Zé Roberto

José Roberto da Silva Júnior (born 6 July 1974), commonly known as Zé Roberto, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a left wing-back or as a midfielder. He is most well-known for his time with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, as well as Portuguesa, Grêmio and Palmeiras in the Brazilian league.

He made his debut for Portuguesa where he played for two seasons before joining Real Madrid in January 1997. He left Real Madrid later that year to get more playing time and increase his chances of selection for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He joined Flamengo before returning to Europe in the summer of 1998, signing for Bayer Leverkusen.

At Bayer Leverkusen, Zé Roberto challenged Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title, as Leverkusen finished runner-ups on three occasions. Leverkusen also made it to the 2002 UEFA Champions League final which they lost to Real Madrid. In 2002, Zé Roberto joined Bayern Munich where he won four Bundesliga titles over six seasons. He also played for Santos, Hamburger SV, Al-Gharafa, Grêmio and Palmeiras. Over the course of his career, he played 961 club games and took the field 84 times for Brazil.

Currently, he is a technical advisor to Palmeiras, acting directly with the players and the coaching staff.

Club career

Early career

Zé Roberto started in the youth ranks of Palestra de São Bernardo but it was while playing for Portuguesa, as a left-back, that he became known throughout Brazil after finishing as runner-up in 1996 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.