Hall of Fame – Juninho

Former Middlesbrough star Juninho is the latest player to feature.

Middlesbrough are one of the Premiership clubs who have been accused of recruiting foreign mercenaries, which have plagued the English game in recent seasons.

Middlesbrough are one of the Premiership clubs who have been accused of recruiting foreign mercenaries, which have plagued the English game in recent seasons.

However, Boro’s decision to sign Juninho will mean all their misdemeanours in the foreign market are overlooked.

Of those people who have watched Juninho in full flight, only a handful would not rate him as one of the finest players they have ever seen.

Despite being only 5ft 5ins, Juninho was packed full of pride and courage – which immediately endeared him to the Teesside faithful, although his breathtaking skills would also go a long way to making him a crowd favourite.

Osvaldo Giroldo Junior was born on February 22, 1973 and joined his first club in 1990 when he signed for Ituano.

Sao Paulo snapped him up three years later and within 12 months he was voted Player of the Year in Brazil, not long after he was handed his first international cap.

He first came to the attention of foreign eyes when he starred at the Umbro Cup in England, including a sublime free kick against the hosts at Wembley.

It was these displays which persuaded the then Boro boss Bryan Robson to splash the cash (£4.75 million) on one of the most sought after players in world football.

From the moment Juninho set up Jan-Aage Fjortoft for a goal against Leeds just ten minutes into his debut, a special bond was created and to this day it is just as strong.

His first spell on Teesside would last 18 months. In his first full season he inspired Boro to both the FA and League Cup finals as the Riverside outfit looked for their first-ever trophy – but unprecedented disappointment was to follow as Middlesbrough lost to Chelsea and Leicester in the two showpieces – and were also relegated from The Premiership.

Juninho, with heavy heart, was sold to Atletico Madrid for £12 million – but only after he came second to Gianfranco Zola in the Footballer of the Year awards.

One of the main reasons Juninho left was that the following year was the 1998 World Cup finals and he knew he had to be playing top-flight football to make the squad.

However, a broken leg soon scuppered his hopes of making it to France.

In 1999 Juninho was not in favour with Atletico coach Claudio Ranieri and so for the second time, Robson moved to land the Brazilian – this time on loan.

The loan move boosted Boro, but it was clear that Juninho was not quite back to his best and he returned to Atletico, before further loan spells at Vasco da Gama and Flamengo followed.

His form returned soon after his move back to Brazil and he won back his place in the national squad, just in time to partake in the 2002 World Cup.

Juninho’s finest hour would soon arrive as he came on for the closing five minutes in the final victory of Germany.

Just a month after, and the unthinkable happened – Juninho signed on at The Riverside for the third time in his career, although for the first time under Steve McClaren.

Having signed a four-year deal, anticipation had never been higher on Teesside – but on the eve of the new season tragedy struck as Juninho suffered a devastating cruciate knee ligament injury – meaning his debut would have to be delayed for over six months.

It was now 2004 and Juninho lined up for a new Boro season for only the second time – despite all his time in red.

Boro fans were again buoyed by his return and sensed that destiny could be on their side – and just six months later, it proved to be the case as Juninho inspired the club to their first-ever piece of major silverware in their 128-year history as they lifted the League Cup with a 2-1 win over Bolton.

Despite winning their first trophy, Boro struggled in the league and McClaren saw fit to drop Juninho as he struggled to find a role for the Brazilian.

The inevitable parting of the ways followed and Juninho was sold to Celtic, ending his final stay on Teesside.

In total Juninho made just 154 appearances for Boro, scoring 34 goals – but his memory will forever live on. He was the first true hero of the modern Middlesbrough era, the first at The Riverside Stadium and the first Boro player in many years to achieve national and worldwide credit for his displays.

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