José 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)
Position(s) Midfielder
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 5 (0)
Total 302 (39)
International career
2002–2010 Brazil 32 (2)
Managerial career
2022 Philadelphia Union II (assistant)
2022– New York City FC (assistant)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Brazil
FIFA World Cup
Winner2002 Korea & Japan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

José Kléberson Pereira (born 19 June 1979), commonly known as José Kléberson or simply Kléberson, is a Brazilian football coach and former player who is currently the assistant coach of New York City FC. He previously played for Brazil 32 times and was part of the squad that won the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Playing career

Club

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. There, 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 calling him up to the Brazil 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, failed to secure the signing after Kléberson decided against leaving Brazil without his girlfriend, who he was unable to marry until her 16th birthday, and eventually it was Manchester United who signed Kléberson, paying 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.

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), the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber passed a decision that Kléberson had to pay Beşiktaş €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 four months (retroactively from 27 September 2007)[4] Kléberson and the club later agreed to reduce the compensation from €3.18 million to €1 million.[7]

Kléberson's 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, Kléberson's good spell in 2009 was interrupted on 12 August, in a friendly match against Estonia, where 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 2010 pre-season, 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 poor 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]

Kléberson in 2013

Later career in the U.S.

Kléberson was acquired on loan by the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS) 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]

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

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

International

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 teammate 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, Kléberson 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 2004 Copa América. 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 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 the Republic of 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.

Management career

In 2017, Kléberson rejoined the Philadelphia Union as a coach in the youth academy.[21] In 2022, he was promoted to assistant coach of Philadelphia Union II for their inaugural season in MLS Next Pro.

Personal life

After Kleberson's starring role at the 2002 World Cup, Europe's top sides competed to sign him, but he chose to stay in Brazil for another year so he could marry his 15-year-old fiancée when she reached the age of consent, having met her when she was 14.[22][23]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[24]
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Atlético Paranaense 1999 Série A 141320000—173
2000 Série A 244200000—264
2001 Série A 293710000—364
2002 Série A 214000061—275
2003 Série A 120210000—141
Total 100121440061—12017
Manchester United 2003–04 Premier League 12210102000162
2004–05 Premier League 8000303000140
Total 20210405000302
Beşiktaş 2005–06 Süper Lig 313900060—463
2006–07 Süper Lig 140200051—211
Total 45311000111—674
Flamengo 2008 Série A 2450013180—456
2009 Série A 1515216300—366
2010 Série A 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 Série A 00004500—45
Total 192004500—237
Philadelphia Union 2013 Major League Soccer 111000000—111
Indy Eleven 2014 North American Soccer League 208000000—208
2015 North American Soccer League 10000000—10
Total 218000000—218
Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2016 North American Soccer League 50000000—50
Career total 3023935650124460043163

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[25][26][27]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Brazil 2002 132
2003 70
2004 60
2005 10
2006 0 0
2007 0 0
2008 0 0
2009 40
2010 10
Total 322
Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kléberson goal.
List of international goals scored by José Kléberson
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
131 January 2002Estádio Serra Dourada, Goiânia, Brazil Bolivia4–06–0Friendly
27 March 2002Estádio Governador José Fragelli, Cuiabá, Brazil Iceland2–06–1Friendly

Honours

Atlético Paranaense
Manchester United
Beşiktaş
Flamengo
Brazil
Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Kleberson signs for Man Utd". BBC Sport. 12 August 2003. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  2. ↑ "Man Utd see off Blackburn". BBC Sport. 22 November 2003. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  3. ↑ "Man Utd 3–2 Everton". BBC Sport. 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "Kleberson completes Besiktas move". BBC Sport. 8 August 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  6. ↑ "Flamengo signs World Cup champion Kleberson". Xinhua News Agency. 27 September 2007. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  7. ↑ Beşiktaş Futbol Yatırımları Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş (BİST: BJKAS) Financial Report and Accounts on 31 May 2008 (in Turkish)
  8. ↑ Kleberson se contunde durante amistoso entre Brasil e Estônia 12 August 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010. (in Portuguese)
  9. ↑ Belluzzo admite que Palmeiras quer Kleberson: 'Um jogador muito interessante' 30 December 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010. (in Portuguese)
  10. ↑ Flamengo não cede Kleberson ou qualquer outro jogador para ter Love 30 December 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010. (in Portuguese)
  11. ↑ "CORREIO | O QUE a BAHIA QUER SABER: Bahia cede e Kléberson vai assinar até 2014, garante empresário". www.correio24horas.com.br. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "Com um a menos, Flamengo vence Bahia no reencontro com Kléberson".
  13. ↑ "Philadelphia Union acquire Brazilian midfielder José Kléberson on loan, part ways with Freddy Adu". 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  14. ↑ "Rarely-used Kleberson buries winner for Philadelphia Union: "I needed to show the fans I could score"". 5 October 2013.
  15. ↑ "Brazil World Cup winner joins US second-tier club". Shanghai Daily.
  16. ↑ "Indy Eleven's 2016 Roster Begins To Take Shape".
  17. ↑ "Strikers Add World Cup Winner Kléberson".
  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 Archived 14 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Sky Sports. 11 May 2010.
  21. ↑ Jonathan Tannenwald (25 August 2017). "Kléberson returns to Union to take coaching role with team's academy". The Inquirer. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  22. ↑ Hyde, Ben (17 December 2019). "The infamy of Kléberson, Manchester United's World Cup-winning flop". These Football Times. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  23. ↑ "FOOTBALL: FOOTBALLERS' CHILD WIVES; Kleberson set to join Leeds after his 15-year-old girlfriend says: 'I will marry you'". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  24. ↑ "Kléberson". National Football Teams. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  25. ↑ "Seleção Brasileira 2002-2003". www.rsssfbrasil.com.
  26. ↑ "Seleção Brasileira 2004-2005". www.rsssfbrasil.com.
  27. ↑ "Seleção Brasileira 2008-2009". www.rsssfbrasil.com.
  28. ↑ "Süper Kupa (Profesyonel Takım)". tff.org. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
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