José Kléberson

Kléberson

Kléberson playing for Flamengo in 2010
Personal information
Full name José Kléberson Pereira
Date of birth (1979-06-19) 19 June 1979
Place of birth Uraí, Brazil
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2003 Atlético Paranaense 100 (12)
2003–2005 Manchester United 20 (2)
2005–2007 Beşiktaş 45 (3)
2007–2012 Flamengo 63 (9)
2011 → Atlético Paranaense (loan) 18 (2)
2012–2013 Bahia 19 (2)
2013 → Philadelphia Union (loan) 11 (1)
2014–2015 Indy Eleven 21 (8)
2016– Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0 (0)
National team
2002–2010 Brazil 32 (2)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 November 2014.


José Kléberson Pereira (born 19 June 1979), commonly known as José Kléberson or simply Kléberson, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Fort Lauderdale Strikers. He played for Brazil 32 times and was part of the squad that won the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Atlético Paranaense

Kléberson was born and raised in the provincial town of Uraí in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná. He began his football career with Atlético Paranaense. While at Atlético Paranaense, Kléberson won the Paraná State League in 2000 and 2001, and the Brazilian Série A title in 2001. His performances for Atlético Paranaense led to Luiz Felipe Scolari bringing him into the Brazilian national team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Manchester United

His World Cup performances led to Scolari declaring Kléberson the driving force behind Brazil's cup-winning side, and drew interest from several European teams. Barcelona, Newcastle United, Leeds United and Celtic all expressed an interest. Leeds United failed to secure the signing after Kléberson decided against leaving Brazil without his girlfriend, who he was unable to marry until her 16th birthday. Eventually, it was Manchester United who signed Kléberson for a fee of £6.5 million on 12 August 2003.[1] Seen as a replacement for Juan Sebastián Verón, Kléberson was injured in his second appearance for the club and made only 20 appearances in two seasons. He scored two league goals in his time at Manchester United, both coming in home wins against Blackburn Rovers[2] and Everton.[3]

Beşiktaş

Kléberson playing for Beşiktaş in 2006

On 6 August 2005, Kléberson signed for Turkish club Beşiktaş for €2.95 million.[4][5] He signed a three-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months, and told reporters at a signing ceremony:

"I have come from one big club to another so I am very happy".

Kléberson unilaterally terminated the contract after claiming the club failed to pay his wages on time.[4]

Flamengo

Kléberson signed with Flamengo on 27 September 2007 as a free agent,[6] but he was unable to play for the club until February 2008, due to problems related to his resignation from Beşiktaş. On 10 August 2007 (announced on 27 August) FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber passed a decision that Kléberson had to pay Besiktas €3.18 million as for the compensation of breach of contract[4] and Besiktas had to pay US$461,112 as outstanding wage.[4] Furthermore, Kléberson was suspended for 4 months (counting from 27 September 2007)[4] Kléberson and the club later agreed to reduce the compensation from €3.18 million to €1 million.[7]

His first matches for his new club were on the reserves team in several matches of the Rio State League. His climb to the first team started slowly as he began to play consistently in the Copa Libertadores. Kléberson earned an important spot in the midfield after the transfers of Renato Augusto and Marcinho.

After returning to the first team his good spell in 2009 was interrupted on 12 August, in a friendly match against Estonia. He suffered a foul and fell, causing him a dislocated shoulder. Kléberson had surgery and was expected to miss the rest of the year.[8] He managed to recover quickly being able to return on 22 November in a 0–0 draw against Goiás and also playing in the 2–1 win over Grêmio and winning the 2009 Brazilian Série A, the second in his career.

In the pre-season period of 2010 Palmeiras speculated the possibility of involving Kléberson in a trade for Vágner Love,[9] but Flamengo refused to accept the idea.[10]

Bahia

After a bad year playing on loan for Atlético Paranaense, when the club was relegated to Série B, Kléberson signed for Bahia on a two-year contract in July 2012.[11] He scored his first goal for Bahia on his debut, against his former club Flamengo.[12]

Philadelphia Union

Kléberson was acquired on loan by the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer on 25 March 2013.[13] He scored the game-winning goal in the 95th minute from a free kick against Toronto FC on 10 October 2013.[14]

Indy Eleven

On 25 March 2014, it was reported that Kléberson had signed a two-year deal with Indy Eleven of the North American Soccer League.[15] Kléberson was released by Indy Eleven in December 2015 after two seasons at the club.[16]

Fort Lauderdale Strikers

Kléberson signed with NASL side Fort Lauderdale Strikers on January 4, 2016.[17]

International career

Kléberson made his first international appearance for Brazil in a friendly match against Bolivia on 31 January 2002. He also marked his debut by scoring Brazil's fourth goal in a 6–0 win. He also scored against Iceland in March 2002. He was subsequently selected by Luiz Felipe Scolari for Brazil's squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was initially relegated to the bench for the first four matches in the tournament. He was brought into the starting line-up for Brazil's game against England, with Scolari feeling his tenacity would help counter the high work-rate of the English side. His tackle on his future team-mate Paul Scholes led to Brazil's equaliser before Brazil ended up winning 2–1. He then was included in the starting lineup for the rest of the tournament. Brazil defeated Germany in the final, with Kléberson setting up one of the two Brazilian goals, as Brazil won the World Cup for a record fifth time.

