José Júnior
Encyclopedia
José Luiz Guimarães Sanabio Júnior, or simply Júnior, (born June 15, 1976 in Fortaleza
) is a Brazil
ian football
striker
playing for Esporte Clube Bahia
of the Brazil
ian Série A
.
and Rotherham United
, and has, to date, played in seven different countries. He arrived in Europe and at English First Division
side Walsall
from Brazilian side Treze
at the beginning of the 2002/03 season. Júnior and Jorge Leitão
formed a Portuguese speaking front-line that was envied by most clubs in the league. Between them they scored 29 goals during the course of the season, Júnior scoring 16 of them, for a side which many believe was the most talented Walsall team since the club's golden era under Bill Moore
in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Despite the best efforts of Walsall manager Colin Lee
to sign him permanently, Júnior moved on to Derby County
in August 2003; in his final game at Bescot Stadium
, he had demonstrated his skills perfectly by scoring a hat-trick against the Rams. Júnior got off to a good start at Derby, forming a talented partnership up front with Charlton
loanee Mathias Svensson
, but Svensson was recalled by Charlton. Júnior then injured a cruciate knee ligament in September, and, when he had recovered, he did not get much of a chance to play. He moved to Rotherham United
(on loan) and to Watford
, who sold him due to a problem with legal paperwork and his apparent lack of correct personal permits.
Júnior then moved to Denmark in October 2005, to Odense Boldklub. He scored 9 goals in 16 matches before being sold to Swedish club Malmö FF
on July 1, 2006. He scored 17 goals in 38 appearances for Malmö FF
, increasing his reputation in Sweden. On 16 April 2007, he famously scored Malmö
's 3000th goal in Swedish league history, when he scored the opening goal against GAIS
after one minute.
F.C. Copenhagen
signed José Junior on 31 January 2008. He spent much of his time there on the bench because of the stiff competition from Morten Nordstrand
and fellow Brazilians Aílton Almeida
and César Santin
. He signed with FC Nordsjælland
on loan in February 2009.
In May 2009, José Junior threatened not to show up for the game between FC Nordsjælland
and F.C. Copenhagen, because he refused to be a substitute. FC Nordsjælland manager Morten Wieghorst
subsequently announced that José Junior had played his last game for the club.
On 23 November 2009, Júnior agreed with FC Copenhagen to suspend his contract. It was then supposed that Júnior should sign with Randers FC
, whom he was previously loaned to, but his contract was cancelled as he had not attended the latest training sessions. He then returned to his homeland Brazil
and signed for Vitória
in February 2010.
Júnior helped Vitória reach the final of the 2010 Copa do Brasil
, scoring 7 goals in the competition, including one against Santos in the final's second leg.
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
) is a Brazil
Brazil
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...
ian football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
playing for Esporte Clube Bahia
Esporte Clube Bahia
Esporte Clube Bahia , known familiarly as Bahiaço, is a Brazilian professional football club, based in Salvador, Bahia. They play in the Campeonato Baiano, Bahia's state league, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Brazil's national league. Bahia was a founding member of the Clube dos 13 group...
of the Brazil
Brazil
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...
ian 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...
.
Biography
Júnior has represented many clubs, including Derby CountyDerby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
and Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
, and has, to date, played in seven different countries. He arrived in Europe and at English First Division
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
from Brazilian side Treze
Treze Futebol Clube
Treze Futebol Clube is a Brazilian football team from Campina Grande in Paraíba, founded on September 7, 1925. The club competed in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A several times.Treze greatest rivals are Botafogo and Campinense....
at the beginning of the 2002/03 season. Júnior and Jorge Leitão
Jorge Leitão
Jorge Manuel Vasconcelos Leitão is a Portuguese footballer who plays for F.C. Arouca as a striker.-Football career:...
formed a Portuguese speaking front-line that was envied by most clubs in the league. Between them they scored 29 goals during the course of the season, Júnior scoring 16 of them, for a side which many believe was the most talented Walsall team since the club's golden era under Bill Moore
Bill Moore
William Leonard Moore is an author and former UFO researcher. Prominent from the late 1970s to the late 1980s, he co-authored two books with Charles Berlitz, including The Roswell Incident - the first book written about the alleged Roswell UFO crash/retrieval...
