JUNINHO
Atletico Madrid & Brazil
Date of Birth: February 22, 1973
Birthplace: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 58 kg
Previous Clubs: Ituano (Brazil), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Middlesbrough (England)
Brazilian midfielder who moved from Middlesbrough to Atletico Madrid for $19.7 million in 1997. Makes up for his lack of height with pinpoint passing and outstanding dribbling. Was outstanding for Middlesbrough during his two years in the premier league. Made a dream start to his Atletico career, scoring on his debut against city rivals Real Madrid.
But a serious knee injury limited him to 23 league games in his debut season, during which he managed five goals. Started the 1998-99 season as a first choice for coach Arrigo Sacchi but a string of mediocre displays saw him lose out to the promising Spaniard Juan Carlos Valeron. Sacchi persuaded him to stay and fight for his place when Middlesbrough and Aston Villa both tried to lure him back to the premier league, only for the Italian to lose his job.
The return of Radomir Antic -- the Yugoslav coach who had originally signed him from Boro -- saw him restored to the starting line-up but he failed to revive Atletico fortunes as the club finished 13th in the table. He managed a total of eight goals in 32 games -- many of them substitute appearances. Found himself surplus to requirements in the eyes of new coach Claudio Ranieri, who took over at the start of the 1999 season.
