Jorge Sammir Cruz Campos (born 23 April 1987), commonly known as Sammir, is a former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Born in Brazil, Sammir became a naturalized Croatian citizen and has been capped seven times for the Croatia national football team. He was selected for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Sammir
Sammir playing for Dinamo Zagreb in 2008
Personal information
Full name Jorge Sammir Cruz Campos[1]
Date of birth (1987-04-23) 23 April 1987 (age 37)[2]
Place of birth Itabuna, Brazil
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1998–2001 Atlético Mineiro
2001–2005 Atlético Paranaense
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2006 Atlético Paranaense 0 (0)
2005Ferroviária (loan)
2005–2006Paulista (loan)
2006–2007 Venda Nova 0 (0)
2006São Caetano (loan)
2007Dinamo Zagreb (loan) 11 (1)
2007–2014 Dinamo Zagreb 171 (46)
2014–2015 Getafe 32 (1)
2015–2016 Jiangsu Suning 43 (3)
2016Hangzhou Greentown (loan) 13 (3)
2017 Dinamo Zagreb 12 (1)
2017 Wuhan Zall 13 (2)
2019 Sport Recife 12 (1)
2019–2021 Lokomotiva 23 (1)
International career
2004 Brazil U17
2005 Brazil U18
2012–2014 Croatia 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Brazil

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Born in Itabuna, Bahia, Sammir joined Atlético Paranaense's youth setup in 2001, aged 14, after a brief period at Atlético Mineiro.[3] He was promoted to the first-team in February 2004,[4] but failed to make any appearances for the Brazilian club and was subsequently loaned out to Ferroviária.[5]

In December 2005 Sammir joined Paulista also in a temporary deal.[6] After struggling to find his place, he returned to Furacão in April 2006,[7] and was released in August.[8]

In September 2006 Sammir joined Venda Nova, a businessman club, being immediately loaned out to São Caetano.[9] He appeared regularly for the side during his two-month spell.

Dinamo Zagreb

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On 6 November 2006 Sammir joined Dinamo Zagreb on loan until the end of the season.[10][2] He made his debut for the club on 17 March 2007 in a league match against Rijeka.

At the end of the season, Sammir had made eleven league appearances for the club and scored against Slaven Belupo. He also made four appearances in the 2006–07 Croatian Cup.[11] In his first season with the club, Sammir had already won the league and cup title, which was the first of the club's three consecutive doubles they won from 2007 to 2009.

2007–08 season

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In the 2007–08 season, his move to Dinamo Zagreb was made permanent as Dinamo Zagreb paid €1.4 million to his former club according to media.[12] Sammir made his European football debut, featuring in all of the club's UEFA Cup and Champions League matches. He played in the position of right midfielder, swapping positions with the team captain Luka Modrić, playing on the other side of the pitch.[citation needed] It was the club's second season that they had won both the domestic league and cup, Sammir participating in 24 league games, scoring four goals, and 4 cup matches. He made a total of 38 appearances for the club and scored five goals during the course of the season.

2008–09 season

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After the departure of Luka Modrić, Sammir was given the number 10 shirt. The club repeated the success from the previous two seasons, clinching the double again in the 2008–09 season. He missed only one league match of the 33 rounds played, scoring 8 goals in the process. He made eleven appearances in UEFA competitions and made five more in the Croatian Cup. Overall making a total of 44 appearances and scoring eleven goals.

2009–10 season

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On 16 August, at the start of the 2009–10 season, Sammir scored his first hat–trick for Dinamo in a 5–0 home victory against NK Osijek, converting two penalties and a free kick.[13] The club failed to defend the cup title on that occasion, but won their fifth consecutive league title. Sammir helped with 26 league appearances and five goals. He made six appearances in the 2009–10 Croatian Cup, and featured in all of the club's European matches, playing in all four of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League matches and in all eight 2009–10 UEFA Europa League matches. Overall, he made 46 appearances and scored six goals for the club.

2010–11 season

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At the start of the 2010–11 season Sammir won his first Croatian Supercup with the club as they defeated Hajduk Split by a score 1–0, captain Igor Bišćan scoring the winning goal. Sammir has scored 17 goals in his 28 appearances†.[14] In European competitions he managed to score 7 goals in 12 European matches.

2011–12 season

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The Brazilian started the 2011–2012 season, scoring against Cibalia Vinkovci in the Prva HNL, and also the winning goal in the first leg of the Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round tie in a 2–1 win against HJK Helsinki. He scored two goals and setting up another in a 4–1 win against Malmö FF in the first leg of the Champions League Play-off.[15] He appeared in 5 Dinamo games in group stage, playing against Real Madrid, Olympique Lyonnais and AFC Ajax. He continued to appear regularly for the first team in the Prva HNL and the Champions League group stage, netting 8 goals in 32 appearances in all.

2012–13 season

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In 2012–2013 season, he scored 8 goals in 7 matches, 6 of which were from the penalty kicks in Prva HNL. He appeared in every match of UEFA Champion's league qualify round, except a guest match against NK Maribor. In May 2011, he was partying at clubs just a few days before the match, which aggravated GNK Dinamo Zagreb's coach Ante Čačić, resulting in club suspension of him and Jerko Leko.[citation needed]. He apologised, rejoined the team, and appeared in all 6 of Dinamo Zagreb matches in group stage of 2012–13 UEFA Champions League.

