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Juliano Belletti

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Juliano Belletti
Personal information
Full name Juliano Haus Belletti
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Right Back
Team information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 35
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 November 2006

Juliano Haus Belletti (born June 20, 1976 in Cascavel, Brazil), often known as Belletti, is a Brazilian football player, of Italian descent, who currently plays for Chelsea. He currently plays as a right back but started off as a midfielder and was awarded by Placar with the Silver Ball for his continuous great performances for Atlético Mineiro during the 1999 Brazilian Série A.

Club career

He started his career playing for Cruzeiro in 1993. In 1995 he moved to São Paulo, where he earned a solid spot in the starting lineup. In 1999 he played for Atlético where he was vice-champion of the Brazilian League. Rumors linked him with a move to La Liga side Valencia in 2001, but the move fell apart at the last minute.[citation needed] In 2002 he finally moved to Europe, going to Villarreal. In 2004, after a successful spell at Villarreal he signed for Barcelona where he became the first-choice right back and a key player in the squad.

F.C. Barcelona

Belletti with Barça

After winning the Spanish La Liga title in his first season, Belletti gradually fell out of favor both in Barcelona and in the Brazilian National Team. Being a regular in 04–05 season, he saw a tough competition from Catalan Oleguer Presas. Still, he played most of his second season in-and-out of the first team.

On May 17, 2006, in the Stade de France, Paris, Belletti's club Barcelona played English club Arsenal in the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. Oleguer was preferred to start rather than Belletti, and he had to make do with a place on the substitute bench. But when manager Frank Rijkaard brought him on for Oleguer he scored the second goal in a 2–1 come-from-behind win which gave them the 2006 UEFA Champions League crown.

His third season was marked by injuries, and the new competition from Gianluca Zambrotta proved too much for him. He played very little in Barcelona's season that ended with nothing.

Chelsea F.C.

On August 23 2007, Chelsea officially announced that Belletti had signed a three-year contract after the player agreed personal terms and passed a medical. .[1] He made his English Premier League debut for Chelsea on August 25 2007, when he came on as a substitute for John Obi Mikel in the 64th minute of their home game against Portsmouth, with the game ending 1–0 to Chelsea.[2]

He made his first start for Chelsea against Aston Villa at Villa Park. Despite a strong debut, Chelsea lost the game 2-0. Since the departure of José Mourinho, Belletti has become a regular starter in the right-back position for Premier League, Champions League and Carling Cup games. He has made two appearances in the FA Cup this season. Belletti currently competes against Paulo Ferreira for the right-back position. At this stage of the season, the position is shared between the two.

Belletti so far has scored two goals for Chelsea, both of which have been long-range efforts. His first goal for the club came against Wigan Athletic on November 3, 2007. This was hit from 20-yards out[3], then on January 12, 2008, he scored a similar strike against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. This goal was arguably more impressive and was hit from 30-yards out.[4] Both of these goals have come in the English Premier League. Belletti's goal against Tottenham was also voted by fans as the Chelsea Goal of the Season 2007-08.[5] On the 12th May 2008, Chelsea announced the signing of another right back, the £16 million Bosingwa from Porto. With Fereira already having signed a 5 year deal earlier in the season, Beletti looks to be on his way out next season.

International career

Belletti is of Italian descent and holds an Italian passport, allowing him to bypass the non-EU player restrictions in La Liga and to play in the Premier League without a work permit. He has been capped 23 times for the Brazilian national team, scoring two goals. Belletti has yet to receive another call-up since 2005 and was left out of the unsuccessful Brazil squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Honours

References

  1. ^ Belletti Move Completed
  2. ^ "Chelsea 1 - 0 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. Retrieved August 25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Wigan 0-2 Chelsea
  4. ^ Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham
  5. ^ Chelsea Player of the Year Awards
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