Diego Tardelli Martins (born 10 May 1985), known as Diego Tardelli, is a Brazilian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
forward. He is considered a dynamic player due to his speed on attack and individual skills. ''Tardelli'' is not his last name, but his second name: it was chosen by his father after his footballing idol, Italian World Cup winner
Marco Tardelli
Marco Tardelli (; born 24 September 1954) is an Italian former football player and manager. At club level, he played as a midfielder for several Italian clubs; he began his career with Pisa, and later played for Como, Juventus, and Internaziona ...
.
Club career
Early career
Born in
Santa Bárbara d'Oeste
Santa Bárbara d'Oeste is a municipality in the State of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Campinas. It lies about northwest of the State capital. It occupies an area of , of which is urban. In 2020, the population w ...
,
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, Tardelli began his career at a company club in
Curitiba
Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area ...
called Partner Football. He was loaned to
Santos in 2000, but was released after trying to steal chocolate milk from the club's cafeteria. He subsequently joined hometown side
União Barbarense, where he impressed enough to move to
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
in 2003. At the latter club, Tardelli was initially known as ''
Dinei'', a former forward of
Corinthians
The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...
, as he also painted his hair of a blond color.
São Paulo
Tardelli made his first team debut for São Paulo on 9 July 2003, coming on as a second-half
substitute for
Rico
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.
RICO was en ...
in a 2–0
Série A away win over
Coritiba
Coritiba Foot Ball Club, commonly known as Coritiba and colloquially referred to as "Coxa-Branca" or "Coxa", is a Brazilian football club from Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest f ...
. He scored his first goal four days later, netting his team's second in a 3–1 win at
Fluminense
Fluminense Football Club (), known as Fluminense, is a Brazilian sports club best known for its professional football team that competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the first tier of Brazilian football and the Campeonato Carioca, th ...
.
Tardelli subsequently established himself as a regular starter, but was separated from the squad in 2004 for 45 days after arriving late on a training session.
He returned to the squad after manager
Cuca was replaced by
Émerson Leão
Émerson Leão (; born 11 July 1949) is a Brazilian former footballer and manager. He is regarded by pundits as one of best Brazilian goalkeepers of all time. A documentary video produced by FIFA, ''FIFA Fever'', called him the third-most im ...
, and started the 2005 season with ten goals in the first ten matches of the club. After Leão left for the Japanese football, Tardelli's form dropped and he was again separated from the squad in October 2005, after arriving drunk on a training session.
Loans to Betis, São Caetano and PSV
On 12 December 2005, Tardelli agreed to a loan move to
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
side
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...
for the remainder of the
2005–06 campaign. He made his debut abroad the following 11 January, starting in a 0–0 home draw against
RC Celta de Vigo, for
the season's
Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
.
After 15 goalless appearances, Tardelli returned to Brazil and joined
São Caetano on loan on 12 July 2006. On 30 August, however, he moved to
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
club
PSV in a
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
-long loan deal.
Tardelli also struggled to feature regularly at PSV, and returned to ''Tricolor'' in July 2007, where he appeared sparingly for the club and lifted the
2007 Série A.
Flamengo
On 15 January 2008, São Paulo announced the transfer of Tardelli to
Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football ...
, after the club paid
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
1 million for his federative rights. After initial controversies with teammate
Souza, he was often used as a substitute, but still scored the winning goals in the
Taça Guanabara
The Taça Guanabara, or Guanabara Cup, is a football tournament organized annually since 1965 by the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation. In its first four editions (1965, 1966, 1967 and 1968), the Taça Guanabara was a tournament in its o ...
and
Campeonato Carioca finals, both against
Botafogo
Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood ('' bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of ...
.
Tardelli was unable to establish himself as a first-choice, and was mainly a backup option to Souza and
Obina. He also saw his playing time limited due to an
arm
In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between th ...
injury in August which left him sidelined for three months.
Atlético Mineiro
Tardelli left Flamengo on 12 January 2009, and subsequently signed for fellow league team
Atlético Mineiro
Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to:
Sports Teams Athletico
*Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy
*Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...
. At ''Galo'', he scored a career-best 39 goals in his first campaign, being the nation's top goalscorer overall; highlights included a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
in a 6–0
Campeonato Mineiro home routing of
Uberaba
Uberaba () is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, southeast Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Highlands at above sea level on the Uberaba River, and away from the state capital, Belo Horizonte. The city status was granted in 1856, and i ...
on 8 April.
Tardelli continued to score in a prolific manner the following seasons, and scored another hat-trick in a 6–0 thrashing of
Ituiutaba
Ituiutaba (Brazilian Portuguese: /itujuˈtabɐ/) is a municipality in the western part of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Elevated to city status in 1901, its population in 2020 was 105,255 and a total area in the municipality of 2,694 km2. Th ...
on 28 March 2010. He played his 100th match for the club on 30 October 2010, in a match against Botafogo.
