Robinho's Biography

Who is Robinho?

The Brazilian footballer is better known by his nickname Robinho.

He made his debut for Santos in the Campeonato Brasiliero (Brazilian Championship) in 2002 and along with Diego, his close friend and team mate, starring alongside him, he led Santos to first place in the league and their greatest honour since Pele retired.

Robinho struggled in 2003 and therefore Santos had a disappointing season. However, in 2004 he played well and had an excellent goal-scoring record of 21 goals in 36 league games.

Robinho's appearances attracted the attention of some of Europe's top clubs including Real Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and AC Milan, but Santos did not want to release him.

In 2004, Robinho's mother was kidnapped and was held captive for two months before being released and he stated publicly that he wanted to leave the country.

In the summer of 2005, Robinho moved to Real Madrid for a reported US $30 million.

He made his debut for Madrid against Cadiz, coming on as a substitute in the second half. At Madrid he played with other Brazil internationals, like Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Julio Baptista.

With just minutes to spare before the closing of the transfer window, Robinho was transferred to Manchester City on September 1, 2008.

Robinho's transfer to Manchester City from Real Madrid was a British record of around £32.5m.

Although Robinho turned it on at home, many criticised his performances for Manchester City away from home in his first season. However, Manchester City manager Mark Hughes and captain Richard Dunne defended Robinho.

On 28 January 2010 it was revealed that Robinho was to join his former club Santos on loan until 4 August 2010.

On 31 August 2010, it was announced that Robinho had moved from Manchester City to AC Milan.

In November 2017, Robinho was sentenced to nine years in prison for taking part in the gang rape of a woman in Milan in 2013.

In 2022, the BBC published an article about what had happened to Robinho since his conviction.