Sonny Anderson

Sonny Anderson

Personal information
Full name	Anderson da Silva
Date of birth	19 September 1970 (1970-09-19)
Place of birth	Goiatuba, Brazil
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1987	XV Jaú
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1988–1991	Vasco Gama	42	(1)
1992	Guarani	18	(4)
1992–1994	Servette	52	(31)
1994	Marseille	20	(16)
1994–1997	Monaco	91	(51)
1997–1999	Barcelona	47	(16)
1999–2003	Lyon	110	(71)
2003–2004	Villarreal	38	(13)
2004–2005	Al-Rayyan	20	(24)
2006	Al-Gharafa	19	(6)
1988–2006	Total	457	(233)
National team
1997–2001	Brazil	7	(1)
Teams managed
2011	Neuchâtel Xamax
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Anderson da Silva (born 19 September 1970), known as Sonny or Anderson, is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a striker.

A prolific goalscorer in the club level, he is best known for his spells with Lyon, Monaco (he played most of his abroad career in France) and Barcelona.

Club career

Born in Goiatuba, Goiás, Anderson started playing professionally with CR Vasco da Gama, but failed to make an early impression; after failing to score in 18 matches in his last year, he moved to Guarani Futebol Clube. His first abroad experience came with Servette FC, and his impact was instant, scoring 20 goals in his first season, then helping the club to the national league in the following, bagging 11 in just the first half of the season, as he left in January 1994 to Olympique de Marseille.

After six months, with L'OM relegated due to a bribery scandal, Anderson moved to fellow Ligue 1 team AS Monaco FC, scoring at an equally impressive pace, and winning team (1997 league) and individual accolades alike.

In 1997, Sonny joined FC Barcelona. Having to battle for first-choice status with the likes of Luis Enrique and Patrick Kluivert, he fared well, netting 10 times in La Liga alone in his first season, as the Catalans won the double. In his second year, he played less, which prompted a return to France, with rising Olympique Lyonnais, for approximately €18 millions. He would be a very important offensive figure as the team won the first two of seven consecutive national championships.

Aged 33, Anderson returned to Spain, with Villarreal CF. In his only full campaign, he scored 12 times, including against Real Madrid (1–0, after only two minutes on the pitch), former side Barcelona (2–1, in the 89th minute) and Valencia CF (1–0), while also helping the Yellow Submarine to the UEFA Cup semifinals.

After being instrumental in Villarreal's 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup win, Sonny finished his career in Qatar. He then returned to Lyon, going on work with the team's strikers. In June 2007, he played a farewell match at the Stade de Gerland, in a match facing Sonny's friends and the 2002 French champions.

In May 2011, Anderson started a coaching career, joining Neuchâtel Xamax in Switzerland. On 24 July, after only two league games, he was sacked.

International career

Anderson could not translate his club success to the international front. He only gained seven caps, the first coming in August 1997, against South Korea.

Honours

Team

• Vasco da Gama:
  • Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1989

• Servette:
  • Swiss Super League: 1993–94

• Monaco:
  • Ligue 1: 1996–97

• Barcelona:
  • La Liga: 1997–98, 1998–99
  • Copa del Rey: 1997–98
  • UEFA Super Cup: 1997

• Lyon:
  • Ligue 1: 2001–02, 2002–03
  • Trophée des Champions: 2002
  • Coupe de la Ligue: 2000–01

• Villarreal:
  • UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2004

Individual

• Swiss Super League: Top scorer/Best foreign player 1992–93
• Ligue 1: Top scorer 1995–96, 1999–2000, 2000–01; Étoile d'Or 1996, Best player 1996–97
• Qatari League: Top scorer 2005

External links

• L'Équipe stats (French)
• BDFutbol profile
• Sonny Anderson at National-Football-Teams.com
• FootballDatabase profile and stats