Ânderson Polga
Encyclopedia
- For other Brazilian footballers nicknamed Anderson, see: Anderson (footballer).
Ânderson Corrêa Polga (born 9 February 1979 in Santiago, Rio Grande do Sul) 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 footballer who plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal as a central defender.
Club career
Groomed at Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto AlegrenseGrêmio 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...
, Polga was an important defensive unit from early on, and helped the side to two trophies in 2001: the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship
Campeonato Gaúcho
The Campeonato da Primeira Divisão de Futebol Profissional da FGF is the top tier of the footballleague of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.-Clubs:Clubs qualified to Campeonato Gaúcho Primeira Divisão 2011.*Canoas*Caxias...
and the Brazilian Cup
Copa do Brasil
The Copa Kia do Brasil, commonly known as Copa do Brasil , is a knockout competition played by 64 association football teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District...
.
In 2003, he moved to Sporting Clube de Portugal, becoming the first World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
champion ever to play in the country
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. He quickly became a defensive stalwart for the Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
-based side, helping it to the UEFA Cup final in his third year – after a run-in with then coach José Peseiro
José Peseiro
José Vítor dos Santos Peseiro is a football manager, who most notably served as an assistant for Carlos Queiroz during his Real Madrid tenure and as a manager for Sporting until his resignation in October 2005....
, he was an unused substitute in the decisive match
2005 UEFA Cup Final
The 2005 UEFA Cup Final was between Sporting CP of Portugal and CSKA Moscow of Russia. The match took at place at Sporting's home, Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, on 18 May 2005. CSKA Moscow won their first UEFA Cup and became the first Russian club to win a major European championship.-Match details:...
, a 1–3 defeat against PFC CSKA Moscow – as well as to four consecutive league runner-up finishes.
Not prone to score, Polga netted his first two goals for the Lions in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, in both group stage matches against FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv is a professional football club based in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Founded in 1927, the club currently participates in the Ukrainian Premier League and has spent its entire history in the top league of Soviet and later Ukrainian football...
.
In the 2009–10 season, as Sporting could only finish fourth, Polga lost his starting position to Tonel
Tonel
António Leonel Vilar Nogueira Sousa, aka Tonel , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for GNK Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, as a central defender.-Porto / Marítimo:Coming through the youth teams of F.C...
- who previously had lost his to youth graduate Daniel Carriço
Daniel Carriço
Daniel Filipe Martins Carriço is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Sporting Clube de Portugal as a central defender.-Club career:...
- but still managed to appear in 25 official matches (1,983 minutes).
International career
Polga made his debut for BrazilBrazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
in 2002 against Bolivia
Bolivia national football team
The Bolivia national football team is the national team of Bolivia and is controlled by the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol. After playing in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups, they qualified just once—in 1994...
, being subsequently summoned for that year
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
's FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. He made two complete group stage appearances for the eventual champions.
After 2003, although he displayed good club form in several seasons, Polga was not recalled again.
Grêmio
- Rio Grande do Sul State LeagueCampeonato GaúchoThe Campeonato da Primeira Divisão de Futebol Profissional da FGF is the top tier of the footballleague of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.-Clubs:Clubs qualified to Campeonato Gaúcho Primeira Divisão 2011.*Canoas*Caxias...
: 1999, 2001 - Brazilian CupCopa do BrasilThe Copa Kia do Brasil, commonly known as Copa do Brasil , is a knockout competition played by 64 association football teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District...
: 2001
Sporting
- Portuguese CupTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
: 2006–07, 2007–08 - Portuguese Supercup: 2007, 2008
- UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2004–05
- Portuguese League Cup: Runner-up 2007–08, 2008–09