Diego Ribas da Cunha

Not to be confused with Diego Sebastián Ribas.

Diego

Personal information
Full name	Diego Ribas da Cunha
Date of birth	28 February 1985 (1985-02-28) (age 26)
Place of birth	Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Atlético Madrid
Number	22
Youth career
1996–2001	Santos
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2004	Santos	64	(21)
2004–2006	Porto	49	(4)
2006–2009	Werder Bremen	84	(38)
2009–2010	Juventus	33	(5)
2010–	VfL Wolfsburg	30	(6)
2011–	→ Atlético Madrid (loan)	8	(0)
National team‡
2004–2008	Brazil U23	15	(6)
2005–	Brazil	33	(4)
Honours Competitor for  Brazil Men's Football Bronze 2008 Beijing Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 May 2010

Diego Ribas da Cunha (born 28 February 1985), commonly known as just Diego, is an international Brazilian footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid on loan from VfL Wolfsburg.^[2]

Club career

Santos

Diego was first signed by the São Paulo team Santos at the age of 12. Diego developed whilst in the Santos youth system, making his first team debut at the age of 16 in the Rio-São Paulo Championship in 2002 and in the same year he won the domestic Campeonato Brasileiro championship. He, Robinho, Elano and Alex were known as a famous group when they played for Santos.

Porto

Diego was then signed by Portuguese club FC Porto in July 2004 as a replacement for the FC Barcelona-bound Deco. However, in 2005–06, Diego did not maintain a stable place in the Porto team under coach Co Adriaanse and he subsequently left Porto for Werder Bremen.

Werder Bremen

2006–07 season

In May 2006, Diego signed a contract with Werder Bremen until 2010 for a transfer fee of €6 million.^[3]

His first match for Werder Bremen came in the DFB-Ligapokal (League Cup). Werder Bremen won the cup beating Bayern Munich in the final on 5 August.

The 2006–07 Bundesliga season began well for Diego. He scored the first goal and set up two more for Bremen in their 4–2 win over Hannover 96, on 13 August. In his second match in the Bundesliga he set up both goals in the 2–1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Thanks to his good performances in August, both in the Bundesliga and in the Premiere Ligapokal, Diego won the August Player of the Month award.^[4] As the Bundesliga season went on, Diego made several amazing performances and became one of the most valuable players for Werder Bremen, along with his team-mate Torsten Frings. They are called the "two motors of Bremen's midfield." In October 2006, he won a second Player of the Month award and again in December 2006. He was then named as the Best Player of the first half of the Bundesliga.

Werder Bremen finished in third place in Group A in the Champions League group stages, and they moved to the UEFA Cup, where they reached the semi-finals, beating AZ from the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, due in part to Diego's creative play.

On 15 April, Diego again played well, scoring in the 2–0 win over Borussia Dortmund. Five days later, on 20 April, Bremen played against Alemannia Aachen. Although Diego's performance was good, he did not score until stoppage time when he scored from 62.5 metres, which later was elected as goal of the year. Bremen won the game 3–1 and topped the table with 60 points.

Following his good performances in the first half of the Bundesliga, Diego got called up to the Brazilian national football team in November.

After the 2006–07 season ended, Diego won the Bundesliga Player of the Season award organised by popular magazine Kicker.^[5] He got just over 50 percent of the votes. Unfortunately, his team did not win the Bundesliga after finishing 3rd in the table, behind champions VfB Stuttgart and Schalke 04.

2007–08 season

Diego started his season well, scoring a penalty on the first matchday. Diego gave many outstanding performances. He was crucial as Bremen got through to the Champions League's group phase. They beat Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb 3–2 in Zagreb, with Diego scoring two penalties.

On the first Champions League Group Stage matchday, Bremen lost 2–1 to Real Madrid, but Diego's performance aroused interest in Real Madrid's coach Bernd Schuster. But the stories were put to an end when Diego signed a new contract which would last until 2011.^[6]

After the loss to Real Madrid, Bremen faced VfB Stuttgart, the defending German champions, at home. Werder won 4–1, with Diego leading the midfield. Later on in the season, Bremen achieved a historical 8–1 win over Arminia Bielefeld, with Diego assisting three goals and scoring one himself.

Diego was voted Player of the Month in September.^[7]

He then scored two goals on the way to the UEFA Cup quarter final with Bremen.

