César Santín
Encyclopedia
César Santin (ˈsɛzɐʁ sɐ̃ˈtʃĩⁿ; born 24 February 1981) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for Danish Superliga
club F.C. Copenhagen
. He formerly played 5 years in Sweden
for Kalmar FF
.
He is a versatile player, being able to play most of the attacking positions in both midfield and attack. He is known as a pacey winger with an eager to challenge the opponents with his dribbles.
he started his career playing for São José
, a team he would later return to play for a short brief in 2004. Meanwhile he played for both Grêmio
and Vitória
, never managing to get his breakthrough in the best Brazilian league Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
. His goal for Grêmio against Juventude
gave qualification for semifinals in 2002 Brasileirão
.
who the previous season was promoted from Superettan
finishing 1st, and was about to play in Allsvenskan
.
César Santin quickly became a darling to the fans due to his hard work and good dribbles. He especially won the supporters hearts when he scored against Scandinavia
n giants F.C. Copenhagen, which he would later transfer to, with a terrific longshot leaving Copenhagen
goalie Jesper Christiansen
no chance in a Royal League
match, a match Kalmar FF won 1–0.
In his time in Allsvenskan, he developed into a league profile scoring 12 times in 23 appearances in the 2007 season
. In the first half of the 2008 season
he started out as the league topscorer helping Kalmar FF to the 1st place in the league. His strong performances had him linked with F.C. Copenhagen to whom he would later transfer to for an unknown price, however, Ekstra Bladet
claimed that the price was around 10 million Danish krone
r.
promised that the club would get the best squad in the league, but as the window headed towards the end F.C. Copenhagen still had not signed any reinforcement but Thomas Kristensen
from FC Nordsjælland
. As César Santin was signed at the end of the window, many people became sceptic and thought of him as being a panicky transfer, however, after some good performances and a goal in his fourth game for the club against Lillestrøm SK and fifth game against league rivals FC Midtjylland
he quickly became a fan favourite, and is now considered one the most essential parts of the Copenhagen offensive play.
On November 6, 2008 César Santin scored his second goal in the UEFA Cup 2008–09 group stage
when he from close range equalized Valencia CF
's 1–0 lead and the match ended in a draw. He claimed after the match that he had scored many important goals, but the one against Valencia CF
was the most important goal in his career.
On December 17, 2008 Copenhagen
played their last match of the year against Belgian side Club Brugge
. Copenhagen won 1–0, the goalscorer was Santin, and this secured Copenhagen to play at the knock-out stages in the UEFA Cup
in 2009 facing English
side Manchester City. A game that was drawn 2–2 after goals from Ailton Almeida and Martin Vingaard
.
On May 24, 2009 Santin secured FCK the championship of the 2009 season, scoring on a penalty shot against Esbjerg
, the sole goal of the game. Meanwhile, Brøndby lost their game in Aarhus, giving FCK a 5-point lead with one round left in the Superliga
.
The 2010-2011 season was so far the most successful for Santin, as he was part of the historical side, that managed to progress from the group stages of the UEFA Champions League
, before being knocked out by Chelsea F.C.
2-0 on aggregate. Also, he managed to net an impressive 16 goals in the domestic league that season, becoming the second-most scoring player in the league after team mate Dame N'Doye
, who scored a total of 25. Santin was a regular starter all season in the Superliga, where FCK performed very well and won with the highest margin ever.
He did, however, have some problems in the Champions League, where he underperformed quite badly at times. The best example of this being in the match against F.C. Barcelona on Camp Nou, where Santin, with FCK trailing with one goal, stopped all the sudden after a perfect through-ball, and hampered the greatest chance for FCK that night. Afterwards, however, it turned out that Barcalonas goalkeeper, Jose Manuel Pinto, had tried to emulate the sound of the judges whistle, thus confusing Santin. Pinto later received a 2 match ban from the Champions League for that stunt. That very same match, he also managed to miss a header in front of a completely empty goal, after N'Doye had forced Pinto out of the goal from hitting the bar. After the match in Barcelona, he never figured as a regular starter ever again in the Champions League.
The 2011-2012 season has so far started well for Santin, despite his team being knocked out of the qualification stages of the Champions League. He has so far netted 4 goals, and sits atop the top scorers list with 4 goals, sharing it with 2 other players.
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
club F.C. Copenhagen
F.C. Copenhagen
F.C. Copenhagen is a professional Danish football club in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the Parken Sport & Entertainment....
. He formerly played 5 years in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
for Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF is a Swedish football club located in Kalmar. Formed 10 January 1910, the club has won three national cup titles and 1 league title. Kalmar FF currently play in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan....
.
He is a versatile player, being able to play most of the attacking positions in both midfield and attack. He is known as a pacey winger with an eager to challenge the opponents with his dribbles.
