kids encyclopedia robot

Sonny Anderson facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Sonny Anderson
Sonny Anderson - Portrait 2022.jpg
Personal information
Full name Anderson da Silva
Date of birth (1970-09-19) 19 September 1970 (age 54)
Place of birth Goiatuba, Brazil
Height 1.81m
Playing position Striker
Youth career
1987 XV de Jaú
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1991 Vasco da Gama 42 (1)
1992 Guarani 18 (4)
1992–1994 Servette 52 (31)
1994 Marseille 20 (16)
1994–1997 Monaco 91 (51)
1997–1999 Barcelona 47 (16)
1999–2003 Lyon 110 (71)
2003–2004 Villarreal 38 (13)
2004–2005 Al-Rayyan 20 (24)
2005–2006 Al-Gharafa 19 (6)
Total 457 (231)
National team
1987 Brazil U17 2 (0)
1989 Brazil U20 6 (3)
1997–2001 Brazil 6 (1)
Teams managed
2011 Neuchâtel Xamax
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Anderson da Silva (born 19 September 1970), better known as Sonny Anderson, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker. A prolific goalscorer at the club level, he was best known for his spells with Lyon, Monaco (he played most of his abroad career in France, amassing Ligue 1 totals of 221 matches and 138 goals) and Barcelona.

He participated with Brazil in the 2001 Confederations Cup, and won a total of six caps for his country, scoring one goal.

Club career

Born in Goiatuba, Goiás, Anderson started playing professionally with CR Vasco da Gama, but failed to make an early impression. After failing to score in 18 matches in his last year, he moved to Guarani.

Anderson's first abroad experience came with Servette FC, and his impact was instant, scoring 18 goals in his first season then helping the club to the national league in the following by netting 11 in just the first half of the campaign, as he left in January 1994 to Olympique de Marseille.

After six months, with L'OM relegated due to a bribery scandal, Anderson moved to fellow Division 1 side AS Monaco FC, scoring at an equally impressive pace and winning team (1997 league) and individual accolades alike.

In 1997, Anderson joined FC Barcelona: having to battle for first-choice status with the likes of Luis Enrique and Patrick Kluivert, he fared well, scoring ten times in La Liga alone in his first season, as the Catalans won the double. In his second year, which included some run-ins with manager Louis van Gaal, he played less, which prompted a return to France with rising Olympique Lyonnais, for approximately 18 million. He would be a very important attacking figure as the team won the first two of seven consecutive national championships.

Aged 33, free agent Anderson returned to Spain with Villarreal CF. In his only full campaign he scored 12 times, including against Real Madrid (1–0, after only two minutes on the pitch), former club Barcelona (2–1, in the 89th minute) and Valencia CF (1–0), while also helping the Yellow Submarine to the semifinals of the UEFA Cup.

After being instrumental in Villarreal's 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup win, Anderson finished his career in Qatar. He then returned to Lyon, going on work with the team's strikers.

In June 2007, Anderson played a farewell match at the Stade de Gerland, in a match facing his friends and the 2002 French champions. Four years later he rescinded his link with Lyon and started a coaching career, joining Neuchâtel Xamax in Switzerland. On 24 July, after only two league games, he was sacked.

International career

Anderson could not translate his club success to the international front. He only won six caps for the Brazil side, the first coming in a friendly against South Korea on 11 August 1997, in which he scored his only international goal. He was also a member of the team that took part at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, and obtained his final international cap that same year.

Career statistics

Club

Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Vasco 1988 Série A 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
1989 Série A 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
1990 Série A 12 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 17 1
1991 Série A 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0
total 42 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 47 1
Guarani 1992 Série A 18 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 4
Servette 1992–93 Nationalliga A 35 20 35 20
1993–94 Nationalliga A 17 11 4 2 21 13
Total 52 31 4 2 56 33
Marseille 1993–94 Division 1 20 16 20 16
Monaco 1994–95 Division 1 23 11 1 2 3 3 27 16
1995–96 Division 1 34 21 1 0 2 1 2 1 39 23
1996–97 Division 1 34 19 0 0 3 4 10 4 47 27
Total 91 51 2 2 8 8 12 5 113 66
Barcelona 1997–98 La Liga 23 10 5 0 5 1 4 0 37 11
1998–99 La Liga 24 6 1 0 6 4 31 10
Total 47 16 6 0 11 5 4 0 68 21
Lyon 1999–2000 Division 1 32 23 2 0 3 2 8 3 45 28
2000–01 Division 1 29 22 4 2 3 2 14 5 50 31
2001–02 Division 1 25 14 2 1 2 0 5 3 34 18
2002–03 Division 1 24 12 0 0 0 0 7 5 1 0 32 17
Total 110 71 8 3 8 4 34 16 1 0 161 94
Villarreal 2003–04 La Liga 35 12 0 0 18 7 53 19
2004–05 La Liga 3 1 0 0 7 4 10 5
Total 38 13 0 0 25 11 63 24
Al-Rayyan 2004–05 Qatar Stars League 20 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 24
Al-Gharafa 2005–06 Qatar Stars League 19 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 6
Career total 457 233 16 5 16 12 91 39 5 0 585 289

Honours

Vasco da Gama

Servette

Monaco

Barcelona

Lyon

  • Ligue 1: 2001–02, 2002–03
  • Coupe de la Ligue: 2000–01
  • Trophée des Champions: 2002

Villarreal

  • UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2003, 2004

Individual

  • Swiss Super League Top Scorer: 1992–93
  • Swiss Super League Best Foreign Player: 1992–93
  • Ligue 1 Top Scorer: 1995–96, 1999–2000, 2000–01
  • Ligue 1 Étoile d'Or: 1995–96
  • Ligue 1 Best Player: 1996–97
  • UEFA Cup Top Scorer: 2003–04 (6 goals)
  • Qatar Stars League Top Scorer: 2004–05 (24 goals)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sonny Anderson para niños

kids search engine
Sonny Anderson Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.