Naldo

Juventude

Born in Londrina, Brazil, Naldo began his football career playing for RS Futebol at the youth level before playing for them professionally. He spent two years at the club, making forty–seven appearances and scoring three times in all competitions. At the start of the 2004 season, Naldo joined Juventude and made his debut on 2 May 2004, coming on as a substitute, in a 4–0 win against Paraná Clube. He then received his first start for the club, in a 1–0 win against Coritiba on 10 July 2004. Seven days later on 17 July 2004, Naldo scored his first goal for the club from a free kick, in a 1–0 win against Flamengo. Two weeks later on 1 August 2004, he scored his second goal for Juventude, in a 1–1 draw against Vasco da Gama. Naldo helped the club keep four consecutive clean sheets in the next four matches between 5 August 2004 and 14 August 2004. He scored his third goal of the season, once again from a free kick, in a 2–1 loss against Santos on 1 September 2004. After missing several matches due to injury, Naldo scored on his return to the starting line–up against Athletico Paranaense on 7 October 2004. At the end of the 2004 season, having played alongside Thiago Silva, he went on to make twenty–five appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. At the start of the 2005 season, Naldo continued to remain in the first team for Juventude, playing in the centre–back position. He scored his first goal of the season to score an equaliser, as the club drew…

In March 2007, Naldo was called up to the Brazil squad for the first time by his then the national team's manager Dunga, but did not play. Two months later on 17 May 2007, he was called up to Brazil's provisional squad for the Copa América. Naldo made his full debut in England's first match at the new Wembley Stadium on 1 June 2007 as they drew 1–1 with England. Four days later on 5 June 2007, he made his second appearance for the national team against Turkey and kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw. The next day, Naldo made the final cut for the Brazil squad for the Copa América. He made his first appearance of the tournament, coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute for Juan, in a 6–1 win against Chile in the quarter–finals to advance to the next round. Despite making one appearances in the Copa América, Brazil went on to win the tournament, once again defeating Argentina in the final. Following the end of the Copa América, Naldo was called up to the national team squad a month later. He made his third appearance for Brazil against Algeria on 22 August 2007 and kept a clean sheet, as the national team won 2–0. The next two years saw Naldo being called up by the national football team numerous times, but did not play. Having not been called up to the Brazil since 2009, Naldo said he was open to be included in the national team squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in his homeland country and 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. However, Naldo was never included in the squad for Brazil.

Naldo played as a versatile two-footed central defender. He stands at 1.98 metres tall and this height, combined with his jumping and heading ability, made him a big threat in aerial contests. He was also well known for his set piece skill and according to Dunga, who coached him at the 2007 Copa América, he could hit the ball in excess of 60 mph using the cannonball free kick method, associated with other fellow Brazilians such as Roberto Carlos, Alex, David Luiz and Adriano. Furthermore, he was capable of playing across the back line. During his time at Werder Bremen, he was the club's fan favourite in the regular team. During his first few weeks at Bremen, fans likened him to an Ox due to his immense height and athletic build, as a result he was nicknamed The Beast, a name shared with players Júlio Baptista, Jonathan Parkin, Brian Jensen and Adebayo Akinfenwa. His teammate Tim Wiese described him as the best central defender in the league. His manager at Werder Bremen, Thomas Schaaf, described him as "probably the most talented defender in Brazil". His performance in the 2017–18 season led the German media praise his performance despite playing at age 35 at the time. Naldo later credited Manager Domenico Tedesco for giving him self-confidence, and even calling him the best manager he ever had.

On 30 September 2020, Naldo returned to Schalke 04 as a coaching staff member and upon doing so, he announced his retirement from professional football. Six days later, Naldo was critical of the club's performances in the 2020–21 season. Naldo said in an interview on why he wanted to become a coach, saying: "Let's put it this way: It wasn't my primary goal. I thought for a long time whether I might become a consultant. But now I'm here at Schalke and I'm happy about it. I learn something new every day, I have a lot of fun." Naldo revealed that he used to play as a striker, saying: "I used to play a striker when I was younger, so something must have stuck. My uncle was also a striker, my father played in midfield. I've grown, and at some point I was better off with my 1.98 meters behind. That's a good thing."

Born in Santo André, São Paulo, Naldo played for Cascavel CR, Oeste Paulista EC and CA Lemense before moving to União São João EC for the 2010 season, with his rights being owned by Traffic Group. In April 2010 he moved to Série B's AA Ponte Preta. Naldo made his professional debut on 7 May 2010, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–1 away draw against ASA de Arapiraca. He scored his first goal on 3 September, netting the last in a 3–1 win at América Mineiro. On 29 December 2010, Naldo moved to Cruzeiro EC, in Série A. After featuring regularly for the club he moved to fellow league team Grêmio FBPA on 9 January 2012. On 29 January 2013, Naldo signed a five-year deal with Granada CF, being immediately loaned to Serie A's Bologna F.C. 1909. He made his debut in the competition on 10 March, playing the entire second half in a 1–0 away win against Inter Milan. In May 2013, after making five appearances for Bologna, Naldo was assigned to Granada's partner club Udinese Calcio. A backup to countryman Danilo and Thomas Heurtaux, he appeared in 16 matches during the campaign. On 1 September 2014, Naldo was loaned to La Liga side Getafe CF, in a season-long deal. He made his debut in the competition on the 14th, starting in a 2–0 away loss against Sevilla FC. On 18 July 2015, Naldo signed for Portuguese side Sporting CP, but moved to Russian club FC Krasnodar on 26 August of the following year. On 10 August 2017, Krasnodar confirmed his transfer to RCD Espanyol. On 25 July 2022,…

As of match played 5 November 2024

Sporting CP

Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2015