Juan Maldonado Jaimez Júnior (born 6 February 1982), simply known as Juan, is a Brazilian

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 le ...

who played as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He also holds an EU passport as a Spanish citizen.

Club career

Arsenal

Juan was born in

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 GaWC a ...

. He started his career with

before being signed by English side

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in 2001. He only made two first-team appearances for Arsenal, his debut coming against

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...

in the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

on 27 November 2001. His other appearance came when he started in the 5th Round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

against Gillingham on 16 February 2002. Juan was due to play in Arsenal's Third Round

tie against Sunderland but picked up a knee injury ahead of the game. He also scored in a pre-season friendly for Arsenal against

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...

in 2002. On 8 November 2002, additional diagnosis confirmed an ACL knee injury. This injury essentially ended Juan's

career.

Millwall

He had a brief period on loan for two months at

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...

in 2003. There he played three league matches and one

match.

Fluminense

Flamengo

Juan moved 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 t ...

in the beginning of 2006. Late in that year he scored one goal in the final of

Brazilian Cup 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 ...

against

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...

and was named "man of the match". After being voted one of the best players in the Brazilian Série A 2007, Juan received the second place prize Bola de Prata (Silver Ball) award for best

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

awarded by ''

Placar ''Placar'' ( en, Score) is a monthly Brazilian sports magazine. Its first edition was issued by Editora Abril. on March 20, 1970, and since then it has become the most successful sports publication in Brazil, even though it focuses fully on foot ...

'', a prestigious Brazilian football magazine. Juan played well once again in the 2008 season, this time winning the Bola de Prata (Silver Ball) award as the best player in his position. On 22 August 2008, Juan received his first call up to Brazil national team to play against

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 ...

and

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

in the qualifying round of the

World Cup 2010 , 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 ...

. After this spell with the national team Juan was occasionally referred to as Juan Maldonado to avoid confusion with

Juan ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

, another former

player who had also been called up for Brazil around this time. On 22 May 2009, Juan received a 30-day ban for threatening

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 M ...

's Maicosuel in the 2009 Rio de Janeiro State League finals.

São Paulo

In December 2010, as his Flamengo contract was expiring,

announced interest in signing the player. Juan declared that a return to São Paulo, the club where he played as a youth player before joining Arsenal, would be "like moving home." Juan joined São Paulo at the start of 2011 season. After the finish of his loan for Santos, Juan, that was out of

Ney Franco Ney Franco da Silveira Júnior (born 22 July 1966), known as Ney Franco, is a Brazilian football manager. Career Born in Vargem Alegre, Minas Gerais, Franco worked in Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro's youth categories before being named the ...

's plans, didn't back to club.

Santos

In February 2012 Juan joined

Santos FC Santos Futebol Clube (), commonly known simply as Santos or Santos FC and nicknamed the ''Peixe'' (; "fish"), is a Brazilian sports club based in Vila Belmiro, a '' bairro'' in the city of Santos. It is also the team with the most goals i ...

on a season long loan after São Paulo signed left back

Cortês Cortês is a city in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. It is 149 km away from the state capital Recife, and has an estimated ( IBGE 2020) population of 12,560 inhabitants. Geography * State - Pernambuco * Region - Zona da mata Pernambucana ...

from

. The move has worked out well with Juan playing regularly and helping his side win the 2012 São Paulo State Championship.

Return to São Paulo

In May 2013, after the reorganisation made by president Juvenal Juvêncio and coach

, which got rid of seven players, Juan was reintegrated to ''Tricolor''. In the Juvêncio's words: ''"O rapaz

uan UAN is a solution of urea and ammonium nitrate in water used as a fertilizer. Uan or UAN may also refer to: * Adapa, an alternate name for the first of the Mesopotamian seven sages * Autonomous University of Nayarit ((in Spanish: ), a Mexican pu ...

chegou impecável e disposto a jogar"'' ("The boy

came with a flawless form and wishing to play"). The next month, Juan made his début against

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 ...

in the Brazilian League. Juan came on from the bench as a substitute for Thiago Carleto, who came off injured. According to Juan: ''"Estou muito feliz de poder defender o São Paulo novamente."''("I am very happy to defend São Paulo again"). On 5 June 2013, Juan made his full début for

. The game finished 1–0 to

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...