On 12 February 2011, Tardelli scored a hat-trick in a 4–3 away win against fierce rivals
Cruzeiro, but was
sent off
In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
late in the match.
Anzhi Makhachkala
On 8 March 2011, Tardelli completed a move to Russian side
Anzhi Makhachkala
Football Club Anzhi Makhachkala (russian: link=no, Футбо́льный клуб «Анжи́» Махачкала́, ), known simply as FC Anji, was a Russian professional football club based in the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala. Founded ...
following an in-depth medical examination at the Dagi's pre-season training base. The club reportedly paid
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...
7.5 million for his services on a four-year deal. He started in only seven games during the whole campaign, and failed to find the net in his 13 appearances. He was also strongly linked with a move back to his homeland after struggling to adapt to life in Russia.
Al-Gharafa
On 10 January 2012, Tardelli announced that he had put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year deal with Qatari side
Al-Gharafa
Al-Gharafa Sports Club ( ar, نادي الغرافة الرياضي) is a Qatari multisports club based in the Al Gharrafa district of Al Rayyan. It is best known for its football team, although it also has teams for other sports. It was estab ...
. His transfer fee was reported at €7 million.
Tardelli made his debut on 20 January 2012, missing a penalty kick 30 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 loss against
Al Khor
Al Khor ( ar, الخور; also spelled ''Al Khawr''), officially Al Khor and Al Thakhira, is a municipality in coastal northeastern Qatar. Al Khor City, the municipal seat, is located in the northeast coast of Qatar, around from the capital, ...
. On his second-ever
AFC Champions League match, he scored a brace in order to salvage a draw against
Al-Hilal FC
Al Hilal Saudi Football Club ( ar, نادي الهلال السعودي), simply known as Al Hilal, is a professional multi-sports club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Their football team competes in the Saudi Professional League. They are the m ...
on 21 March.
Return to Atlético Mineiro
On 18 January 2013, Tardelli rejoined Atlético Mineiro on loan until the
2014 FIFA World Cup. The value of the negotiation was undisclosed. On 27 January, Tardelli confirmed the negotiations were nearly over, only waiting for a new player to arrive at his current club and by 31 January, the negotiation is complete and he joined Atlético Mineiro. Finally, on 2 February 2013, Alexandre Kalil, president of Atlético, announced the return of Tardelli. The deal is around €5.25 million with a four-year contract.
Tardelli was a regular starter for ''Galo'' during his first season, helping the club to a first-ever
Copa Libertadores title and being the second-best goalscorer in the campaign with 18 goals, only one behind
Jô
João Alves de Assis Silva (born 20 March 1987), known as Jô () or João Alves, is a Brazilian professional footballer.
He has previously played for Nagoya Grampus, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City, Everton, Galatasaray, Internacional, Atlétic ...
. He also lifted the
Recopa Sudamericana and the
Copa do Brasil
The Copa do Brasil ( en, Brazil Cup) is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de P ...
with the side in the following year, scoring goals in both tournaments' finals.
Shandong Luneng
On 17 January 2015, Tardelli joined Chinese club
Shandong Luneng
Shandong Taishan Football Club () is a professional football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Jinan, Shandong and their home stadium is th ...
. On 14 February 2015, he made his official debut in the
2015 Chinese FA Super Cup
Chang'an Ford 2015 Chinese FA Super Cup (Chinese language, Chinese: 长安福特2015中国足球协会超级杯) was the 13th Chinese FA Super Cup. The match was sponsored by Changan Ford Mazda, Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. and played at ...
against
Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao
Guangzhou Football Club, formerly known as Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Football Club, is a professional Chinese football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under the license of the Chinese Football Association. The team is based ...
.
On 13 July 2015, Tardelli scored two goals in a match against
Shijiazhuang Ever Bright. A regular starter, he impressed during the
2018 Chinese Super League
The 2018 Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League () was the 15th season since the establishment of the Chinese Super League. The league title sponsor was Ping An Insurance. Shanghai SIPG won their first top-tier league titles on 7 Novemb ...
after scoring 17 goals.
Grêmio
On 12 February 2019, Tardelli joined Brazilian club
Grêmio on a three-year contract. On 16 January 2020, after being severely criticized by the club's supporters and president, he terminated his contract.
Second return to Atlético Mineiro
On 12 February 2020, Tardelli joined
Atlético Mineiro
Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to:
Sports Teams Athletico
*Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy
*Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...
for the third time on a free transfer. In July, he suffered an
ankle
The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joi ...
injury which sidelined him for the remainder of the year; he returned to action in February 2021.
Tardelli left the club in May of the following year, as his contract was due to expire.
Santos
On 23 August 2021, Tardelli signed a contract with
Santos until the end of the year, with an option to extend it for a further five months. On 10 December, after one goal in 13 appearances, he departed the club.
