Walter Samuel
Encyclopedia
Walter Adrián Samuel is an Argentine
footballer who currently plays for Internazionale
. Throughout his career he has been regarded as one of football's toughest defenders, with team-mate and Inter captain Javier Zanetti
referring to him as the "hardest player" he has played with.
Having been gifted with natural power and pace, Samuel's game has developed and at Inter a new level of maturity has been evident. He played a key role in Inter's treble success under José Mourinho
and is a regular fixture in the Argentinian national side. His strong, uncompromising style of play has earnt him the nickname Il Muro ("The Wall").
, and a year later moved to Boca Juniors
where he played 103 matches and scored 5 goals in all competitions until 2000. In that year, Roma
bought his contract for 40.265 billion Italian lire (about €20M). He gained fame as one of the best defenders in the Italian league and gained a nickname to match. His quality attracted interest from Spanish team Real Madrid
.
Real paid €25 million for his transfer in 2004. But Samuel played relatively poorly that season, not being the leader at the back that Real so desperately craved. He was one of the three non-EU players of the team, along with Ronaldo
and Roberto Carlos, they all obtained Spanish passport in 2005. In August 2005, he returned to the Italian League with a transfer to Internazionale
on a four year contract for reported €16 million.
In the Milan Derby on 23 December 2007, he hurt himself whilst marking the Brazilian international Kaká
, and a couple weeks later, he had reconstructive surgery on his medial collateral ligament. He was expected to be out until the end of the 2007–08 season. In actuality, he started training with the first team again in October of the 2008–09 season, and promptly earned a first team place back under Mourinho. Since the signing of Lúcio
, he has partnered him at the heart of Inter's defence. He was a regular starter under Mourinho's management before the coach departed the club at and looks set to play an important role yet again under new manager Rafael Benitez
. Walter suffered a severe knee injury in the 7 November fixture against Brescia. He was out for 5 months and made an earlier than expected return to the Inter squad for the champions league quarter final away leg to Schalke. Samuel made his return to the pitch in Inter's away match at Napoli on 15 May 2011.
, scoring five goals. He played for his country in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
in Korea/Japan, but after a series of injuries that affected his play he lost his place. Years later, due to the solid performances and becoming a regular starter in Internazionale, he earned his place back in the Argentina National Team, with Diego Maradona choosing him to be a starter also for the Argentine defence in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa.
|1999||10||1
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|2000||10||0
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|2001||8||2
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|2002||6||0
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|2003||5||1
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|2004||6||0
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|2005||5||1
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|2006||2||0
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|2007||0||0
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|2008||0||0
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|2009||0||0
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|2010||4||0
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Roma
Boca Juniors
Argentina U-20
Individual
for his stepfather's surname when he was a teenager.
He has a daughter and two sons with his wife Cecilia.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
footballer who currently plays for Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
. Throughout his career he has been regarded as one of football's toughest defenders, with team-mate and Inter captain Javier Zanetti
Javier Zanetti
Javier Adelmar Zanetti is an Argentine footballer who plays for Serie A club Inter. Javier Zanetti has played for Inter since 1995, taking the captain's armband from 29 August 1999. Known for his versatility, he is adept on both the left and right wing, having played on both flanks as a fullback...
referring to him as the "hardest player" he has played with.
Having been gifted with natural power and pace, Samuel's game has developed and at Inter a new level of maturity has been evident. He played a key role in Inter's treble success under José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
and is a regular fixture in the Argentinian national side. His strong, uncompromising style of play has earnt him the nickname Il Muro ("The Wall").
Club career
Samuel started playing professionally in 1996 in Argentina for Newell's Old BoysNewell's Old Boys
Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario. The club was founded on November 3, 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell, one of the pioneers of Argentine football...
, and a year later moved to Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
where he played 103 matches and scored 5 goals in all competitions until 2000. In that year, Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
bought his contract for 40.265 billion Italian lire (about €20M). He gained fame as one of the best defenders in the Italian league and gained a nickname to match. His quality attracted interest from Spanish team Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
.
Real paid €25 million for his transfer in 2004. But Samuel played relatively poorly that season, not being the leader at the back that Real so desperately craved. He was one of the three non-EU players of the team, along with Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
and Roberto Carlos, they all obtained Spanish passport in 2005. In August 2005, he returned to the Italian League with a transfer to Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
on a four year contract for reported €16 million.
In the Milan Derby on 23 December 2007, he hurt himself whilst marking the Brazilian international Kaká
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...
, and a couple weeks later, he had reconstructive surgery on his medial collateral ligament. He was expected to be out until the end of the 2007–08 season. In actuality, he started training with the first team again in October of the 2008–09 season, and promptly earned a first team place back under Mourinho. Since the signing of Lúcio
Lúcio
Lucimar Ferreira da Silva , commonly known as Lúcio, is a World Cup-winning Brazilian footballer who plays for Italian Serie A club Inter and the Brazil national team. He is a strong defender with good aerial play, who adds presence in the attack.Lúcio began his professional career in 1997, in one...
