Naldo (footballer born 1982)

Naldo

Personal information
Full name	Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues
Date of birth	10 September 1982 (1982-09-10)
Place of birth	Londrina, Brazil
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Werder Bremen
Number	4
Youth career
	RS Futebol
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2004	RS Futebol
2004–2005	Juventude	36	(8)
2005–	Werder Bremen	167	(20)
National team‡
2007–	Brazil	4	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 06:59, 30 December 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2009

Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues (born 10 September 1982), commonly known as Naldo, is a Brazilian footballer currently playing for German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen and the Brazilian national team.

Career

He plays as a versatile two-footed central defender, signing in the summer of 2005, to replace Valérien Ismaël who left for Bayern Munich. However, he is capable of playing right across the back line.

He played in all but two of Bremen's Bundesliga games in 2005–06 and in seven of their eight Champions League fixtures. He stands at 1.98 metres tall and this height, combined with his jumping and heading ability, make him a big threat in aerial contests. He is also well known for his set piece skill and according to Brazil national team manager Dunga Naldo can hit the ball in excess of 60 mph using the cannonball free kick method associated with other pros such as Roberto Carlos, Alex, Juninho and Adriano.

In the 2006–07 season, he scored a hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt. The match ended 6–2.

He recently broke into the Brazilian national team and has earned himself several caps, along with some great performances. Coach Dunga has reported to have been very happy with Naldo's games, which has earned him a place in the first XI.

He scored in the 2009 UEFA Cup Final to level the game at 1–1, however his team went on to lose the game 2–1 to Shakhtar Donetsk after extra time.

In May 2010, Naldo sustained a serious knee injury. He made his comeback in mid August 2011, appearing for Werder in a friendly match, and subsequently returned to Bundesliga action in September 2011.

Nicknames

During his first few weeks at Bremen fans likened him to an Ox due to his immense height and athletic build, as a result he was nicknamed The Beast, a name shared with players Julio Baptista, Jonathan Parkin and Brian Jensen.

Quotes

• Thomas Schaaf: “He is probably the most talented defender in Brazil.”

External links

• Official website (German) (English) (Portuguese)
• Naldo at fussballdaten.de (German)