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Date of Birth: Sunday, June 20, 1976
Birth Place: Brazil
Height: 179cm
Position: Defender
Former Clubs/Teams: FC Barcelona, Villarreal CF, São Paulo FC, Atlético Mineiro, Cruzeiro

Biography

Juliano Belletti is a right-sided defender who plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League. He is an attack-minded full-back who enjoys marauding up the pitch and getting long shots in – he is well known for scoring some spectacular goals. He is a World Cup winner with Brazil (Japan 2002), but has been overlooked by the Selecao of late, with young, faster full-back keeping him out of the squad.

Childhood

Belletti was born on 20th June 1976 in Cascavel, on the Brazilian border with Paraguay. He enjoyed a relatively privileged upbringing, though his parents couldn’t keep him off the streets where football was involved! He is of Italian descent, which made his transition to European football easier, without the need for work permits.

Early Career

Juliano Belletti’s first club was Cruzeiro, who he joined after various junior teams. He was promoted to the first team ahead of the 1994 season, when he was just 18 years old, though he was only used as a reserve right-back, getting games only when the first choice defender was injured. He struggled to establish himself in the first team the following season, though he did enough to earn a move to Sao Paulo.

More seasons spent on the fringes of the team and injured, frustrated Belletti, but at least he was picking up medals – for the Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais State Championships. It was his form in the Sao Paulo-Rio Tournament that led to his first international call-up and a move across the water to Villareal.

It was only once he was on Spanish soil that he started to show his full potential – his fantastic technical ability was backed-up by a good engine and a stunning shot, which allowed him to score 15 goals for Villareal in his two seasons at the club. Having proved himself in La Liga, a move to Barcelona followed, and he became a key member of the fluent Barca side that won the league twice and the 2006 Champions League against Arsenal.

Extra competition from Gianluca Zambrotta saw his appearances limited in 2006/07, and Barcelona reluctantly agreed to let him move on to find first-team football.

Current Club

Belletti signed for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the summer of 2007, and was signed with a view to solving the right-back conundrum that Paulo Ferreira and Asier Del Horno had failed in. He impressed on his debut in August 2007, and scored what was later voted the ‘Goal of the Season’ with a 40 yard wonder-strike against Wigan.

Disappointment in the Premier League and Champions League under Avram Grant, when they finished runners up in both, led to Felipe Scolari arriving. Belletti has since been used as a utility player, with new-boy Jose Bosingwa being preferred at right-back, but Juliano getting a few games across the defensive and midfield positions.

International

Juliano Belletti made his international debut in March 2001, in the run up to the Copa America later that year. With Cafu injured, Juliano was first-choice right-back when Brazil fell at the Quarter Final stage. He was a member of the 2002 World Cup winning side of Japan 2002, though didn’t feature in the Final or the game against England which saw David Seaman lobbed from 50 yards by a young Ronaldinho. With new, younger faster defenders coming through in Brazil all the time, Belletti struggled to add to his 23 caps after 2005, and was left out of the 2006 Germany World Cup side.