, and the player was criticized by fans. According to Juan he did not understand the claims: ''"Quando o resultado não vem, sobra para alguém. Mais uma vez, sobrou para mim. Queria entender qual o problema da torcida comigo. Eu me esforço, luto. Sei que não estou 100%, que eu posso render mais, mas time grande é assim, tem pressão"'' ("When we could not win, somebody always is faulted. One more time, I was the faulted. I would want to understand which the fans' problems with me. I try, I fight. I know I am not 100% conditioned, that I can play better, but in great club the things are this way, under pressure").

Vitória

On 30 August 2013, Juan was presented in

Esporte Clube Vitória Esporte Clube Vitória, commonly referred to as Vitória, is a Brazilian professional club based in Salvador, Bahia founded on 13 May 1899. It competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, the second tier of Brazilian football, as well as i ...

. He chose the side from Bahia because of

Caio Júnior Luiz Carlos Sarolli (8 March 1965 – 28 November 2016), known as Caio Júnior or Caio Jr., was a Brazilian football forward and coach. He spent his 14-year professional career in Brazil and Portugal, notably amassing Primeira Liga totals of ...

, with whom he worked at

CR 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 ...

, a period during which Juan made it into the Brazilian team. Ironically, with Júnior dismissed, Juan would work again with

, the coach that, in the start of 2013, did not have Juan in his plans when both of them were at

São Paulo FC São Paulo Futebol Clube (), commonly referred to as São Paulo, is a professional football club in the Morumbi district of São Paulo, Brazil, founded in 1930. It plays in the Campeonato Paulista (the State of São Paulo's premier state leag ...

. Juan scored his first goal on 4 September, in a 2–1 loss against

. On 5 October 2013, in the 3–2 loss against

, Juan scored a goal against his former club and was heavily scolded by Tricolor fans. His goal was also criticized by

Rogério Ceni Rogério Mücke Ceni (; born 22 January 1973) is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player who is in charge of São Paulo FC. He is considered one of the all-time greatest Brazilian goalkeepers and is recognised by the Inter ...

, São Paulo's captain, who said Juan kicked the ball with both feet, which is prohibited in football.

Retirement

On 16 August 2019, 37-year old Juan announced his retirement from football.

International career

Juan debuted in the Brazil national team on 7 September 2008 as a second-half substitute replacing

Ronaldinho Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Wide ...

in the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers 3–0 win over

. Three days later, he played his first match as a starter against

in Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, also for the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

Arsenal *

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Fluminense *

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 ...

: 2005 *

Campeonato Carioca The Campeonato Carioca (Carioca Championship), officially known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (Port., Rio de Janeiro State Championship), was started in 1906 and is the annual football championship in the state of Rio de Janeiro, B ...

: 2005 Flamengo *

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 ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

: 2007, 2008 *

Taça Rio Taça Rio, or Rio Trophy, is an annual Rio de Janeiro football tournament. It is the second stage competition of the Campeonato Carioca, the state football championship in Rio de Janeiro. It has been organized since 1982 by the Rio de Janeiro ...

: 2009 *

: 2007, 2008,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian"), and also known as Brasileirão Assaí due to sponsorship with Assaí Atacadista, is a Br ...

;Santos *

Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional association football, football league in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. Run b ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Recopa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana ( pt, CONMEBOL Recopa Sul-Americana), known also as the Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as the Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club association football, football compe ...

Individual

* Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year:

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

* Bola de Prata:

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Juan 1982 births Living people Footballers from São Paulo Brazilian footballers Association football defenders Association football midfielders Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Campeonato Brasileiro Série B players São Paulo FC players Fluminense FC players CR Flamengo footballers Santos FC players Esporte Clube Vitória players Coritiba Foot Ball Club players Goiás Esporte Clube players Avaí FC players Centro Sportivo Alagoano players Tombense Futebol Clube players Boavista Sport Club players English Football League players Arsenal F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Brazil international footballers Brazilian expatriate footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in England