2008–09 season

Diego's last season in Werder Bremen was his most successful. Diego scored 20 goals in total (more than his two first seasons in the club), although Bremen did finish just 10th in the Bundesliga and were knocked out of the Champions League at the group-stage.

In the UEFA Cup that season, Diego scored 6 goals, all in the knockout stages.

He scored against AC Milan the in round of 32, equalizing after 84' minutes, and assisting Claudio Pizarro second leg's only goal. He helped his team through the round of 16, and scored four of the six goals, and managed one assist in the quarterfinal knockout of Udinese,.

Diego playing for Juventus

In the semi finals, after losing 1–0 in their hometown to "North Derby" rivals Hamburger SV, Diego helped his team back in the second leg with an early equalizer to Ivica Olic's early critical goal. Later on that game, he assisted a corner to Frank Baumann's third Bremen goal. In that game, Diego received an unfortunate yellow card, preventing him from playing in the final, and with a 3–2 away win, he ended his UEFA Cup participation, leading Bremen to their first UEFA Cup final ever.

Without Diego in the 2009 UEFA Cup final, Bremen lost the game 2–1 in extra time to Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk.

In his last match with Bremen, Diego gave the assist to Mesut Özil's winning goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup final, to win the German Cup for the sixth time.

Juventus

On 26 May 2009, Diego signed a five-year contract to join Juventus at the end of the season. The fee paid to Bremen by Juventus was worth €24.5 million. The price can rise by a further €2.5 million in case of the fulfillment of established sports objectives in the next five years.^[8]

Diego made his Juventus debut against the Korean side Seongnam, in a game they won 3–0. In the first half, Diego made the pass to Mauro Camoranesi, whose pass followed up to a goal. Diego then scored in the second half and was subbed out at the 60th minute.^[9] On his Serie A debut, he assisted Vincenzo Iaquinta's goal from a set-piece.^[10] In the second fixture of the campaign, Diego recorded his first Serie A goal, scoring twice in Juventus' 3–1 victory against Roma on 30 August 2009. He also scored goals against Bologna, Fiorentina and also against Napoli. One of his most noted assists was his backheel to Alessandro Del Piero's goal against Genoa. He has also scored in the 2010 Trofeo TIM against Milan.^[11]

Wolfsburg

On 27 August 2010, Diego moved from Juventus to Wolfsburg for a club record transfer fee of €15.5 million, which Juve would only received €14.75 million as 5% of the transfer fee transferred to his youth clubs as solidarity contribution.^[12] In his first match for VfL Wolfsburg, he scored his debut goal in a game which Wolfsburg lost 3–4 to Mainz. On 5 February 2011, Diego won a penalty for Wolfsburg. Diego took the ball from designated spot-kick taker Patrick Helmes and then hit the woodwork 10 minutes from time. Wolfsburg later lost the match by one goal and Wolfsburg's furious manager fined him €100,000 (£86,000) for failing to follow instructions. He was also informed that he will be removed from the first team for Wolfsburg’s upcoming game against Hamburg.^[13] He once again got in trouble with the management of Wolfsburg, when he on 14 May before a crucial relegation game against Hoffenheim left the hotel in which the team was staying, when he was informed he would not be starting the game.^[14] This left Wolfsburg with only six players on the bench for the game that would determine whether they would play another season in the German Bundesliga. Wolfsburg went on to win the game 3–1 without Diego ensuring another top flight season for the club, though Diego was fined €500,000 for his actions.^[15]

Atlético Madrid

On the last day of transfer season Diego joined Atlético Madrid on season-long loan.^[16] On 10 September 2011, he made his debut for Atlético against Valencia.^[17] He scored his first goal for Atletico in a Europa League game against Celtic.

International career

Diego with the Brazilian national team.

Diego made his international debut in April 2003 in a friendly match against Mexico. He was later included in Brazil U-23 team that competed in 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup alongside Santos' teammate Robinho. Although Brazil compete as an under-23 team, the international appearances and goals were recorded as FIFA acknowledge the tournament as senior-team matches. He appeared five times and scored two goals as Brazil U-23 lost out to Mexico senior-team in the final.

In 2004, Diego was called up for the Brazil national squad for the Copa América 2004, and he was instrumental in securing the tournament victory for Brazil when he scored in the penalty shootout against Argentina in the final.