, he has partnered him at the heart of Inter's defence. He was a regular starter under Mourinho's management before the coach departed the club at and looks set to play an important role yet again under new manager Rafael Benitez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
. Walter suffered a severe knee injury in the 7 November fixture against Brescia. He was out for 5 months and made an earlier than expected return to the Inter squad for the champions league quarter final away leg to Schalke. Samuel made his return to the pitch in Inter's away match at Napoli on 15 May 2011.
International career
Samuel has played 55 matches for ArgentinaArgentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, scoring five goals. He played for his country in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
in Korea/Japan, but after a series of injuries that affected his play he lost his place. Years later, due to the solid performances and becoming a regular starter in Internazionale, he earned his place back in the Argentina National Team, with Diego Maradona choosing him to be a starter also for the Argentine defence in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa.
Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe UEFA The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer.... |
Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Roma A.S. Roma Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s... |
|||||||||
| 2000–01 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 | |
| 2001–02 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 33 | 5 | |
| 2002–03 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 41 | 2 | |
| 2003–04 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| Total | 122 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 147 | 9 | |
| Real Madrid Real Madrid C.F. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la... |
|||||||||
| 2004–05 2004–05 La Liga 2004–05 season was composed of the following clubs:* Albacete Balompié* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Real Betis* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Levante UD* Málaga CF* Real Mallorca* CD Numancia* CA Osasuna... |
30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 38 | 2 | |
| Total | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 38 | 2 | |
| Internazionale F.C. Internazionale Milano Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always... |
|||||||||
| 2005–06 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 42 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 3 | |
| 2007–08 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 1 | |
| 2008–09 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| 2009–10 2009–10 Serie A The 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season... |
28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 42 | 4 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Serie A The 2010–11 Serie A was the 79th season since its establishment, the first under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 22 May 2011... |
10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| Total | 112 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 162 | 11 | |
National team statistics
|-|1999||10||1
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|2001||8||2
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|2002||6||0
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|2003||5||1
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|2004||6||0
|-
|2005||5||1
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|2006||2||0
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|2007||0||0
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|2008||0||0
|-
|2009||0||0
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|2010||4||0
|-
!Total||56||5
|}
Honours
InternazionaleF.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–102009–10 Serie AThe 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season... - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 2005–06, 2009–102009–10 Coppa ItaliaThe 2009–10 Coppa Italia was the sixty-second season of the tournament. The competition started on 2 August 2009 and ended on 5 May 2010.-Serie A :-Serie B :-Prima Divisione :-Seconda Divisione :...
, 2010–112010–11 Coppa Italia-=Second round:=-----=Third round:=-----=Fourth round:=-Section 2:-=First round:=---------=Second round:=---------=Third round:=-----=Fourth round:=-Section 3:-=First round:=-=Second round:=--------... - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 20052005 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2005 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by 2004-05 Serie A champions Juventus and 2004-05 Coppa Italia winners Internazionale. The match took place on 20 August 2005, and resulted in a 1-0 win for Internazionale after extra time.-Match details:...
, 20062006 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2006 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the 2005-06 winners Internazionale and the 2005-06 Coppa Italia runners-up Roma. The Coppa Italia runners-up were chosen to play instead of the winners because of the aftermath of the 2006 Serie A match-fixing scandal...
, 20082008 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2008 Supercoppa Italiana is a football match that was played by Serie A 2007-08 winners Internazionale and Coppa Italia 2007-08 winners Roma. The match proved to be a tightly contested affair. After exchanging goals, it appeared that Inter was on its way to victory on Mario Balotelli's goal...
, 20102010 Supercoppa Italiana- References :... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2009–10 - FIFA Club World CupFIFA Club World CupThe FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
: 20102010 FIFA Club World Cup- Matches :If a match was tied after normal playing time, 30 minutes of extra time would be played. If still tied after extra time, a penalty shootout would be held to determine the winner...
Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2000–01 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 20012001 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2001 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by Serie A 2000-01 winners Roma and Coppa Italia 2000-01 winners Fiorentina.The match took place on 19 August 2001 in Stadio Olimpico, Rome and resulted in a 3-0 victory for Roma....
Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
- Primera División: 1998 Apertura, 1999 Clausura
- Copa Libertadores: 2000
Argentina U-20
Argentina national under-20 football team
The Argentina national under-20 football team is the representative of Argentina in FIFA sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level....
- FIFA U-20 World CupFIFA U-20 World CupThe FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organized by Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
: 19971997 FIFA World Youth ChampionshipThe 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 11th staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from June 16 to July 5, 1997 in Malaysia.-Venues:-Qualification:The following 24 teams qualified for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship...
Individual
- Serie A Defender of the YearSerie A Defender of the YearThe Serie A Defender of the Year is a yearly award organized by the Italian Footballers' Association given to the defender who has been considered to have performed the best over the previous Serie A season. The award is part of the "Oscar del Calcio" awards event.-Winners:-By club:-External...
: 2010
Personal life
The son of a single mother, he was born under the name of Walter Luján but decided to change his mother's surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
for his stepfather's surname when he was a teenager.
He has a daughter and two sons with his wife Cecilia.
See also
- List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players