Sonny Anderson

Sonny Anderson

Anderson training with Lyon in 2010
Personal information
Full name Anderson da Silva
Date of birth (1970-09-19) 19 September 1970
Place of birth Goiatuba, Brazil
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Striker
Youth career
1987 XV de Jaú
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1991 Vasco da Gama 42 (8)
1992 Guarani 18 (4)
1992–1994 Servette 52 (31)
1994 Marseille 20 (16)
1994–1997 Monaco 91 (51)
1997–1999 Barcelona 47 (16)
1999–2003 Lyon 110 (71)
2003–2004 Villarreal 38 (13)
2004–2005 Al Rayyan 20 (24)
2006 Al-Gharafa 19 (6)
Total 457 (233)
National team
1987 Brazil U17 2 (0)
1989 Brazil U20 6 (3)
1997–2001 Brazil 6 (1)
Teams managed
2011 Neuchâtel Xamax

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Anderson da Silva (born 19 September 1970), known as Sonny or Anderson, is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a striker.

A prolific goalscorer in the club level, he was best known for his spells with Lyon, Monaco (he played most of his abroad career in France, amassing Ligue 1 totals of 221 games and 138 goals) and Barcelona.

Anderson participated with Brazil in the 2001 Confederations Cup.

Club career

Born in Goiatuba, Goiás, Anderson started playing professionally with CR Vasco da Gama, but failed to make an early impression. After failing to score in 18 matches in his last year, he moved to Guarani Futebol Clube.

Anderson's first abroad experience came with Servette FC, and his impact was instant, scoring 20 goals in his first season then helping the club to the national league in the following by netting 11 in just the first half of the campaign, as he left in January 1994 to Olympique de Marseille.

After six months, with L'OM relegated due to a bribery scandal, Anderson moved to fellow Ligue 1 side AS Monaco FC, scoring at an equally impressive pace and winning team (1997 league) and individual accolades alike.

In 1997, Sonny joined FC Barcelona: having to battle for first-choice status with the likes of Luis Enrique and Patrick Kluivert, he fared well, scoring ten times in La Liga alone in his first season, as the Catalans won the double.[1] In his second year, which included some run-ins with manager Louis Van Gaal,[2][3] he played less, which prompted a return to France with rising Olympique Lyonnais, for approximately €18 million. He would be a very important attacking figure as the team won the first two of seven consecutive national championships.

Aged 33, free agent Anderson returned to Spain with Villarreal CF.[4] In his only full campaign he scored 12 times, including against Real Madrid (1–0, after only two minutes on the pitch), former club Barcelona (2–1, in the 89th minute) and Valencia CF (1–0), while also helping the Yellow Submarine to the semifinals of the UEFA Cup.[5]

After being instrumental in Villarreal's 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup win,[6] Sonny finished his career in Qatar. He then returned to Lyon, going on work with the team's strikers.[7]

In June 2007, Anderson played a farewell match at the Stade de Gerland, in a match facing his friends and the 2002 French champions. Four years later he rescinded his link with Lyon and started a coaching career, joining Neuchâtel Xamax in Switzerland.[8] On 24 July, after only two league games, he was sacked.[9]

International career

Anderson could not translate his club success to the international front. He only gained six caps for the Brazilian side, the first coming in August 1997 against South Korea.

Honours

Club

Vasco da Gama
Servette
Monaco
Barcelona
Lyon
Villarreal

Individual

References

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