Early career
In his years in BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
he started his career playing for São José
Esporte Clube São José
Esporte Clube São José, usually known as São José de Porto Alegre or simply as São José-PA, is a traditional Brazilian football club from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state.-History:...
, a team he would later return to play for a short brief in 2004. Meanwhile he played for both Grêmio
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa...
and Vitória
Esporte Clube Vitória
Esporte Clube Vitória, usually known simply as Vitória, is a Brazilian football team from Salvador in Bahia, founded on May 13, 1899.Vitória's home games are played at the club's own stadium . They play in red and black horizontal striped shirts, black shorts and black socks...
, never managing to get his breakthrough in the best Brazilian league Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
. His goal for Grêmio against Juventude
Esporte Clube Juventude
Esporte Clube Juventude, also known as Juventude, is a Brazilian football team in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul.Juventude's greatest rival is Caxias.-History:...
gave qualification for semifinals in 2002 Brasileirão
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 2002
The 32nd season of the Campeonato Brasileiro began on August 10, 2002, and reached its end on December 15, 2002. The competition was won by Santos.-Format:The 26 teams played against each other once...
.
Kalmar FF
In 2004 he transferred from São José to Swedish club Kalmar FFKalmar FF
Kalmar FF is a Swedish football club located in Kalmar. Formed 10 January 1910, the club has won three national cup titles and 1 league title. Kalmar FF currently play in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan....
who the previous season was promoted from Superettan
Superettan
Superettan is the second highest league in the league system of Swedish football and comprises 16 Swedish football teams. It was created in 2000. Before that, the second level league in Sweden had been Division 1....
finishing 1st, and was about to play in Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
.
César Santin quickly became a darling to the fans due to his hard work and good dribbles. He especially won the supporters hearts when he scored against Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n giants F.C. Copenhagen, which he would later transfer to, with a terrific longshot leaving Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
goalie Jesper Christiansen
Jesper Christiansen
Jesper Ringsborg Christiansen is a Danish professional footballer, who plays as a goalkeeper for IF Elfsborg in the Allsvenskan championship. He has previously played for Danish Superliga clubs Odense BK, Vejle BK, Viborg FF, and F.C. Copenhagen, winning four Superliga championships and two Danish...
no chance in a Royal League
Royal League
The Royal League was an annual Scandinavian football tournament held three times between teams from the three Scandinavian monarchies , starting after the end of the regular domestic seasons of Norway and Sweden. Denmark, however, are in mid-season when the tournament starts...
match, a match Kalmar FF won 1–0.
In his time in Allsvenskan, he developed into a league profile scoring 12 times in 23 appearances in the 2007 season
Allsvenskan 2007
Allsvenskan 2007, part of the 2007 Swedish football season, was the 83rd Allsvenskan season played. The first match was played 6 April 2007 and the last match was played 28 October 2007...
. In the first half of the 2008 season
Allsvenskan 2008
Allsvenskan 2008, part of the 2008 Swedish football season, was the 84th Allsvenskan season played. The first match was played on 30 March 2008 and the last matches were played on 9 November 2008.- Participating clubs :- Managers :- Standings :...
he started out as the league topscorer helping Kalmar FF to the 1st place in the league. His strong performances had him linked with F.C. Copenhagen to whom he would later transfer to for an unknown price, however, Ekstra Bladet
Ekstra Bladet
Ekstra Bladet is a Danish tabloid newspaper focusing on sensationalist stories. It gets a share of its income from sex ads. Since 1979 it has always had a partly or completely naked woman on page nine which is referred to as Side 9 Pigen , a Danish equivalent of the English Page Three girl...
claimed that the price was around 10 million Danish krone
Danish krone
The krone is the official currency of the Kingdom of Denmark consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is subdivided into 100 øre...
r.
F.C. Copenhagen
In the 2008 Danish summer transfer window, F.C. Copenhagen chairman Flemming ØstergaardFlemming Østergaard
Flemming Ammentorp Østergaard is a retired businessman, best known as long-time chairman of Parken Sport & Entertainment, who owns the football club F.C. Copenhagen...
promised that the club would get the best squad in the league, but as the window headed towards the end F.C. Copenhagen still had not signed any reinforcement but Thomas Kristensen
Thomas Kristensen
Thomas Fauerskov Kristensen is a Danish footballer who plays for Danish Superliga club F.C. Copenhagen as a midfielder. Kristensen has been capped five times for the Danish national team.-Club career:...
from FC Nordsjælland
FC Nordsjælland
Football Club Nordsjælland is a professional Danish football team from the North Zealand town of Farum, Denmark. Founded as Farum Boldklub from the merger of the town's two football clubs Farum IK and Stavnsholt BK in 1991, the club changed its name to F.C...
