Paulista, Juninho

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Fullname: Oswaldo Giroldo Jr.
aka: Juninho (means “little junior”), Juninho Paulista [see notes]
Born: 22 Feb 1973
Birthplace: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Position: Attacking Midfield
Signed: 25 Aug 2004
Left: 31 May 2005
Debut: […]
Internationals: Brazil
Internationals Caps: 50 caps
Internationals Goals: 5 goals

Biog

The World Cup winner (2002) signed on a free transfer for the Bhoys from Middlesbrough where the gifted playmaker had become a legend for that club’s supporters during two spells on Teesside, although they did not actually achieve that much of note with him.

While in England the diminutive star had earned a reputation as being an abundantly skilful but gutsy performer and he had to call on all those qualities immediately as he was thrust straight into the heat of a Glasgow derby clash. Much to the delight of the Hoops faithful the little Brazilian turned in a man of the match winning performance as Celtic defeated Rangers 1-0.

The 32-year-old displayed some wonderful touches and his direct running had the Rangers defence in disarray time after time. When he was substituted towards the end of the game he was given a standing ovation from the home support. After such a wonderful debut hopes were high that Juninho would be the man to inspire Celtic to the latter stages of the Champions League as well as domestic dominance.

But things were never to be so good again for the Brazilian during his stay at Parkhead. The midfielder struggled to adapt to Celtic’s style and he was soon relegated to the bench by the manager, but then again he should have tried to adapt more but didn’t. He joined Celtic and not the other way around.

He eventually netted his first goal for the Hoops on October 16 in a 3-0 home victory over Hearts but as his starting appearances became less frequent many fans began to question why manager Martin O’Neill had purchased the player in the first place.

When he was given the chance to start, Juninho often struggled to find any form but in fairness a sustained run in the side that he needed was never given. By January it was clear that the Brazilian would not settle for life on the bench, and so he eventually was released from his contract in April after just 14 starts and only seven months after arriving at Parkhead.

Some people have opined that Juninho’s inability to succeed at Celtic clearly showed Martin O’Neill’s inability to handle flair players (having been criticised for similar with Lubo), but this is nonsense as for example Larsson and Petrov easily flourished with Celtic. Didn’t help that due to family circumstances that Martin O’Neill wasn’t around Celtic much in his last season when Juninho arrived, and that is more likely a reason as else he could have assisted more.

In any case, it all didn’t work out, and too many apologists for Juninho have pointed out that he was a World Cup winner with Brazil so should have been stellar with us. True, but that latter point is somewhat overstated (see below) and a world class player would easily have fitted in better with the Celtic first team and made more of an impression. Lesser players have more easily made the move.

Regardless, we wished all the best to him.

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Notes

The nickname comes from a combination of the Brazilian diminutive “Juninho”, which is commonly applied to any person with the name “Júnior”, and “Paulista”, meaning someone born in the city of São Paulo.

Juninho and the World Cup in 2002

Whenever Juninho’s name comes up, it’s always mentioned that he was a World Cup winning member of the Brazil squad in 2002 and so is some absolute barometer on his ability. Truth is that Juninho was not really a pivotal member of that run to the World Cup final win in 2002. He was substituted off in all the games and only brought on for the last 5 mins of the final and he didn’t score any goals, so his place has been way overstated by too many apologists.

Granted you still have to be a great player just to be in a Brazil World Cup winning side, but too many people keep bringing this up about Juninho being part of the World Cup winning side in 2002 as if he was an important element when the truth is that he really wasn’t as significant as made out.

In fairness, any player able to amass 50 caps for Brazil must have been blessed with some great talent, but his caps were all earned before he’d come to Celtic, and the Celtic first team had brought him in past his best.

Playing Career

Club	From	To	Fee	League		Scottish/FA Cup		League cup		Other
Celtic	25/08/2004	31/05/2005	Free	9 (5)	1	1 (1)	0	2 (0)	0	2 (2)	0
Middlesbro	02/08/2002	25/08/2004	£ 6000000	35 (6)	11	0 (1)	0	5 (1)	1	0 (0)	0
Flamengo	01/08/2001	31/05/2002	Loan	No appearance data available
Vasco	01/08/2000	31/05/2001	Loan	37 (0)	8	0 (0)	0	0 (0)	0	0 (0)	0
Middlesbro	17/09/1999	15/05/2000	Loan	24 (4)	4	1 (0)	0	4 (0)	1	0 (0)	0
Atl Madrid	08/07/1997	02/08/2002	£ 12000000	55 (0)	14	0 (0)	0	0 (0)	0	2 (0)	2
Middlesbro	03/11/1995	08/07/1997	£ 4750000	54 (2)	14	10 (0)	2	8 (0)	1	0 (0)	0
Sao Paulo	01/08/1994	02/11/1995		43 (0)	2	0 (0)	0	0 (0)	0	0 (0)	0
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals

