Ze Roberto

José Roberto da Silva Júnior, universally known as Zé Roberto, was born on July 6, 1974, in São Paulo, Brazil. He started his youth career at Palestra de São Bernardo before making his professional debut with Portuguesa. In 1996, he gained national recognition by helping Portuguesa finish as runner-up in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. His early career saw a brief move to Real Madrid in January 1997, where he contributed to winning the 1996–97 Spanish league championship and was part of the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League winning squad, scoring one goal. He then returned to Brazil to play for Flamengo in 1998, aiming for more playing time to secure a spot in the national team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Zé Roberto moved back to Europe in the summer of 1998, joining Bayer Leverkusen, where he established himself as a prominent figure. During his four years with Leverkusen, the club achieved significant success, finishing as Bundesliga runners-up three times and reaching the 2002 UEFA Champions League final. In 2002, he transferred to Bayern Munich, where he secured four Bundesliga titles and three DFB-Pokal trophies over six seasons across two stints. He also played for Santos in Brazil, winning the 2007 Campeonato Paulista, and later had spells with Hamburger SV and Al-Gharafa before returning to Brazil to play for Grêmio and Palmeiras. With Palmeiras, he won the 2015 Copa do Brasil and the 2016 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, his first national championship in Brazil. He concluded his playing career in 2017 at the age of 43, becoming the oldest-ever goalscorer in Copa Libertadores history.

Internationally, Zé Roberto represented Brazil in the 1998 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, reaching the final in 1998 and being named to the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 2006. He was also a part of the Brazil squads that won the Copa América in 1997 and 1999, and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1997 and 2005. Post-retirement, Zé Roberto became a technical advisor to Palmeiras. In 2022, he signed a three-year global brand ambassador contract with Betsson Group, leveraging his extensive football experience and his significant social media presence as a fitness influencer.