Jorge Sammir Cruz Campos (born 23 April 1987), commonly known as Sammir, is a Brazilian-Croatian former 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 played as an
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. Born in Brazil, Sammir became a naturalized
Croatian citizen and has been capped seven times for the
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team ( hr, Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a ...
. He was selected for the
2014 FIFA World Cup.
Club career
Brazil
Born in
Itabuna
Itabuna is a municipality in Bahia, Brazil. It is the 6th largest city in Bahia by population after Salvador, Feira de Santana, Camaçari, Vitória da Conquista, and Juazeiro. It had an estimated 214,123 residents in 2021. Itabuna covers a tota ...
,
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest b ...
, Sammir joined
Atlético Paranaense
Club Athletico Paranaense (commonly known as Athletico and formerly known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded on March 26, 1924. The team ...
's youth setup in 2001, aged 14, after a brief period at
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 ...
. He was promoted to the first-team in February 2004, but failed to make any appearances for the Brazilian club and was subsequently loaned out to
Ferroviária.
In December 2005 Sammir joined
Paulista
Paulista is a municipality in Pernambuco, Brazil, with a population of 334,376 as of 2020. It has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) of the Recife metropolitan area. It is the birthplace of footballer Rivaldo and is also famous for its beac ...
also in a temporary deal. After struggling to find his place, he returned to ''Furacão'' in April 2006, and was released in August.
In September 2006 Sammir joined Venda Nova, a businessman club, being immediately loaned out to
São Caetano. He appeared regularly for the side during his two-month spell.
Dinamo Zagreb
On 6 November 2006 Sammir joined
Dinamo Zagreb
Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...
on loan until the end of
the season.
He made his debut for the club on 17 March 2007 in a league match against
Rijeka.
At the end of the season, Sammir had made eleven league appearances for the club and scored against
Slaven Belupo. He also made four appearances in the
2006–07 Croatian Cup. In his first season with the club, Sammir had already won the league and cup title, which was the first of the club's three consecutive
doubles they won from 2007 to 2009.
2007–08 season
In the
2007–08 season, his move to Dinamo Zagreb was made permanent as
Dinamo Zagreb
Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...
paid €1.4 million to his former club according to media. Sammir made his
European football
UEFA competitions (french: competitions de l'UEFA), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur asso ...
debut, featuring in all of the club's
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
and
Champions League matches. He played in the position of right midfielder, swapping positions with the team captain
Luka Modrić
Luka Modrić (; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. He plays mainly as a central midfielder, but can also play as an a ...
, playing on the other side of the pitch. It was the club's second season that they had won both the domestic
league
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
and
cup, Sammir participating in 24 league games, scoring four goals, and 4 cup matches. He made a total of 38 appearances for the club and scored five goals during the course of the season.
2008–09 season
After the departure of
Luka Modrić
Luka Modrić (; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. He plays mainly as a central midfielder, but can also play as an a ...
, Sammir was given the number 10 shirt. The club repeated the success from the previous two seasons, clinching the double again in the
2008–09 season. He missed only one league match of the 33 rounds played, scoring 8 goals in the process. He made eleven appearances in UEFA competitions and made five more in the Croatian Cup. Overall making a total of 44 appearances and scoring eleven goals.
2009–10 season
On 16 August, at the start of the
2009–10 season, Sammir scored his first hat–trick for Dinamo in a 5–0 home victory against
NK Osijek
Nogometni klub Osijek ( en, Osijek Football Club), commonly referred to as NK Osijek or simply Osijek (), is a Croatian professional football club from Osijek. Founded in 1947, it was the club from Slavonia with the most seasons in the Yugoslav ...
, converting two
penalties and a
free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...
. The club failed to defend the cup title on that occasion, but won their fifth consecutive league title. Sammir helped with 26 league appearances and five goals. He made six appearances in the
2009–10 Croatian Cup, and featured in all of the club's European matches, playing in all four of the
2009–10 UEFA Champions League
The 2009–10 UEFA Champions League was the 55th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 18th under the current UEFA Champions League format. The final was played on 22 May 2010, at the Santiago Bernabéu St ...
matches and in all eight
2009–10 UEFA Europa League
The 2009–10 UEFA Europa League was the first season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA. The competition was previously known as the UEFA Cup, which had been in existence for 38 years.
