Robinho Bio Send To Friend  

Manchester City stunning the footballing world when stealing Robinho from under the noses of Premier League rivals Chelsea with seconds to go on transfer deadline day in August 2008.

The Brazilian forward had grown unsettled at Real Madrid and, after Chelsea failed to agree terms with Real it was City, backed by the millions of the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, who paid a British record transfer fee of £32.5m.

One of the many players to be dubbed 'the new Pele', Robson de Souza was signed up aged six to a footballing academy in Sao Vincente, Beira-Mar, and eventually progressed to join Santos' youth programme.

Robinho made his debut for Santos in 2002 and scored nine goals as they won the Campeonato Brasileiro. The player's stock continued to rise with many European clubs starting to take an interest. He helped Santos to the final of the Copa Libertadores in 2004 - they lost to Boca Juniors - but his mother was then kidnapped for ransom which affected his form.

International recognition came in 2003 as he made his bow for Brazil in a Gold Cup defeat to Mexico in July. He moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2005 for a fee in the region of £20m, making his La Liga debut in a 2-1 win against Cádiz. But his time in Spain was far from happy, with a loss of form and disagreements with the coaching staff reducing his chance to make an impact.

A lack of consistency really affected his club form, despite showing glimpses of his skill, brilliance and magic on the ball which is characteristic of the Brazilian footballer. He struggled to get into the Brazil side during the 2006 World Cup finals but came of age at the 2007 Copa America by scoring all four of Brazil's goals in the group stage - including a hat-trick against Chile. Brazil went on to win the title with Robinho winning the Golden Boot after scoring six times. He was also named Player of the Tournament.

Robinho won back-to-back La Liga titles with Real in 2007 and 2008 and made 101 appearances, scoring 25 goals. He bagged 11 goals in the 2007-08 season and it looked as though he was finally settled, before a summer in which he was the subject of much transfer speculation.

So desperate was he to leave the Bernabeu as the transfer window closed in August 2008 that he held a press conference demanding to move to Chelsea. It was reported that he threatened to quit football all together rather than stay at Real. But rather than move to Chelsea, it would be Manchester City who would gazump them.

Moving to City may not have been the move Robinho completely desired, but it provided him with the opportunity to rediscover his form and his first season saw him net 14 league goals, ensuring he would become a vital player for the new-look Eastlands side.

Although not an out-and-out goalscorer, Robinho is full of tricks and can out-fox even the most experienced of defenders. He lacks physical strength on the ball which made him a target for the Premier League's more robust performers, but he has shown himself to be one of the best payers in the country during his time at the club.