Honours with Celtic

none

Pictures

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Juninho a samba ace who failed to hit beat

Alison McConnell

28 Jun 2010

The World Cup star’s arrival at Parkhead created a huge stir but his signing turned out to be a massive letdown. Lisbon Lion Bertie Auld reckons that was less down to the player being over the hill than the way he was deployed in an unfamiliar role by manager Martin O’Neill.
As Neil Lennon prepares to venture into the transfer market this summer, it might be worth remembering that all that glitters is not gold. There is no need to venture too far back in Celtic’s history for evidence of that.
In August 2004, Brazilian World Cup winner Juninho was paraded at Parkhead after joining on a free transfer from Middlesbrough.
The then 31-year-old had been a member of Brazil’s triumphant 2002 squad, had amassed 50 caps for his country and impressed in the Premiership, so there was much excitement surrounding his arrival.
In keeping with the euphoria over his signing, the diminutive midfielder made an immediate impact on his debut, in an Old Firm win.
Celtic beat Rangers 1-0 and Juninho got a standing ovation when he was substituted towards the end of the game.
It was, however, all downhill from there. Juninho scored the only goal of his one-season stay against Hearts that October in a comfortable 3-0 win at Parkhead.
He was released from his contract at the end of the season after failing to settle at Celtic, then managed by Martin O’Neill.
The player made just 14 starts and was never able to find any sustained level of form. He spent most of his time on the bench, with his face reflecting his unhappiness at the situation. Having been a hero during his time with Middlesbrough, massive things were expected of Juninho at Celtic, but his only memorable contribution was in that first Hoops appearance.
There was always the suspicion that he had joined the club when he was long past his best.
Lennon was a Celtic player during Juninho’s stay in Glasgow and will need no reminder that marquee signings do not always work out.
However, Lisbon Lion Bertie Auld believes Juninho’s biggest problem was not that he was past his best but that he couldn’t persuade O’Neill to play him through the middle.
Stilian Petrov and Lennon were the central midfield mainstays at the time and Auld believes Juninho might have been fared better if he had been handed a free reign there.
“I thought he was an outstanding player,” said Auld, a commentator with Celtic’s internet channel at the time. “He wasn’t the fastest player but had fantastic speed of thought and fantastic feet.
“I always felt that playing him wide on the right was the wrong way to go because a player like that is better deployed running the show in the middle of the park.
“At that point Lennon and Petrov were well established into the way that Celtic played and were a very successful combination.
“But it was a real disappointment to me that Juninho didn’t get a run there. I always remember being quite excited when he signed for Celtic as I felt that he could have made the same kind of impact that Lubo Moravcik did.
“At another time Juninho might well have flourished at the club. But I don’t think there is often a problem with players settling into Scotland and all the rest of it.
“I wouldn’t say that what happened with Juninho should be seen as a deterrent to bringing in other foreign players.
“The big thing with Celtic is that the supporters are pretty canny. They tend to know a good player when they see one and at the same time they can spot those who are shirkers and only there to pick up the cash.
“Good players can turn up and fit into any league even if it sometimes takes them a little bit of time to do it.
“I honestly feel that had Juninho been able to play in his preferred position and had he been given a bit of freedom he could still have made a significant impact.”

CAREER STATS

1993-95: Sao Paulo 44 (2 goals) 95-97: Middlesbrough 57 (12) 97-99: Atletico Madrid 55 (14) 99-00: Middlesbrough (loan) 28 (4) 2000-01: Vasco da Gama (loan) 47 (13) 2002: Flamengo (loan) 0 02-04: Middlesbrough 41 (11) 04-05: Celtic 14 (1) 05-06: Palmeiras 63 (20) 2007: Flamengo 0 07-08: Sydney FC 14 (0) 2010: Ituano 14 (2) Other Celtic signing the same summer: Henri Camara (£1.5m loan deal from Wolves).

Juninho backs Neil Lennon to succeed with Celtic

BBC
Page last updated at 16:14 GMT, Monday, 28 November 2011

By Alasdair Lamont
BBC Scotland
Europa League Group I: Celtic v Atletico Madrid

Juninho played for Celtic during season 2004/05 Juninho scored just once during his seven months with Celtic

Former Celtic forward Juninho saw enough of Neil Lennon in his short period at the club to be convinced that the Northern Irishman had a bright future in coaching.

