Juninho Pernambucano
Juninho Pernambucano is without a doubt the best free-kick taker in the history of football, even 40 meters from the opponent's goal, it seemed easy for him.
Trophies
Goals
Games
1993/95 Sport Recife (BRE) 89 matches, 27 goals
1995/2001 Vasco de Gama (BRE) 265 matches, 54 goals
2001/09 Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) 344 matches, 100 goals
(French Championship: 248 matches, 75 goals)
(Coupe de France: 19 matches, 7 goals)
(Coupe de la ligue: 9 matches)
(Trophée des Champions: 3 matches)
(Champions League: 59 matches, 18 goals)
(UEFA Cup: 6 matches)
2009/11 Al-Gharafa (QAT) 65 matches, 25 goals
2011/12 Vasco de Gama (BRE) 75 matches, 18 goals
2013 New York Red Bulls (USA) 15 matches
2013 Vasco de Gama (BRE) 22 matches, 2 goals
With the National Team :
40 caps, 6 goals
(Friendly matches: 17 caps, 3 goals)
(World Cup qualifiers: 13 caps, 1 goal)
(World Cup: 3 caps, 1 goal)
(Copa America: 4 caps)
(Confederations Cup: 3 caps, 1 goal)
1st cap: March 27, 1999 against South Korea (0-1)
Last cap: July 1, 2006 against France (0-1)
An excellent first part of his career in Brazil
Antônio Augusto Ribeiro Reis Junior better known as Juninho Pernambucano was born on January 30, 1975 in Recife, Brazil. The young Brazilian was not destined to play football, he played and focused on futsal until he was 13.
He began his professional career in 1993 in the Sport Recife club, there, he established himself as a true talent in Brazilian football and already showed great qualities on set pieces. With excellent vision and good passing skills, he joined Vasco De Gama in 1996, where he won several trophies, including the 1998 Copa Libertadores.
Juninho, the world's best free-kick taker and the face of OL
In 2001, he was recruited by Olympique Lyonnais, where he quickly established himself as the leader of the French club's midfield. A French club that would become legendary and dominate the French championship without sharing. In this club, he truly became the best free-kick taker of all time. In total, he would score no less than 77 free-kicks during his career, and in Lyon, he would have scored 44 out of 77 taken, a crazy statistic because he would have achieved his figures in the Championship but also in European competitions.
Becoming captain of the team, he was the embodiment of the French club and the leading figure in French football during this period. A fairly good dribbler, he still based his game on passes and his altruism. Juninho is also the football player who best mastered the knuckleball, that is to say a parallel approach to the ball which gives the ball a trajectory as if it were floating.
Juninho won with Olympique Lyonnais 7 French championship titles, 1 French Cup, 3 Champions Trophies, 1 Peace Cup and placed Olympique Lyonnais among the best teams in the World at that time.
A disappointing career with Brazil
In May 2009, after 8 years at the club, he left the club free to join Al-Gharafa in Qatar at 34. He then left for Brazil and the USA to finish his career in 2013 at 38.
His career with Brazil was marked by an absence of major titles despite a total of 40 selections for 6 goals and 8 goals. The player never really managed to impose himself with his nation despite his incredible talent and a 12th place in the Ballon d'Or in 2005.
Trophies :
Confederations Cup x1
- 2005 (Brazil)
Toulon Under-20 Tournament x1
- 1995 (Brazil)
Copa Libertadores x1
- 1998 (Vasco De Gama)
Mercosur Cup x1
- 2000 (Vasco De Gama)
Brazilian League x2
- 1997 (Vasco De Gama)
- 2000 (Vasco De Gama)
Vice-Champion Brazilian League x1
- 2011 (Vasco De Gama)
French League x7
- 2002 (Olympique Lyonnais)
- 2003 (Olympique Lyonnais)
- 2004 (Olympique Lyonnais)
- 2005 (Olympique Lyonnais)
- 2006 (Olympique Lyonnais)
- 2007 (Olympique Lyonnais)
- 2008 (Olympique Lyonnais)
French Cup x1
- 2008 (Olympique Lyonnais)
Trophée des Champions x3
- 2002 (Olympique Lyonnais)
- 2003 (Olympique Lyonnais)
- 2004 (Olympique Lyonnais)
Finalist French League Cup x1
- 2007 (Olympique Lyonnais)
Peace Cup x1
- 2007 (Olympique Lyonnais)
Rio Championship x1
- 1998 (Vasco De Gama)
Brazilian Cup x1
- 2011 (Vasco De Gama)
Finalist Club World Cup x1
- 2000 (Vasco De Gama)
Intercontinental Cup x1
- 1998 (Vasco De Gama)
Rio-Sao Paulo Tournament x1
- 1999 (Vasco De Gama)
Rio Cup x3
- 1998 (Vasco De Gama)
- 1999 (Vasco De Gama)
- 2001 (Vasco De Gama)
Guanabara Cup x2
- 1998 (Vasco De Gama)
- 2000 (Vasco De Gama)
Pernambuco Championship x1
- 1994 (Sport Recife)
Qatar League x1
- 2010 (Al-Gharafa SC)
Qatar Cup x2
- 2010 (Al-Gharafa SC)
- 2011 (Al-Gharafa SC)
Individual Trophies :
- Bola de Prata in 2000
- Member of the Ligue 1 team of the season in 2004, 2005 and 2006
- Foreign player of the year in Ligue 1 in 2004, 2005 and 2006
- 12th in the Ballon d'Or in 2005
- Ligue 1 UNFP player of the month trophy in February 2005
- Ligue 1 UNFP player of the month trophy in March 2005
- Best player in Ligue 1 in 2006
- Ligue 1 UNFP player of the month trophy in October 2006
- Best player in the Qatari championship in 2010
- Best free-kick taker in the history of football with 77 goals
- In 2022, So Foot magazine ranked him in the top 1000 of the best players in the French championship, in 3rd place