However, due to his decline in performance with FC Porto between 2004 and 2006, he was often left out of the Brazil squad. He was mostly playing as deputy to Kaká and was also left out of the Brazil squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

After a move to Werder Bremen, he regained his form and subsequently recalled to the Brazil squad for a in November 2006. He was then included in Brazil's squad for Copa América 2007, which Brazil went on to win, once again defeating Argentina in the final.

Diego also participated with Brazil U-23 team for 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Brazil went on to achieve Bronze medal with a third place finish in the tournament.

Honours

Santos

• Campeonato Brasileiro: 1

2002

Porto

• Portuguese Supercup: 1

2004

• Intercontinental Cup: 1

2004

• Portuguese Liga: 1

2006

• Portuguese Cup: 1

2006

Werder Bremen

• German League Cup: 1

2006

• German Cup: 1

2009

International

• Salerno Mundialito: 1

2000

• South American Under 17 Championship: 1

2001

• Toulon Tournament: 1

2002

• Copa América: 2

2004, 2007

• Olympic Bronze Medalist: 1

2008

Career statistics

Club career

As of 20 May 2011 (2011 -05-20)^[update]

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Brazil			League		Copa do Brasil		League Cup		South America		Total
2002	Santos	Série A	22	8	—	—			—	—	22	8
2003			33	9	—	—			—	—	33	9
2004			9	4	—	—			—	—	9	4
Total	Brazil		64	21	—	—			—	—	64	21
Portugal			League		Taça de Portugal		Taça da Liga		Europe		Total
2004–05	Porto	Portuguese Liga	30	3					6	1	36	4
2005–06			19	1					4	1	23	2
Total	Portugal		49	4					10	2	59	6
Germany			League		DFB-Pokal		Premiere Ligapokal		Europe		Total
2006–07	Werder Bremen	Bundesliga	33	13	1	0			14	2	48	15
2007–08			30	13	3	1			8	2	41	16
2008–09			21	12	5	2			13	7	39	22
Total	Germany		84	38	9	3			35	11	128	52
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		League Cup		Europe		Total
2009–10	Juventus	Serie A	33	5	2	2			9	0	44	7
Total			Italy		33	5	2	2			12	0	47	7
Germany			League		DFB-Pokal		Premiere Ligapokal		Europe		Total
2010–11	Wolfsburg	Bundesliga	30	6	2	0			3	0	35	6
Total	Germany		30	6	2	0			3	0	35	6
Career total			246	71	13	5	3	0	57	13	319	89

International career

As of 1 April 2009^{[18][19][20][21][22]}

National team Season Apps Goals Brazil 2003 7 2 2004 5 0 2004–2005 0 0 2005–2006 0 0 2006–2007 10 1 2007–2008 9 1 2008–2009 2 0 Total 33 4