in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Despite the best efforts of Walsall manager Colin Lee
Colin Lee
Colin Lee is an English football manager and former footballer. He is currently Chief Executive of League Two side Torquay United and President of Buckfastleigh Rangers Football & Social Club.-Playing career:...
to sign him permanently, Júnior moved on to Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
in August 2003; in his final game at Bescot Stadium
Bescot Stadium
Bescot Stadium, also known as the Banks's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Walsall Football Club. It was built in 1989-90 by GMI Construction with a reported build cost of £4.5m...
, he had demonstrated his skills perfectly by scoring a hat-trick against the Rams. Júnior got off to a good start at Derby, forming a talented partnership up front with Charlton
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
loanee Mathias Svensson
Mathias Svensson
Mathias Svensson is a retired Swedish footballer. He played as striker and his last team was IF Elfsborg, having spent much of his career in England. He won three full international caps for Sweden during his career...
, but Svensson was recalled by Charlton. Júnior then injured a cruciate knee ligament in September, and, when he had recovered, he did not get much of a chance to play. He moved to Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
(on loan) and to Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
, who sold him due to a problem with legal paperwork and his apparent lack of correct personal permits.
Júnior then moved to Denmark in October 2005, to Odense Boldklub. He scored 9 goals in 16 matches before being sold to Swedish club Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
on July 1, 2006. He scored 17 goals in 38 appearances for Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
, increasing his reputation in Sweden. On 16 April 2007, he famously scored Malmö
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
's 3000th goal in Swedish league history, when he scored the opening goal against GAIS
GAIS
Göteborgs Atlet- och Idrottssällskap is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg, currently playing in Allsvenskan. The club is commonly referred to simply as GAIS, while its fans also refers to the club as grönsvart or the mackerels because of the traditional shirt colours...
after one minute.
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....
signed José Junior on 31 January 2008. He spent much of his time there on the bench because of the stiff competition from Morten Nordstrand
Morten Nordstrand
Morten Nordstrand Nielsen is a Danish professional football player, who plays as a striker for the Danish Superliga side F.C. Copenhagen. He has played eight times for the Denmark national football team.-Biography:...
and fellow Brazilians Aílton Almeida
Ailton José Almeida
Aílton José Almeida , simply known as Aílton, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for APOEL in the Cypriot First Division.- Örgryte IS :...
and César Santin
César Santín
César Santin 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 signed with 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...
on loan in February 2009.
In May 2009, José Junior threatened not to show up for the game between 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...
and F.C. Copenhagen, because he refused to be a substitute. FC Nordsjælland manager Morten Wieghorst
Morten Wieghorst
Morten Wieghorst is a Danish association football manager and former player. He is the manager of the Denmark national under-21 football team and the former manager of FC Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga whom he guided to the 2010 and 2011 Danish Cup trophy.During his active career, Wieghorst...
subsequently announced that José Junior had played his last game for the club.
On 23 November 2009, Júnior agreed with FC Copenhagen to suspend his contract. It was then supposed that Júnior should sign with Randers FC
Randers FC
Randers FC is a Danish professional football team based in Randers, which plays in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship. Founded as a merger on January 1, 2003, the club builds upon the license of Randers Freja, a former three-time Danish Cup winning team...
, whom he was previously loaned to, but his contract was cancelled as he had not attended the latest training sessions. He then returned to his homeland Brazil
Brazil
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...
and signed for 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...
in February 2010.
Júnior helped Vitória reach the final of the 2010 Copa do Brasil
2010 Copa do Brasil
The 2010 Copa do Brasil was the 22nd edition of the Copa do Brasil, starting on February 10 and ended on August 4. It was contested by 64 teams, either qualified through their respective state championships or by the CBF Rankings...
, scoring 7 goals in the competition, including one against Santos in the final's second leg.