Spai ...
matches. Overall, he made 46 appearances and scored six goals for the club.
2010–11 season
At the start of the
2010–11 season Sammir won his first
Croatian Supercup
The Croatian Football Super Cup is a football match between the winners of the Croatian national top league and football cup. The Super Cup is always held at the beginning of a new football season, and is only held when different clubs win the tw ...
with the club as they defeated
Hajduk Split by a score 1–0, captain
Igor Bišćan
Igor Bišćan (; born 4 May 1978) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Croatia national under-21 team. In his playing career, he was a versatile player and could play almost every position in th ...
scoring the winning goal. Sammir has scored 17 goals in his 28 appearances†.
In European competitions he managed to score 7 goals in 12 European matches.
2011–12 season
The Brazilian started the 2011–2012 season, scoring against
Cibalia Vinkovci in the
Prva HNL, and also the winning goal in the first leg of the
Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round tie in a 2–1 win against
HJK Helsinki
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (), commonly known as HJK Helsinki, or simply as HJK, is a professional football club based in Helsinki, Finland. The club competes in the Finnish Veikkausliiga. Founded in 1907, the club has spent most of its history i ...
. He scored two goals and setting up another in a 4–1 win against
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, commonly known as Malmö FF, Malmö, or MFF, is a professional football club and the most successful football club in Sweden in terms of trophies won. Formed in 1910 and affiliated with the Scania Football Association ...
in the first leg of the
Champions League Play-off. He appeared in 5 Dinamo games in group stage, playing against
Real Madrid,
Olympique Lyonnais and
AFC Ajax
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...
. He continued to appear regularly for the first team in the Prva HNL and the Champions League group stage, netting 8 goals in 32 appearances in all.
2012–13 season
In 2012–2013 season, he scored 8 goals in 7 matches, 6 of which were from the penalty kicks in
Prva HNL. He appeared in every match of UEFA Champion's league qualify round, except a guest match against
NK Maribor. In May 2011, he was partying at clubs just a few days before the match, which aggravated
GNK Dinamo Zagreb's coach Ante Čačić, resulting in club suspension of him and
Jerko Leko
Jerko Leko (born 9 April 1980) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of the second-tier Druga HNL club Jarun. He primarily played as a central midfielder, but could also operate as a right o ...
.. He apologised, rejoined the team, and appeared in all 6 of
Dinamo Zagreb
Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...
matches in group stage of
2012–13 UEFA Champions League
The 2012–13 UEFA Champions League was the 58th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 21st season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
The final was pl ...
.
Getafe
On 31 January 2014 Sammir signed a three-and-a-half-year with
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' ...
's
Getafe CF. He made his debut in the competition on 1 March, coming on as a second-half
substitute in a 0–0 home draw against
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league s ...
.
Sammir appeared in eight matches as the
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
outskirts team narrowly avoided relegation. On 24 August 2014 he scored his first goal for the ''Azulones'', but in a 1–3 loss at
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta de Vigo or simply Celta, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues ...
.
Jiangsu Sainty
On 27 February 2015 Sammir moved to China, joining
Jiangsu Sainty in a three-year deal. On 15 July 2016, he was loaned to
Hangzhou Greentown for half-year.
Sport Recife
In February 2019, Sammir joined
Sport Recife
Sport Club do Recife, (; known as Sport Recife or Sport, is a Brazilian sports club, located in the city of Recife, in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. Founded in 1905, the club currently plays in Série B.
In football, the club has w ...
, but was released by the club after only few months.
Lokomotiva
In August 2019, he returned once again to
Prva HNL, signing for
Lokomotiva. On 1 March 2021, Lokomotiva coach
Jerko Leko
Jerko Leko (born 9 April 1980) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of the second-tier Druga HNL club Jarun. He primarily played as a central midfielder, but could also operate as a right o ...
revealed that Sammir and his teammate
Nikica Jelavić
Nikica Jelavić (; born 27 August 1985) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Jelavić began his career with Croatian side Hajduk Split of the Prva HNL in 2002, before moving to Belgian Pro League club Zulte Ware ...
decided to retire from professional football and that the club respected their decisions.
