000000090
Mirassol 2013 000000004040
Total 000000004040
Career total 200203060211521

Statistics accurate as of 8 March 2013[18]

Honours

Club

Manchester United
Santos

References

  1. FIGC National Team Stats. Archive
  2. 2.0 2.1 Coppack, Nick (19 August 2010). "Santos to sign Possebon". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  3. Mathieson, Stuart (2 September 2008). "Reds rock to Samba beat". Manchester Evening News (M.E.N. media). Retrieved 13 November 2008.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Thompson, Gemma (7 February 2008). "High hopes for Possebon". ManUtd.com. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
  5. "Possebon given squad number". ManUtd.com. 6 February 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
  6. "Man Utd 1–1 Newcastle". BBC Sport. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  7. "United win marred by serious injury". Setanta Sports. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2008.
  8. "Good news for Possebon". Manchester United. 24 September 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
  9. Bartram, Steve (22 October 2008). "Reserves: City 0 United 3". Manchester United. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
  10. http://www.goal.com/en/news/780/fa-cup/2009/02/15/1111058/player-ratings-derby-county-1-4-manchester-united
  11. "Derby 1–4 Man Utd". BBC News. 13 February 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  12. "Man Utd 0–0 Tottenham (aet)". BBC News. 1 March 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  13. Bartram, Steve (2 July 2009). "Possebon heads out on loan". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  14. Gardener, Stewart (18 January 2010). "Today at Old Trafford". ManUtd.com (Manchester United). Retrieved 19 January 2010.
  15. Atlético-MG 2x2 Santos
  16. ""Four Nations": test against Germany in light of World Cup in Egypt". figc.it (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio). 20 April 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  17. Including Campeonato Paulista and others
  18. Possebon on Soccerway.com

External links