Life & Times: Juninho

Life & Times is a regular feature detailing the careers and stories of ex-Premier League stars. In the third post of this monthly piece, the man in question is a one-club Premier League idol who never quite achieved the heights of which he was capable.

One sunny afternoon in November 1995, while sitting at the front of the top deck of a bus in Bournemouth, I heard on the radio about the colourful scenes sparked by the first appearance in the Premier League of a Brazilian superstar.

The place was the Riverside Stadium, and the player was Juninho. I couldn’t wait to see Match of the Day, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Juninho Paulista was born Oswaldo Giroldo Jr. in 1973. He signed for his local club, Sao Paulo, in 1993. A massive 5’5”, Juninho became known for his quick feet and small stature, and his popularity built.

Sao Paulo won the Copa Libertadores in 1993, and went on to pick up a whole bunch of other honours before Juninho packed his bags and headed for Europe in the autumn of 1995.

To everyone’s surprise, the Brazilian joined Premier League new boys Middlesbrough. The town is renowned for its smog and bleak surroundings, but the spirit of Samba infiltrated Teesside as Juninho was greeted by an impressive, colourful display from the fans.

The signing of the kid from Brazil reportedly piled an extra 8,000 onto Boro’s season ticket sales in 1995/96, and the fans turned out in numbers for his debut, displaying an amazing number of yellow and green Brazil shirts, scarves and flags.

The Little Fella didn’t disappoint. He set up Middlesbrough’s goal against Leeds United, and two United defenders earned bookings for tripping him up. His skill and guile was obvious, and it was to be the start of a fruitful and mutually loving relationship.

After helping Bryan Robson’s side to two losing cup finals in 1997, Juninho was sold for big money to Atletico Madrid of La Liga. His time in Spain was scattered with injury, and eventually turned into a succession of loan spells elsewhere.

He spent time back at Middlesbrough, and in Brazil, where he was influential in a successful period for Vasco da Gama. He was also briefly on loan at Flamengo, where he later returned.

In the summer of 2002, a scrappy time at Atletico - not helped by their relegation - came to an end, and Juninho returned to the Riverside to a hero’s welcome. Sure enough, an all too rare piece of silverware was awaiting Middlesbrough. At the end of his final spell on Teesside, Juninho helped his club to a successful League Cup final, before moving on to Celtic in Scotland.

Once again, leaving Middlesbrough didn’t work out for Juninho, and he was left criticising Celtic boss Martin O’Neill for limiting his chances in the Scottish Premier League. Palmeiras in Brazil came calling, and Juninho left Glasgow in 2005 to go home.

In 2007 he moved on to Flamengo, and his career began to enter its decline. Juninho’s rocky relationship with boss Ney Franco came to a head when the midfielder was substituted in a Copa Libertadores match. His tantrum at Franco led to his dismissal, and with that his first class career ended.

In August 2007, Juninho found himself on the way to Australia’s A-League, signed by Sydney FC as their marquee player. It was to be short-lived. Juninho failed to get a new contract in 2008 as Sydney improved the squad and neared the wage cap. He is currently without a club at 35 years old. Maybe it’s time to retire gracefully.

The proudest moment of Juninho Paulista’s career came in the yellow of Brazil. Having made his debut for the national team as a youngster at Sao Paulo, the twinkle-toed midfielder played a significant role for his country as Brazil won the World Cup in 2002, though he only came on as a substitute in the final. He also has an Olympic bronze medal from Atlanta, where Brazil lost to gold winners Nigeria in the last four.

Juninho is often omitted from conversation about great Premier League foreigners. But while he was here he was excellent and very popular, and for one afternoon in late 1995 he mesmerised and entertained us all.

(Photo Credit: Gazette Live)