After the World Cup, he retained his starting position in Brazil's team under the new coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and was also included in Brazil's squad for 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Brazil were eliminated in the group stage. That summer, Kléberson moved to Europe to join Manchester United. He failed to achieve regular playing time with his club, and as a result he lost his position in the national team. He managed to be included in Brazil's squad for the Copa América 2004. He made five appearances in the tournament, starting in every match he played as Brazil went on to win the tournament.

After more than four years in the international wilderness, Kléberson was recalled to the national team by Dunga on 28 May 2009. He was recalled to replace Anderson in two matches for 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.[18] After recovering from his shoulder surgery once again Kléberson was called up for the national team on 9 February 2010 for a friendly match against Ireland on 2 March, in London.[19]

Kléberson was then called up to Brazil's 2010 World Cup squad by Dunga on 11 May.[20] The 23-man squad was almost exactly the same as the squad against Ireland but included one additional player, Heurelho Gomes. His only appearance in the 2010 World Cup was in the Round of 16 game against Chile.

Career statistics

Club

As of 30 October 2015[21]

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
ClubSeasonDivision AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Atlético Paranaense 1999 Série A 141320000—173
2000 244200000—264
2001 293710000—364
2002 214000061—275
2003 120210000—141
Total 100121440061—12017
Manchester United 2003–04 Premier League 12210102000162
2004–05 8000303000140
Total 20210405000302
Beşiktaş 2005–06 Süper Lig 313900060—463
2006–07 140200051—211
Total 45311000111—674
Flamengo 2008 Série A 2450013180—456
2009 1515216300—366
2010 2130013380—426
Total 60952427160—12318
Atlético Paranaense 2011 Série A 182400000—222
Flamengo 2012 Série A 30000064—94
Bahia 2012 Série A 192000000—192
2013 00004500—45
Total 192004500—237
Philadelphia Union 2013 Major League Soccer 61000000—61
Indy Eleven 2014 North American Soccer League 208000000—208
2015 10000000—10
Total 218000000—218
Career total 2923835650124460042163

International

As of 28 June 2010.[22][23][24]
National teamClubSeasonAppsGoals
Brazil Atlético Paranaense 2002 132
2003 70
Manchester United 2003–04 60
2004–05 10
Beşiktaş 2005–06 —
2006–07 —
Flamengo 2008 —
2009 40
2010 10
Total 322

Honours

Club

Atlético Paranaense
Manchester United
Beşiktaş
Flamengo

International

References

  1. ↑ "Kleberson signs for Man Utd". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 12 August 2003. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  2. ↑ "Man Utd see off Blackburn". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 22 November 2003. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  3. ↑ "Man Utd 3–2 Everton". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 December 2003. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Decision of the Dispute Resolution Chamber 87745" (PDF). FIFA. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "Kleberson completes Besiktas move". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 8 August 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  6. ↑ "Flamengo signs World Cup champion Kleberson". Xinhua News Agency. 27 September 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  7. ↑ Beşiktaş Futbol Yatırımları Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş (BİST: BJKAS) Financial Report and Accounts on 31 May 2008 (Turkish)
  8. ↑ Kleberson se contunde durante amistoso entre Brasil e Estônia 12 August 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010. (Portuguese)
  9. ↑ Belluzzo admite que Palmeiras quer Kleberson: 'Um jogador muito interessante' 30 December 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010. (Portuguese)
  10. ↑ Flamengo não cede Kleberson ou qualquer outro jogador para ter Love 30 December 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010. (Portuguese)
  11. ↑ http://www.correio24horas.com.br/esportes/detalhes/detalhes-3/artigo/bahia-cede-e-kleberson-vai-assinar-ate-2014-garante-empresario/?id=152&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=169298&cHash=8ee361a35c4dff39a2b669a05ab5e32a
  12. ↑ http://esportes.terra.com.br/futebol/brasileiro-serie-a/noticias/0,,OI5960647-EI20038,00-Com+um+a+menos+Flamengo+vence+Bahia+no+reencontro+com+Kleberson.html
  13. ↑ http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/news/2013/03/philadelphia-union-acquire-brazilian-midfielder-jos%C3%A9-kl%C3%A9berson-loan-part-ways-freddy-ad
  14. ↑ http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/10/05/rarely-used-kleberson-buries-winner-philadelphia-union-i-needed-show-fans-i-
  15. ↑ http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=208559
  16. ↑ http://www.nasl.com/news/2015/12/03/indy-elevens-2016-roster-begins-to-take-shape-
  17. ↑ http://www.nasl.com/news/2016/01/04/strikers-add-world-cup-winner-klberson
  18. ↑ "Anderson blow for Brazil". Sky Sports. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  19. ↑ "Dunga convoca seleção e deixa Ronaldinho fora da lista e longe da Copa". Globoesporte.com (in Portuguese). 9 February 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  20. ↑ Brazil leave out star duo Sky Sports. 11 May 2010.
  21. ↑ "Kleberson". indyeleven.com. Indy Eleven. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  22. ↑ Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2002–2003
  23. ↑ Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2004–2005
  24. ↑ Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 2008–2009
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/26/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.