Cléber Santana Explained

Cléber Santana
Fullname:Cléber Santana Loureiro
Birth Date:27 June 1981
Birth Place:Abreu e Lima, Brazil
Death Place:La Unión, Colombia
Position:Midfielder
Youthclubs1:Sport Recife
Years1:1999–2003
Years2:2004
Years3:2005
Years4:2006–2007
Years5:2007–2010
Years6:2008–2009
Years7:2010–2012
Years8:2011
Years9:2012
Years10:2012
Years11:2013
Years12:2013–2014
Years13:2014–2015
Years14:2015–2016
Clubs1:Sport Recife
Clubs2:Vitória
Clubs3:Kashiwa Reysol
Clubs4:Santos
Clubs5:Atlético Madrid
Clubs6:Mallorca (loan)
Clubs7:São Paulo
Clubs8:Atlético Paranaense (loan)
Clubs9:Avaí (loan)
Clubs10:Flamengo (loan)
Clubs11:Flamengo
Clubs12:Avaí
Clubs13:Criciúma
Clubs14:Chapecoense
Caps1:47
Caps2:39
Caps3:29
Caps4:72
Caps5:37
Caps6:32
Caps7:40
Caps8:30
Caps9:40
Caps10:12
Caps11:10
Caps12:66
Caps13:41
Caps14:81
Totalcaps:577
Goals1:5
Goals2:4
Goals3:8
Goals4:17
Goals5:1
Goals6:5
Goals7:3
Goals8:3
Goals9:15
Goals10:1
Goals11:3
Goals12:13
Goals13:4
Goals14:3
Totalgoals:85

Cléber Santana Loureiro (27 June 1981 – 28 November 2016) was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.

He won state championships with Sport, Vitória, Santos and Avaí. He also had spells abroad, with Kashiwa Reysol in Japan and Atlético Madrid and Mallorca in Spain.

Santana was the captain of the Chapecoense team aboard LaMia Flight 2933 that crashed, killing him and 70 others.

Football career

Born in Abreu e Lima, Pernambuco, Santana started playing professionally with Sport Club do Recife. He then went on to represent in Brazil Esporte Clube Vitória and Santos FC, punctuated by a stint with J1 League's Kashiwa Reysol in 2005.

In July 2007, Santana was signed from Santos by Atlético Madrid, on a three-year contract worth 6 million.[1] Although not an undisputed starter, he still contributed with 23 league matches as the Colchoneros returned to the UEFA Champions League after a 12-year hiatus, being played mostly after Maniche's loan departure to Inter Milan in January 2008.[2]

For the 2008–09 season, Santana was loaned to fellow La Liga club RCD Mallorca.[3] On 9 November 2008 he scored his first goal for the Balearic Islands team, in a 3–3 home draw against Athletic Bilbao,[4] and finished the campaign (in which he featured heavily, alongside another player loaned by Atlético, José Manuel Jurado) with five, which also included the 2–1 winner against already crowned champions FC Barcelona on 17 May 2009,[5] and a solo effort the following week, a 3–1 triumph at Real Madrid.[6]

Cléber then returned to Atlético, being used sparingly but managing to net in a 2–2 home draw against UD Almería, on 23 September 2009.[7] In late January of the following year, even though he had renewed his contract until June 2012,[8] he returned to his country, signing with São Paulo FC.[9]

On 21 September 2012, Santana was announced at Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, claiming the team could "not afford to think about relegation" even though it was playing below the general expectations – going on to finish in 11th position. He signed a two-year contract, and the Rio de Janeiro side bought 70% of his rights;[10] he scored on his official debut two days later, against Atlético Clube Goianiense for the Série A.[11]

In the following years, Santana represented Avaí Futebol Clube in the Série B, Criciúma Esporte Clube in that level and also Série A and Associação Chapecoense de Futebol in the top division. He captained the latter, helping the Santa Catarina-based team to the finals of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana.[12]

Death

On 28 November 2016, whilst travelling with Chapecoense to the aforementioned finals, 35-year-old Santana was among the fatalities of the LaMia Flight 2933 accident in the Colombian village of Cerro Gordo, La Unión, Antioquia.[13]

Career statistics

[14]

