I have to admit, when I saw Robinho for the first time, when Real
Madrid bought him, he didn't look like much. His small frame and lack
of physical strength didn't recommend him as a great soccer player, but
Robinho soon proved me wrong.
His lightning fast reflexes and agility, his dribbles and his ability
to score in decisive moments reminded me of Ronaldo during his FC
Barcelona season. Actually Robinho came to Europe as a "Second
Ronaldo" and although he has yet to proven his worth for this
name, his skills recommend him as a future "El Phenomeno". But let's
take a look at how the Brazilian managed to get himself to Real Madrid
in this short Robinho biography.
Full
name
Robson
de Souza
Date
of birth
January
25, 1984
Place
of birth
Sao
Vicente, Sao Paulo state, Brazil
Height
5.9FT
- 1.75M
Playing
position
Striker,Winger
Robinho Biography –
Youth Days Like most Brazilian
soccer players, Robinho doesn't come from a wealthy family,
in fact he was raised in a very poor neighborhood of Sao Vicente.
Lacking any training facilities in the area, Robinho learnt how to play
soccer on the streets, with his neighborhood kids at an early age.
His first move to
professionalism was in 1990, when Robinho was 6 years old and was
signed to a local soccer school called Beira-Mar, with which Robinho
managed to win the youth championship, putting the spotlight on him for
the first time.
Robinho and one of his
younger
teammates Marcelo, were so closely resembling each other that they were
often called "the twins". Little did they know they would soon be
teammates again in a few years...at Real Madrid.
Season
Club
Games
Goals
2002–2005
Santos
106
47
2005-Present
Real
Madrid
73
14
Last
Update - Sep 24, 2007
Domestic League Only
Robinho Biography –
Santos After trying his
luck in futsal,
where he was extremely prolific and managed to chisel his dribbling and
acceleration traits, Robinho was spotted by the youth scouts of Santos,
one of the most important clubs in Brazil. At just 13 years of age,
Robinho was already regarded as a future talent,
some even comparing him to Ronaldo, who at that time (1996-1997) was
rampant throughout Europe.
After 6
years spent in the
different youth departments of Santos, Robinho was finally taken to the
senior team His first season with Santos was already extremely
successful, as Robinho played in 24 games, scoring 9 times and
assisting for many other goals.
Years
National
Team
Games
Goals
2003-Present
Brazil
42
11
Last
Update - Sep 7, 2007
He held the
headline of
Brazilian (and international) newspapers after a game, where he did 6
step-overs in a matter of seconds, confusing his opponents so much that
they had to foul him and award Santos with a penalty. He also won
the title with Santos that year, getting the first taste of
success as a professional soccer player.
The next
three seasons at
Santos saw Robinho earning a solid place in the first team as he
managed to score 47 times in 106 matches, attracting the appetite of
Real Madrid's scouts, who are always hungry for fresh young talents.
Robinho Biography –
Real Madrid Robinho was
brought on as a talented
player for the future of Real, since no one really believed he could
win a first squad spot in a team that features strikers such as Raul, Ronaldo,
Antonio Cassano or Ruud
Van Nistelrooy. He did get his chance however, but he only
managed to score 9 times in over 30 games for Real in his first season,
which was a little under what the exigent Real crowd expected.
Nevertheless,
with Ronaldo
leaving for Milan in the winter of 2007, Casssano being in a
constant conflict with Real's managers & with Raul being
re-positioned into a midfielder, Robinho earned a first team
spot & he is now one of Real's first team regulars.
Many
consider that Robinho
still needs one more season to settle in and play at his full potential
and this remark is backed up by his awesome
performances for Brazil
soccer team, being one of the key players in Dunga's squad at
the moment.