International appearances and goals # Date Venue Opponent Result Goal Competition 2003 1. 30 April 2003 Guadalajara, Mexico  Mexico 0–0 0 Friendly 2. 13 July 2003 Mexico City, Mexico  Mexico 0–1 0 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup (Brazil U-23) 3. 16 July 2003 Mexico City, Mexico  Honduras 2–1 1 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup (Brazil U-23) 4. 19 July 2003 Miami, United States  Colombia 2–0 0 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup (Brazil U-23) 5. 23 July 2003 Miami, United States  United States 2–1 1 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup (Brazil U-23) 6. 27 July 2003 Mexico City, Mexico  Mexico 0–1 0 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup (Brazil U-23) 7. 7 September 2003 Barranquilla, Colombia  Colombia 2–1 0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2004 7 January 2004 Concepción, Chile  Venezuela 4–0 1 2004 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23) 9 January 2004 Concepción, Chile  Paraguay 3–0 1 2004 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23) 11 January 2004 Concepción, Chile  Uruguay 1–1 0 2004 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23) 15 January 2004 Concepción, Chile  Chile 1–1 0 2004 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23) 21 January 2004 Valparaíso, Chile  Argentina 0–1 0 2004 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23) 23 January 2004 Viña del Mar, Chile  Chile 3–1 1 2004 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23) 25 January 2004 Viña del Mar, Chile  Paraguay 0–2 0 2004 Olympic Games qualification (Brazil U-23) 8. 8 July 2004 Arequipa, Peru  Chile 1–0 0 Copa América 2004 9. 11 July 2004 Arequipa, Peru  Costa Rica 4–1 0 Copa América 2004 10. 14 July 2004 Arequipa, Peru  Paraguay 1–2 0 Copa América 2004 11. 21 July 2004 Lima, Peru  Uruguay 1–1 0 Copa América 2004 12. 25 July 2004 Lima, Peru  Argentina 2–2 0 Copa América 2004 2006–2007 13. 15 November 2006 Basel, Switzerland  Switzerland 2–1 0 Friendly 14. 6 February 2007 London, England  Portugal 0–2 0 Friendly 15. 24 March 2007 Gothenburg, Sweden  Chile 4–0 0 Friendly 16. 27 March 2007 Stockholm, Sweden  Ghana 1–0 0 Friendly 17. 1 June 2007 London, England  England 1–1 1 Friendly 18. 5 June 2007 Dortmund, Germany  Turkey 0–0 0 Friendly 19. 26 June 2007 Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela  Mexico 0–2 0 Copa América 2007 20. 4 July 2007 Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela  Ecuador 1–0 0 Copa América 2007 21. 10 July 2007 Maracaibo, Venezuela  Uruguay 2–2 0 Copa América 2007 22. 15 July 2007 Maracaibo, Venezuela  Argentina 3–0 0 Copa América 2007 2007–2008 23. 22 August 2007 Montpellier, France  Algeria 2–0 0 Friendly 24. 9 September 2007 Chicago, United States  United States 4–2 0 Friendly 25. 17 October 2007 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Ecuador 5–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 26. 6 February 2008 Dublin, Ireland  Republic of Ireland 1–0 0 Friendly 27. 26 March 2008 London, England  Sweden 1–0 0 Friendly 28. 31 May 2008 Seattle, United States  Canada 3–2 1 Friendly 29. 6 June 2008 Boston, United States  Venezuela 0–2 0 Friendly 30. 15 June 2008 Asunción, Paraguay  Paraguay 0–2 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 31. 18 June 2008 Belo Horizonte, Brazil  Argentina 0–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 22 June 2008 Volta Redonda, Brazil Rio de Janeiro State Selection 1–0 0 Unofficial friendly (Brazil U-23) 2008–2009 28 July 2008 Singapore  Singapore 3–0 1 Friendly (Brazil U-23) 1 August 2008 Hanoi, Vietnam  Vietnam 3–0 0 Friendly (Brazil U-23) 7 August 2008 Shenyang, China PR  Belgium 1–0 0 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23) 10 August 2008 Shenyang, China PR  New Zealand 5–0 0 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23) 13 August 2008 Qinhuangdao, China PR  China PR 3–0 1 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23) 16 August 2008 Shenyang, China PR  Cameroon 2–0 0 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23) 19 August 2008 Beijing, China PR  Argentina 0–3 0 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23) 22 August 2008 Shanghai, China PR  Belgium 3–0 1 2008 Olympic Games (Brazil U-23) 32. 7 September 2008 Santiago, Chile  Chile 3–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 33. 10 September 2008 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Bolivia 0–0 0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Personal life

Diego is of Italian ancestry with both of his paternal great grandparents emigrating from Italy to Brazil. His paternal great grandfather, Carlo Lazzari, came from Ferrara, Italy, and his paternal great grandmother, Maria Concetta Viola, came from Naples, Italy. As a result of his Italian ancestry, Diego received his Italian passport in 2004.^[23]