The Brazilian World Cup winner, who also played for Celtic’s Europa League opponents Atletico Madrid, identified Lennon’s man-management as the key element to his success as captain of the club, and the principle portent of what lay in store.

“He had all the qualities to be a good manager, to become a big name in managerial terms,” Juninho, now president of the Brazilian side Ituano, told BBC Scotland.

“He was also a manager on the pitch, talking to the players all the time, trying to organise the team, and I think he knows how to deal with players.”

Asked about the pressure and expectation those involved at Celtic have to cope with, he added: “As a player he did it, now he needs to do it as a manager, but that’s normal when you’re in charge of a big club.

“They expect the results and when the results don’t come they want to change, and the first person to change is the manager. I don’t think that’s right, but it’s the way football is and I think he knows how to deal with the pressure.”

Despite playing for less than a season at Celtic Park, Juninho savoured the experience of playing in huge European matches against Barcelona and AC Milan.

“It’s incredible to play big games like that,” he continued. “The supporters go to the ground differently from the way they go to other games. It’s a different atmosphere.
Continue reading the main story

“When Celtic play at home, their supporters are incredible – 60,000 of them – so it’s always difficult to play against clubs like Celtic at home.”

Attendances and Celtic Park’s fortress-like quality on big European nights have diminished somewhat since Juninho’s time at the club.

Nevertheless, he believes Celtic are the equal, in terms of stature, of clubs like Atletico, despite the discrepancy in quality of their respective leagues and television-generated income.

Juninho looks back on his time in Glasgow with some regret, having failed to reproduce the form that won the hearts of Middlesbrough fans.

“I expected it to be different because when I spoke to Martin O’Neill he was very excited to bring me to Celtic, so I imagined he knew [my best position],” he went on.

“When I arrived, he wanted me to play like the fourth man of the midfield and I normally played behind the striker or up front with the striker.
Atletico Madrid playmaker Diego Diego is a player rated highly by fellow Brazilian Juninho

“Then in my first game I had a dispute and I don’t think he had the patience with me. I had to adapt to Scottish football and to Celtic and that’s why I couldn’t play like I wanted to at Celtic.

“I don’t blame only O’Neill. I was upset with me too because I didn’t play my best at Celtic.”

Juninho’s time at Atletico Madrid was also less than successful, despite a promising start, principally because of a broken leg he suffered before his first season at the Vicente Calderon Stadium was up.

“My first six months were fantastic. I was playing well, the team was playing well and then everything changed after my injury. When I came back it wasn’t the same,” he admitted.

Juninho confesses to knowing little about the current Celtic team, or that of Atletico Madrid, owing to the number of Brazilian games he has to watch.

But he highlights Atletico’s Brazilian playmaker Diego as one of the principle threats to Celtic’s chances of victory on Wednesday.

“He always looks to the opposite goal, and I like that kind of player. When he has the ball, he always thinks to play up front and that’s why he can cause a lot of damage to the other teams.”

His primary concern, though, is Ituano, the club with whom he started his career in 1989 and where he is now president.

“There’s not much time for anything else. The administration is a lot of work, but I’m enjoying this other part of my life,” he concluded.

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/juninho-still-questions-martin-o-neill-s-decision-to-sign-him-for-celtic-1-4816114

Joel Sked Wednesday 17 October 2018

The 2002 World Cup winner signed for the Parkhead side in August 2004 on a free transfer from Middlesbrough and was handed the No.7 shirt.

Despite a starring role on his debut in a 1-0 win over Rangers, the player, then in his 30s, made just 14 starts and barely lasted the season before being released from his contract in April 2005.

Speaking to Four Four Two the player questioned O’Neill’s decision to sign him and the tactics in which he deployed.He said: “I ended up in Scotland, but things didn’t really work out for me. I had this issue with Martin O’Neill and his tactics.“I still can’t understand why he wanted me at Celtic. He used to play with a 4-4-2 and he asked me to play out wide with defensive responsibilities, but this was never my style. It didn’t suit me and he knew it.“Maybe inside his head he wasn’t looking for the Juninho of the ’90s, and maybe I’m to blame for that, but a manager should know a player’s style – you have to use them in the right way.

“It was a shame it didn’t work for me there, because Celtic is such a great club.”His only goal came in a 3-0 win over Hearts and the player, who returned to Brazil after Celtic, remembers his experience of the Old Firm fixture.“The Old Firm involves religion; when you think about this, it is something totally different to any other match,” he said when asked about the derby.“We used to see people carrying some anger, but once you’re on the pitch it’s just like Flamengo-Vasco, Sao Paulo-Palmeiras or Middlesbrough-Newcastle. They were all great rivalries.”

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