| Intro | Brazilian footballer |
| Is |
Athlete Football player Association football player |
| From | Brazil |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 9 February 1979, Santiago |
| Age: | 41 years |
| Star sign | Aquarius |
For other Brazilian footballers nicknamed Anderson, see: Anderson (footballer).
Ânderson Corrêa Polga (born 9 February 1979) is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a central defender.
He spent most of his professional career with Sporting in Portugal, appearing in 327 official games (four goals) and winning four major titles. He started playing for Grêmio.
Polga represented Brazil at the 2002 World Cup, winning the competition.
Club career
Groomed at Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Polga was born in Santiago, Rio Grande do Sul, being an important defensive unit from early on and helping the club to two trophies in 2001: the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship and the Brazilian Cup.
In 2003 he moved to Sporting Clube de Portugal, becoming the first World Cup champion ever to play in the country. He quickly became a defensive stalwart for the Lisbon-based side, helping it to the UEFA Cup final in his third year – after a run-in with then coach José Peseiro, he was an unused substitute in the decisive game, a 1–3 defeat against PFC CSKA Moscow – as well as to four consecutive league runner-up finishes.
Not prone to score, Polga netted his first two goals for the Lions in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, in both group stage matches against FC Dynamo Kyiv. He played in 43 games in all competitions during the season and, in 2009–10, as Sporting could only finish fourth, he lost his starting position to Tonel – who previously had lost his to youth graduate Daniel Carriço – but still managed to appear in 25 official matches (1,983 minutes). He left in June 2012 at the age of 33, and returned to Brazil.
On 5 September 2012 Polga signed for Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, who had just sold Leandro Castán and loaned Marquinhos, both to A.S. Roma. At the end of the campaign, the club decided against renewing his contract.
International career
Polga made his debut for Brazil in 2002 against Bolivia, being subsequently summoned for that year’s FIFA World Cup. He made two complete group stage appearances for the eventual champions.
After 2003, although he displayed good club form in several seasons, Polga was not recalled again.
Club statistics
| Club | Season | Série A | Série B | Série C | Copa do Brasil | Copa Libertadores | Copa Sudamericana | State League | Friendly | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Grêmio | 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2000 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | |
| 2001 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| Total | 64 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 5 | |
| Club | Season | Primeira Liga | Segunda Liga | Taça de Portugal | Supertaça | UEFA Champions League | UEFA Europa League | State League | Others | Total | |||||||||
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Sporting | 2003–04 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| 2004–05 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
| 2005–06 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 2007–08 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 45 | 2 | |
| 2008–09 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 2011–12 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| Total | 221 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 46 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 351 | 4 | |
| Club | Season | Série A | Série B | Série C | Copa do Brasil | Copa Libertadores | Copa Sudamericana | State League | Friendly | Total | |||||||||
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Corinthians | 2012 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 288 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 46 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 409 | 8 | |
Honours
Club
- Grêmio
- Campeonato Gaúcho: 1999, 2001
- Copa do Brasil: 2001
- Sporting
- Taça de Portugal: 2006–07, 2007–08; Runner-up 2011–12
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2007, 2008
- UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2004–05
- Taça da Liga: Runner-up 2007–08, 2008–09
- Corinthians
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2012
Country
- FIFA World Cup: 2002
Individual
- Primeira Liga: Player of the Month: May 2007