ClubSeasonLeagueState LeagueCupContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Kashiwa Reysol2005J1 League308523510
Santos2006Série A292173733[15] 0568
200761201114[16] 34015
Total3533714731739623
Atlético Madrid2007–08La Liga230609[17] 0380
2008–0900000000
2009–10141308[18] 0251
Total37190170631
Mallorca2008–09La Liga32581406
São Paulo2010Série A22212180423
201100600060
Total2221810080483
Atlético Paranaense2011Série A30310313
Avaí2012Série B2481674015
Flamengo2012Série A121121
20130010310113
Total12110310234
Avaí2013Série B337337
201416117551387
Total498175517114
Criciúma2014Série A20110211
2015Série B7114210223
Total2721421010434
Chapecoense2015Série A26140301
20163601923170653
Total62119231110954
Career total36042131343985530058587

Honours

Sport

2000

2000

Vitória

2004

Santos

2006, 2007

Atlético Madrid

2007

Runner-up 2009–10

Avaí

2012

Chapecoense

2016 (posthumously)[19] [20]

2016

Notes and References

  1. News: El Atlético cerró el fichaje del medio Cléber Santana. Atlético closed midfielder Cléber Santana's signing. Diario AS. Spanish. 4 July 2007. 15 February 2009.
  2. News: Cléber Santana: "Estamos en el buen camino y vamos a más". Cléber Santana: "We are on the right track and we want more". Diario AS. Spanish. 14 December 2007. 9 July 2014.
  3. Web site: El Atlético de Madrid confirma la cesión de Cléber Santana al Mallorca para la próxima temporada. Atlético de Madrid confirm Cléber Santana's loan to Mallorca for the following season. Terra. Spanish. 25 August 2008.
  4. Web site: Mallorca 3–3 Athletic Bilbao. ESPN Soccernet. 9 November 2008. 22 July 2011. 26 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121026114357/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/252996?cc=5739. dead.
  5. Web site: Mallorca 2–1 Barcelona. ESPN Soccernet. 17 May 2009. 22 July 2011. 26 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121026114432/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/252896?cc=5739. dead.
  6. Web site: Fourth defeat on spin. ESPN Soccernet. 24 May 2009. 22 July 2011. 26 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121026114453/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/252910?cc=5739. dead.
  7. Web site: Piatti leaves it late for Almeria. ESPN Soccernet. 23 September 2009. 22 July 2011. 24 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121024224308/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/275622?cc=5739. dead.
  8. News: El Atlético oficializa la renovación de Cléber Santana hasta 2012. Atlético makes Cléber Santana's renewal until 2012 official. Marca. Spanish. 13 November 2009. 9 July 2014.
  9. News: Cléber, traspasado al Sao Paulo. Cléber, transferred to Sao Paulo. Marca. Spanish. 24 January 2010. 9 July 2014.
  10. Web site: Cléber Santana chega confiante:'Fla não pode pensar em rebaixamento'. Cléber Santana arrives confident:'Fla cannot think of relegation'. Globo Esporte. Portuguese. 21 September 2012. 22 September 2012.
  11. Web site: Fla traz três pontos importantes de Goiânia. Fla bring three important points from Goiânia. CR Flamengo. Portuguese. 23 September 2012. 3 December 2018.
  12. News: Chapecoense: Profile of Brazilian football team in Colombia plane crash. Metro. 29 November 2016. 29 November 2016.
  13. News: Ex-Atlético player Cléber Santana dies in Chapecoense plane crash. Diario AS. 29 November 2016. 29 November 2016.
  14. Web site: Cléber Santana. Soccerway. 9 July 2014.
  15. Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
  16. Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
  17. Appearance(s) in UEFA Cup
  18. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  19. Web site: Atlético Nacional pede que o título da Sul-Americana fique com a Chape. Atlético Nacional ask that South-American title stay with Chape. Globo Esporte. Portuguese. 29 November 2016. 5 December 2016.
  20. Web site: CONMEBOL otorga el título de campeón de la Sudamericana 2016 a Chapecoense y reconoce a Atlético Nacional con el premio del centenario de la CONMEBOL al Fair Play. CONMEBOL awards 2016 South American champion title to Chapecoense and bestows Atlético Nacional with CONMEBOL century Fair Play award. CONMEBOL. Spanish. 5 December 2016. 6 December 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20161206042227/http://www.conmebol.com/es/conmebol-otorga-el-titulo-de-campeon-de-la-sudamericana-2016-chapecoense-y-reconoce-atletico. 6 December 2016.