Juliano Belletti

Football player infobox
playername = Juliano Belletti


fullname = Juliano Haus Belletti
height = height|m=1.79
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1976|6|20
cityofbirth = Cascavel
countryofbirth = Brazil
position = Right back, Right wing, Defensive midfielder
currentclub = Chelsea
clubnumber = 35
years = 1993–1995 1995–2002 1999 2002–2004 2004–2007 2007–
clubs = Cruzeiro São Paulo → Atlético Mineiro (Loan) Villarreal FC Barcelona Chelsea
caps(goals) = 52 (3) 54 (4) 17 (5) 57 (6) 71 (0) 27 (3)
nationalyears = 2001–2005
nationalteam = Brazil
nationalcaps(goals) = 23 (2)
pcupdate = 20:56, 27 September 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 25 November, 2006

Juliano Haus Belletti (born June 20, 1976 in Cascavel, Brazil), often known as Belletti, is a Brazilian football player, of Italian descent, who currently plays for Chelsea. He currently plays as a right back but started off as a midfielder and was awarded by Placar with the Silver Ball for his continuous great performances for Atlético Mineiro during the 1999 Brazilian Série A.

Club career

He started his career playing for Cruzeiro in 1993. In 1995 he moved to São Paulo, where he earned a solid spot in the starting lineup. In 1999 he played for Atlético where he was vice-champion of the Brazilian League. Rumors linked him with a move to La Liga side Valencia in 2001, but the move fell apart at the last minute.Fact|date=February 2007 In 2002 he finally moved to Europe, going to Villarreal. In 2004, after a successful spell at Villarreal he signed for Barcelona where he became the first-choice right back and a key set piece taker in the squad.

F.C. Barcelona

After winning the Spanish La Liga title in his first season, Belletti gradually fell out of favor both in Barcelona and in the Brazilian National Team. Being a regular in 04–05 season, he saw a tough competition from Catalan Oleguer Presas. Still, he played most of his second season in-and-out of the first team.

On May 17, 2006, in the Stade de France, Paris, Belletti's club Barcelona played English club Arsenal in the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. Oleguer was preferred to start rather than Belletti, and he had to make do with a place on the substitute bench. But when manager Frank Rijkaard brought him on for Oleguer he scored the second goal in a 2–1 come-from-behind win which gave them the 2006 UEFA Champions League crown.

His third season was marked by injuries, and the new competition from Gianluca Zambrotta proved too much for him. He played very little in Barcelona's season that ended with nothing.

Chelsea F.C.

On August 23 2007, Chelsea officially announced that Belletti had signed a three-year contract after the player agreed personal terms and passed a medical. . [ [http://www.chelseafc.com/xxchelsea180706/index.html#/page/Homepage/article_1098289 Belletti Move Completed] ] He made his English Premier League debut for Chelsea on August 25 2007, when he came on as a substitute for John Obi Mikel in the 64th minute of their home game against Portsmouth, with the game ending 1–0 to Chelsea. [cite web | title=Chelsea 1 - 0 Portsmouth | work=BBC Sport | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6952879.stm | accessdate=August 25 | accessyear=2007 ]

He made his first start for Chelsea against Aston Villa at Villa Park. Despite a strong debut, Chelsea lost the game 2-0. Following the departure of José Mourinho, Belletti became a regular starter in the right-back position for Premier League, Champions League and Carling Cup games, facing competition from Paulo Ferreira and Michael Essien for his place in the team. In his first season at Chelsea, Belletti scored two goals, both shots from long-range, the first away at Wigan Athletic in November 2007, and the second at Stamford Bridge against Tottenham Hotspur in January 2008. The latter was eventually voted by Chelsea supporters as Chelsea Goal of the Season 2007/08. [ [http://www.chelseafc.com/page/NewsHomePage/0,,10268~1308742,00.html Chelsea Player of the Year Awards] ]

Jose Bosingwa's arrival at Chelsea at the start of the 2008/09 season, in addition to the rising fitness levels of Branislav Ivanovic, caused Belletti's relinquishment of the right-back position at Stamford Bridge. However, Luiz Felipe Scolari, the new Chelsea manager, has so far given Belletti playing time as a utility player, providing valuable back-up in the defensive midfield and right wing positions.

Belletti's frequent long-range efforts at the opposition goal have given him cult status among the Chelsea support.

International career

Belletti is of Italian descent and holds an Italian passport, allowing him to bypass the non-EU player restrictions in La Liga and to play in the Premier League without a work permit. He has been capped 23 times for the Brazilian national team, scoring two goals. He was a member of the Brazilian team that won the title at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, although he only appeared in one match at the tournament, coming on as a substitute in the semi-final against Turkey.

Belletti has yet to receive another call-up since 2005 and was left out of the unsuccessful Brazil squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Honours

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References

External links

*soccerbase|id=25705|name=Juliano Belletti
* [http://www.footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=player&Id=1426&b=true&pn=Juliano_Haus_Belletti Belletti's profile and stats] at FootballDatabase