- Naldo (footballer born 1982)
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Naldo 
Personal information Full name Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues Date of birth 10 September 1982 Place of birth Londrina, Brazil Height 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)[1] Playing position Defender Club information Current club Werder Bremen Number 4 Youth career RS Futebol Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 2002–2004 RS Futebol 2004–2005 Juventude 36 (8) 2005– Werder Bremen 156 (19) National team‡ 2007– Brazil 4 (0) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 September 2011.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2009Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues (born 10 September 1982), commonly known as Naldo, is a Brazilian footballer currently playing for German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen and the Brazilian national team.
Contents
Career
He plays as a versatile two-footed central defender, signing in the summer of 2005, to replace Valérien Ismaël who left for Bayern Munich. However, he is capable of playing right across the back line.
He played in all but two of Bremen's Bundesliga games in 2005–06 and in seven of their eight Champions League fixtures. He stands at 1.98 metres tall and this height, combined with his jumping and heading ability, make him a big threat in aerial contests. He is also well known for his set piece skill and according to Brazil national team manager Dunga Naldo can hit the ball in excess of 60 mph using the cannonball free kick method associated with other pros such as Roberto Carlos, Alex, Juninho and Adriano.
In the 2006–07 season, he scored a hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt. The match ended 6–2.
He recently broke into the Brazilian national team and has earned himself several caps, along with some great performances. Coach Dunga has reported to have been very happy with Naldo's games, which has earned him a place in the first XI.
He scored in the 2009 UEFA Cup Final to level the game at 1–1, however his team went on to lose the game 2–1 to Shakhtar Donetsk after extra time.
In May 2010, Naldo sustained a serious knee injury. He made his comeback in mid August 2011, appearing for Werder in a friendly match, and subsequently returned to Bundesliga action in September 2011.
Nicknames
During his first few weeks at Bremen fans likened him to an Ox due to his immense height and athletic build, as a result he was nicknamed The Beast, a name shared with players Julio Baptista and Brian Jensen.
References
- ^ "Naldo" (in German). Werder Bremen. http://www.werder.de/de/profis/team/spieler/20690.php. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
Quotes
- Thomas Schaaf: “He is probably the most talented defender in Brazil.”
External links
- Official website (German) (English) (Portuguese)
- Naldo at fussballdaten.de (German)
Brazil squad – 2007 Copa América Winners (8th Title) 1 Helton • 2 Maicon • 3 Alex • 4 Juan • 5 Mineiro • 6 Gilberto • 7 Elano • 8 Gilberto Silva (c) • 9 Vágner Love • 10 Diego • 11 Robinho • 12 Doni • 13 Daniel Alves • 14 Alex Silva • 15 Naldo • 16 Kléber • 17 Josué • 18 Fernando • 19 Júlio Baptista • 20 Anderson • 21 Afonso Alves • 22 Fred • Coach: Dunga
Werder Bremen – current squad 1 Wiese · 2 Boenisch · 4 Naldo · 5 Wesley · 6 Borowski · 7 Arnautović · 8 Fritz · 9 Avdić · 10 Marin · 11 Rosenberg · 13 Schmitz · 14 Hunt · 15 Prödl · 16 Silvestre · 17 Ignjovski · 18 Kroos · 19 Wagner · 20 Ekici · 21 Mielitz · 22 Papastathopoulos · 23 Wolf · 24 Pizarro · 25 Trybull · 26 Hartherz · 31 P. Stevanović · 32 Yildirim · 33 Vander · 34 A. Stevanović · 35 Trinks · 36 Thy · 37 Balogun · 38 Schoppenhauer · 44 Bargfrede · 46 Ayık · Coach: Schaaf
Categories:- 1982 births
- Living people
- Brazilian footballers
- Brazilian expatriate footballers
- Brazilian people of Black African descent
- SV Werder Bremen players
- Brazil international footballers
- 2007 Copa América players
- People from Londrina
- Expatriate footballers in Germany
- Esporte Clube Juventude players
- Fußball-Bundesliga players
- Brazilian football defender, 1980s birth stubs
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