Robinho

Robinho, born Robson de Souza on 25 January 1984 in São Vicente, São Paulo, is a Brazilian former footballer best known for his early prominence at Santos and for playing for leading clubs in Brazil, Spain, England, Italy, and Turkey. A forward capable of operating as a winger or second striker, he became associated with flashy dribbling, quick changes of direction, and the “pedalada” step-over moves popularized in Brazilian football. Pelé reportedly gave him the nickname “Robinho,” meaning “little Robson,” while he was developing at Santos. He made his senior debut for Santos in 2002, aged 18, and helped the club win the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A that year. Santos also won the Brazilian championship in 2004, with Robinho a central attacking figure. His performances attracted European attention, and Real Madrid signed him in 2005. At Madrid he won two La Liga titles, in 2006–07 and 2007–08, as well as the 2008 Supercopa de España. In September 2008, Manchester City signed Robinho from Real Madrid for a reported £32.5 million, then a British transfer-record fee. He scored 14 Premier League goals in his first English season, though his City career did not last long. He joined AC Milan in 2010 and won the Serie A title in 2010–11. Robinho later returned to Santos on loan, played again for Santos after leaving Milan, and also represented Guangzhou Evergrande, Atlético Mineiro, and Turkish club İstanbul Başakşehir. For Brazil, Robinho won 100 senior international caps between 2003 and 2017 and scored 28 goals. He was part of Brazil’s squad at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups. He won the Copa América in 2007, scoring six goals and finishing as the tournament’s leading scorer, and he also won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005 and 2009. At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, he helped Brazil secure a bronze medal. His later life became defined by criminal proceedings in Italy. In 2017, an Italian court convicted Robinho and five other men of gang rape relating to the 2013 assault of a woman in a Milan nightclub. Robinho denied wrongdoing, but Italy’s Supreme Court upheld his nine-year prison sentence in January 2022. Because Brazil does not extradite its citizens, Italian authorities sought enforcement of the sentence there. In March 2024, Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice ruled that he must serve the Italian sentence in Brazil, and he was taken into custody.