International career
Tardelli was called up by Brazilian coach
Dunga
Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri (born 31 October 1963), known as Dunga (), is a Brazilian football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. Under his captaincy, Brazil won the 1994 FIFA World Cup and he lifte ...
on 28 July 2009 for a friendly match against
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
in
Tallinn
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...
on 12 August. This was his first ever call up to the
Brazil national team. On 11 May 2010, he was called up to the
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
squad as one of the seven backup players.
In October 2013, in a great shape playing for Atlético Mineiro, Tardelli said on being left out from manager
Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari (; born 9 November 1948), also known as Felipão ("Big Phil"), is a Brazilian football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Athletico Paranaense.
Scolari was a defender during his playing days, and no ...
international squad, "Now, again, football professionals have asked my calling up. I did not give up yet, I keep working, who knows about Brazilian team is Felipão
colarior who is inside there can watch my phase." On 11 October 2014, in the
2014 Superclásico de las Américas
The 2014 Superclásico de las Américas – Copa Doctor Nicolás Leoz was the 3rd edition of the Superclásico de las Américas. The match was played at Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, China. This was the first time the competition had taken ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, he scored both goals of a 2–0 victory against
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
On 28 May 2015, Tardelli was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the
2015 Copa América
The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, ...
by coach Dunga. On 15 October 2017, he was called by manager Tite to games against
Bolivia and
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
.
Career statistics
Club
International
International goals
:''Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first.''
, -
, 1. , , rowspan="2", 11 October 2014 , , rowspan="2",
Beijing National Stadium,
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, China , , rowspan="2", , , , , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" , 2–0 , , rowspan="2",
2014 Superclássico das Américas , , rowspan="2",
, -
, 2. , ,
, -
, 3. , , 7 June 2015 , ,
Allianz Parque
Allianz Parque (), also known as Palestra Itália Arena, is a multipurpose stadium in São Paulo, Brazil, built to receive shows, concerts, corporate events, and especially football matches of Palmeiras, the site owner. The stadium has a capac ...
,
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, Brazil , , , , , , , ,
Friendly , ,
Honours
Club
São Paulo
*
Campeonato Paulista:
2005
*
Copa Libertadores:
2005
*
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A:
2007
PSV
*
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
:
2006–07
Flamengo
*
Taça Guanabara
The Taça Guanabara, or Guanabara Cup, is a football tournament organized annually since 1965 by the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation. In its first four editions (1965, 1966, 1967 and 1968), the Taça Guanabara was a tournament in its o ...
: 2008
*
Campeonato Carioca: 2008
Atlético Mineiro
*
Campeonato Mineiro:
2010,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
,
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
*
Copa Libertadores:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
*
Recopa Sudamericana:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
*
Copa do Brasil
The Copa do Brasil ( en, Brazil Cup) is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de P ...
:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
Al-Gharafa
*
Emir of Qatar Cup
Emir of Qatar Cup ( ar, كأس أمير قطر), also known as the Emir Cup, but changed to Amir Cup starting in 2019, is an association football tournament played every season by 18 first and second division teams. The most successful is Al Sad ...
: 2012
Shandong Luneng
*
Chinese FA Super Cup
The Chinese FA Super Cup (), formerly named Chinese Football Super Cup (), is a pre-season football competition held before the season begins in China. It is a Chinese football championship contested by the winners of top division of Profession ...
:
2015
Grêmio
*
Campeonato Gaúcho
The Campeonato Gaúcho Série A1 (Gaúcho Championship A1 Series or Série A1), officially named as Campeonato da Primeira Divisão de Futebol Profissional da FGF - Divisão Especial - Série A1 and commonly known as Campeonato Gaúcho or Gauchã ...
:
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
International
Brazil
*
Superclásico de las Américas:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
Individual
*
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year:
2009,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
*
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A top goalscorer:
2009
*
Arthur Friedenreich Award: 2009
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tardelli, Diego
1985 births
Living people
People from Santa Bárbara d'Oeste
Association football forwards
Association football midfielders
Brazilian footballers
Brazilian people of Italian descent
Brazil youth international footballers
Brazil under-20 international footballers
Brazil international footballers
Brazilian expatriate footballers
São Paulo FC players
Real Betis players
Associação Desportiva São Caetano players
PSV Eindhoven players
CR Flamengo footballers
Clube Atlético Mineiro players
FC Anzhi Makhachkala players
Al-Gharafa SC players
Shandong Taishan F.C. players
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense players
Santos FC players
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
Eredivisie players
La Liga players
Russian Premier League players
Qatar Stars League players
Chinese Super League players
Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Expatriate footballers in Russia
Expatriate footballers in Qatar
Expatriate footballers in China
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in China
2015 Copa América players
Footballers from São Paulo (state)