. As César Santin was signed at the end of the window, many people became sceptic and thought of him as being a panicky transfer, however, after some good performances and a goal in his fourth game for the club against Lillestrøm SK and fifth game against league rivals FC Midtjylland
FC Midtjylland
FC Midtjylland is a professional Danish football team from Herning and Ikast. The team is a result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad...
he quickly became a fan favourite, and is now considered one the most essential parts of the Copenhagen offensive play.
On November 6, 2008 César Santin scored his second goal in the UEFA Cup 2008–09 group stage
UEFA Cup 2008–09 group stage
The group stage of the 2008–09 UEFA Cup is the second stage of the competition proper. The draw took place on 7 October 2008 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. Group stage matches began on 23 October 2008 and concluded on 18 December 2008...
when he from close range equalized Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
's 1–0 lead and the match ended in a draw. He claimed after the match that he had scored many important goals, but the one against Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
was the most important goal in his career.
On December 17, 2008 Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
played their last match of the year against Belgian side Club Brugge
Club Brugge
Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging is a football club from Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the top clubs in Belgium. Its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,472....
. Copenhagen won 1–0, the goalscorer was Santin, and this secured Copenhagen to play at the knock-out stages in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
in 2009 facing English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
side Manchester City. A game that was drawn 2–2 after goals from Ailton Almeida and Martin Vingaard
Martin Vingaard
Martin Vingaard Hansen is a Danish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Danish Superliga side F.C. Copenhagen and the Danish national team....
.
On May 24, 2009 Santin secured FCK the championship of the 2009 season, scoring on a penalty shot against Esbjerg
Esbjerg
Esbjerg Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Johnny Søtrup, from the Venstre political party...
, the sole goal of the game. Meanwhile, Brøndby lost their game in Aarhus, giving FCK a 5-point lead with one round left in the Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
.
The 2010-2011 season was so far the most successful for Santin, as he was part of the historical side, that managed to progress from the group stages of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, before being knocked out by Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
2-0 on aggregate. Also, he managed to net an impressive 16 goals in the domestic league that season, becoming the second-most scoring player in the league after team mate Dame N'Doye
Dame N'Doye
Dame N'Doye is a Senegalese footballer who plays as a forward for F.C. Copenhagen of the Danish Superliga. His preferred position is as a withdrawn striker, second striker...
, who scored a total of 25. Santin was a regular starter all season in the Superliga, where FCK performed very well and won with the highest margin ever.
He did, however, have some problems in the Champions League, where he underperformed quite badly at times. The best example of this being in the match against F.C. Barcelona on Camp Nou, where Santin, with FCK trailing with one goal, stopped all the sudden after a perfect through-ball, and hampered the greatest chance for FCK that night. Afterwards, however, it turned out that Barcalonas goalkeeper, Jose Manuel Pinto, had tried to emulate the sound of the judges whistle, thus confusing Santin. Pinto later received a 2 match ban from the Champions League for that stunt. That very same match, he also managed to miss a header in front of a completely empty goal, after N'Doye had forced Pinto out of the goal from hitting the bar. After the match in Barcelona, he never figured as a regular starter ever again in the Champions League.
The 2011-2012 season has so far started well for Santin, despite his team being knocked out of the qualification stages of the Champions League. He has so far netted 4 goals, and sits atop the top scorers list with 4 goals, sharing it with 2 other players.
Honours
- Danish SuperligaDanish SuperligaThe Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
: 2008–09Danish Superliga 2008-09The 2008–09 Danish Superliga was the 19th season of Danish Superliga league championship, which determines the winners of the Danish football championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. The season started on 19 July 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009. The defending champions were Aalborg...
, 2009–10 & 2010-112010–11 Danish SuperligaThe 2010–11 Danish Superliga season was the 21st season of the Danish Superliga championship, which decides the Danish football championship. It began on 17 July 2010 with the previous season's silver medalists from Odense facing Esbjerg and ended on 29 May 2011 with six simultaneous matches. F.C... - Danish CupDanish CupThe Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...
: 2008–09Danish Cup 2008-09The Danish Cup 2008–09 was the 53rd season of only Danish football cup competition. It was the first time since 2004 that the cup had a sponsor name: the daily Newspaper Ekstra Bladet has signed a 3-year contract with the Danish Football Association , making the official name Ekstra Bladet Cup... - Svenska CupenSvenska CupenSvenska Cupen , is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 98 teams compete, comprising the 16 teams from Allsvenskan and the 16 teams of Superettan...
: 2007Svenska Cupen 2007Svenska Cupen 2007 was played March 24-September 27, 2007. Kalmar FF won the final with a 3-0 win against IFK Göteborg at Fredriksskans.-First round:-Second round:-Third round:-Fourth round:-Quarterfinals:--------... - AllsvenskanAllsvenskanAllsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
: 2008Allsvenskan 2008Allsvenskan 2008, part of the 2008 Swedish football season, was the 84th Allsvenskan season played. The first match was played on 30 March 2008 and the last matches were played on 9 November 2008.- Participating clubs :- Managers :- Standings :...