International career
After appearing for
Brazil under-17 and under-18 levels, Sammir expressed his desire to play for the
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team ( hr, Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a ...
after holding a
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
n passport.
On 27 September 2012, Sammir was called to play for Croatia for the games against
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
and
Macedonia. He made his debut on 12 October 2012 as a 65th-minute substitute for
Nikica Jelavić
Nikica Jelavić (; born 27 August 1985) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Jelavić began his career with Croatian side Hajduk Split of the Prva HNL in 2002, before moving to Belgian Pro League club Zulte Ware ...
in the match against Macedonia, a 2–1 win.
He was selected for Croatia's squad for the
2014 FIFA World Cup in his native Brazil, as one of two Brazilian-born players in the squad alongside
Eduardo da Silva
Eduardo Alves da Silva (, ; born 25 February 1983), commonly known as Eduardo and sometimes nicknamed Dudu, is a former professional footballer. Capable of playing any forward position, he started as a striker, but was deployed mostly as a ...
. Neither played in the opening match against the hosts, but Sammir started the second match, a 4–0 win over
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
. He played 72 minutes before being taken off for
Mateo Kovačić
Mateo Kovačić (; born 6 May 1994) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the Croatia national team. He is usually deployed in a central or box-to-box role, but can play in deeper po ...
. After the tournament ended, he did not receive any future call-ups for the national team.
Career statistics
Honours
Dinamo Zagreb
*
Croatian First League
The Hrvatska nogometna liga () ( en, Croatian football league), also known as HNL or for sponsorship reasons the SuperSport HNL, is the top Croatian professional football (soccer), football league competition, established in 1992. Previously, i ...
:
2006-07,
2007–08,
2008–09,
2009–10,
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
,
2011–12,
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
,
2013–14
*
Croatian Cup:
2006–07,
2007–08,
2008–09,
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
,
2011–12
*
Croatian Super Cup
The Croatian Football Super Cup is a football match between the winners of the Croatian national top league and football cup. The Super Cup is always held at the beginning of a new football season, and is only held when different clubs win the t ...
:
2010
Jiangsu Sainty
*
Chinese FA Cup
The Chinese FA Cup (, abbreviated as CFA Cup) is the national knockout cup competition in China organized by the Chinese Football Association. Its current holders are Shandong Taishan, having beaten Shanghai Port in 2021 for a record seventh tit ...
:
2015
Individual
*
Prva HNL Player of the Year: 2010
*
HNL’s Footballer of the Year: 2010, 2012
*
Football Oscar The Football Oscar ( hr, Nogometni Oscar) is an annual football award given by the Croatian Association Football Union and Sportske novosti since 2013. In the 2017 edition the award was renamed as Trophy Footballer ( hr, Trofej Nogometaš). It is aw ...
Best Prva HNL player: 2013
*
Football Oscar The Football Oscar ( hr, Nogometni Oscar) is an annual football award given by the Croatian Association Football Union and Sportske novosti since 2013. In the 2017 edition the award was renamed as Trophy Footballer ( hr, Trofej Nogometaš). It is aw ...
Prva HNL Team of the Year: 2013
*
Croatian First Football League: top assist provider
2008-09
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sammir
1987 births
Living people
Croatian footballers
Croatia international footballers
Croatian people of Brazilian descent
Sportspeople from Bahia
Brazilian emigrants to Croatia
Naturalized citizens of Croatia
Brazilian footballers
Association football midfielders
Club Athletico Paranaense players
Paulista Futebol Clube players
Associação Ferroviária de Esportes players
Associação Desportiva São Caetano players
Croatian Football League players
GNK Dinamo Zagreb players
La Liga players
Getafe CF footballers
Chinese Super League players
Jiangsu F.C. players
Zhejiang Professional F.C. players
China League One players
Wuhan F.C. players
NK Lokomotiva Zagreb players
Brazil youth international footballers
2014 FIFA World Cup players
Croatian expatriate footballers
Brazilian expatriate footballers
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in China
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Expatriate footballers in China
Sport Club do Recife players