References

1. ^ "Diego Profile". Diego. 3 September 2009. http://www2.diego10.com.br/content/profile. Retrieved 3 September 2009. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Vier Abgänge / Diego zu Atletico Madrid [Four losses / Diego to Atlético]" (in German). 31 August 2011. http://www.vfl-wolfsburg.de/50496+M57f1a80da35.html. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
3. ^ "Diego making his mark in Bremen". 25 October 2006. http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=106944.html. Retrieved 23 September 2009. 
4. ^ "Fußballer des Monats – August 2006" (in German). http://www.fussballer-des-monats.de/. Retrieved 6 October 2007. 
5. ^ "Bundesliga – Diego crowned Bundesliga's best". Eurosport.com. 29 May 2007. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29052007/58/bundesliga-diego-crowned-bundesliga-s-best.html. Retrieved 6 October 2007. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ "Diego Extends Until 2011". werder.de. 22 September 2007. http://www.werder.de/english/news/meldung.php?id=963. Retrieved 6 October 2007. 
7. ^ "Fußballer des Monats – September 2007" (in German). http://www.fussballer-des-monats.de/. Retrieved 6 October 2007. 
8. ^ "Diego is officially a Juventus player". Juventus Football Club. 26 May 2009. http://juventus.com/site/eng/NEWS_newsseriea_65E44289495641DF881D1CE321ACABB5.asp. Retrieved 26 May 2009. 
9. ^ "Diego Scores A Cheeky Goal In Juventus Debut". totalprosports.com. 29 July 2009. http://www.totalprosports.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/diego-scores-a-cheeky-goal-in-juventus-debut/. Retrieved 23 September 2009. 
10. ^ "Diego's idea, Iaquinta's header Juve down Chievo". La Gazzetta dello Sport. 23 August 2009. http://english.gazzetta.it/Football/23-08-2009/diego-s-idea-iaquinta-s-headerjuve-down-chievo-501117857512.shtml. Retrieved 23 September 2009. 
11. ^ "Serie A: Diego double spells trouble for Roma". ESPN. 30 August 2009. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=672234&sec=europe&cc=5739. Retrieved 23 September 2009. 
12. ^ "Half-yearly Financial Report at 31 December 10". Juventus. 31 December 2010. http://www.juventus.com/wps/wcm/connect/19f4429c-c935-4d87-bb61-e3c83a50a616/JUVE_SEMESTRE_INGLESE.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=19f4429c-c935-4d87-bb61-e3c83a50a616. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
13. ^ Wright, Chris. "Diego Fined €100k For Penalty Miss, Steve McClaren Then Sacked By Wolfsburg (Video)". whoateallthepies.tv. http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/videos/64192/diego-fined-e100k-and-steve-mcclaren-sacked-over-botched-penalty-video.html. Retrieved 10 February 2011. 
14. ^ Edwards, Daniel (14 May 2011). "Diego storms out after being omitted from Wolfsburg squad for Hoffenheim clash". goal.com. http://www.goal.com/en/news/15/germany/2011/05/14/2486122/diego-storms-out-after-being-omitted-from-wolfsburg-squad. Retrieved 14 May 2011. 
15. ^ Matthews, Luke (22 June 2011). "Wolfsburg's Diego fined €500,000 for abandoning team-mates - report". goal.com. http://www.goal.com/en/news/15/germany/2011/06/22/2543534/wolfsburgs-diego-fined-500000-for-abandoning-team-mates. Retrieved 28 August 2011. 
16. ^ Redshaw, David (1 September 2011). "Atlético Madrid snare Wolfsburg’s Diego on season-long loan". adifferentleague.co.uk. http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_9295_atl%C3%A9tico-madrid-snare-wolfsburg%E2%80%99s-diego-on-season-long-loan.html. Retrieved 6 September 2011. 
17. ^ "Valencia CF 1 - 0 Atlético Madrid". eurosport.yahoo.com. 10 September 2011. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/liga/2011-2012/valencia-cf-atletico-madrid-458795.html. Retrieved 11 September 2011. 
18. ^ "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2002–2003". rsssfbrasil.com. http://www.rsssfbrasil.com/sel/brazil200203.htm. Retrieved 23 September 2009. 
19. ^ "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2004–2005". rsssfbrasil.com. http://www.rsssfbrasil.com/sel/brazil200405.htm. Retrieved 23 September 2009. 
20. ^ "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2006–2007". rsssfbrasil.com. http://www.rsssfbrasil.com/sel/brazil200607.htm. Retrieved 23 September 2009. 
21. ^ "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2008–2009". rsssfbrasil.com. http://www.rsssfbrasil.com/sel/brazil200809.htm. Retrieved 23 September 2009. 
22. ^ "Seleção Brasileira Restritiva (Brazilian National Restrictive Team) 2004–2008". rsssfbrasil.com. http://www.rsssfbrasil.com/sel/brazil200408r.htm. Retrieved 23 September 2009. 
23. ^ "ESCLUSIVA CALCIOMERCATO/ Juventus, avvocato Basile: io interista, ho dato a Diego la cittadinanza italiana" (in Italian). ilsussidiario.net. 29 January 2009. http://www.ilsussidiario.net/articolo.aspx?articolo=19691. Retrieved 29 January 2010. 

External links

• Atlético Madrid official profile
• Diego at fussballdaten.de (German)
• Diego at Transfermarkt
• Diego Ribas da Cunha – FIFA competition record
• Official website (German) (Portuguese) (English)

Persondata
Name	Diego Ribas da Cunha
Alternative names
Short description	Footballer
Date of birth	28 February 1985
Place of birth	Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Date of death
Place of death