Getafe

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On 31 January 2014 Sammir signed a three-and-a-half-year with La Liga's Getafe CF.[16] He made his debut in the competition on 1 March, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 home draw against RCD Espanyol.[17]

Sammir appeared in eight matches as the Madrid outskirts team narrowly avoided relegation. On 24 August 2014 he scored his first goal for the Azulones, but in a 1–3 loss at Celta de Vigo.[18]

Jiangsu Sainty

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On 27 February 2015 Sammir moved to China, joining Jiangsu Sainty in a three-year deal.[19] On 15 July 2016, he was loaned to Hangzhou Greentown for half-year.[20]

Sport Recife

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In February 2019, Sammir joined Sport Recife, but was released by the club after only few months.[21]

Lokomotiva

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In August 2019, he returned once again to Prva HNL, signing for Lokomotiva. On 1 March 2021, Lokomotiva coach Jerko Leko revealed that Sammir and his teammate Nikica Jelavić decided to retire from professional football and that the club respected their decisions.[22]

International career

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After appearing for Brazil under-17[23] and under-18 levels,[24] Sammir expressed his desire to play for the Croatia national football team after holding a Croatian passport.[25] On 27 September 2012, Sammir was called to play for Croatia for the games against Wales and Macedonia.[26] He made his debut on 12 October 2012 as a 65th-minute substitute for Nikica Jelavić in the match against Macedonia, a 2–1 win.[27]

He was selected for Croatia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in his native Brazil, as one of two Brazilian-born players in the squad alongside Eduardo da Silva. Neither played in the opening match against the hosts, but Sammir started the second match, a 4–0 win over Cameroon. He played 72 minutes before being taken off for Mateo Kovačić.[28] After the tournament ended, he did not receive any future call-ups for the national team.

Career statistics

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As of 1 November 2016[29][30]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dinamo Zagreb (loan) 2006–07 Croatian First Football League 11 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 15 1
Dinamo Zagreb 2007–08 Croatian First Football League 24 4 4 0 10 1 38 5
2008–09 Croatian First Football League 32 8 5 3 11 1 48 12
2009–10 Croatian First Football League 26 5 6 1 12 1 44 7
2010–11 Croatian First Football League 22 10 5 2 12 7 1 0 40 19
2011–12 Croatian First Football League 21 5 5 0 12 3 38 8
2012–13 Croatian First Football League 28 13 1 0 11 0 40 13
2013–14 Croatian First Football League 7 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 13 0
Total 160 45 26 6 74 13 1 0 261 64
Getafe 2013–14 La Liga 9 0 0 0 9 0
2014–15 La Liga 23 1 3 0 26 1
Total 32 1 3 0 35 1
Jiangsu Suning 2015 Chinese Super League 28 2 5 2 33 4
2016 Chinese Super League 15 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 16 1
Total 43 3 6 2 0 0 1 0 50 5
Hangzhou Greentown 2016 Chinese Super League 13 3 0 0 13 3
Career total 259 53 39 8 74 13 2 0 374 74

Honours

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Dinamo Zagreb

Jiangsu Sainty

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 June 2014. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Sammir". Dinamo Zagreb. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  3. ^ "Direto da Seleção, Sammir fala sobre sua carreira" [Straight from the national squad, Sammir speaks about his career] (in Portuguese). Furacão.com. 4 September 2005. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Meia de 16 anos é promovido ao profissional" [Sixteen-year-old midfielder is promoted to the professionals]. Furacão.com. 18 February 2004. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Edivaldo e Sammir estréiam bem na Ferrinha" [Edivaldo and Sammir debut well in Ferrinha] (in Portuguese). Furacão.com. 3 April 2005. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Atleticanos se apresentaram ao Paulista" [Atlético players presented at Paulista] (in Portuguese). Furacão.com. 26 December 2005. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  7. ^ "Sammir deixa o Paulista de Jundiaí" [Sammir leaves Paulista de Jundiaí] (in Portuguese). Furacão.com. 2 April 2006. Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Contrato de Sammir se encerrou no último sábado" [Sammir's contract ended last saturday] (in Portuguese). Furacão.com. 15 August 2006. Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  9. ^ "Sammir se apresenta ao São Caetano" [Sammir presents himself at São Caetano] (in Portuguese). Furacão.com. 21 September 2006. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  10. ^ "Clubes desconhecidos de Minas tornam-se exportadores de atletas" [Minas' unknown clubs become exporters of athletes] (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  11. ^ "Hrvatski kup 2006/07" (in Croatian). Dinamo Zagreb. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  12. ^ "Odštete Dinama". Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  13. ^ "Dinamo se nastavio rugati sa domaćom "konkurencijom"" (in Croatian). Index.hr. 16 August 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
  14. ^ "Bišćan presudio Hajduku" (in Croatian). Sportnet.hr. 17 July 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  15. ^ "Sammir: Bila je ovo moja utakmica karijere. Jeli ovo bio oproštaj? Ne, mislim da ne!" (in Croatian). Sportske novosti. 18 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  16. ^ "Sammir nuevo futbolista azulón" [Sammir new Azulón player] (in Spanish). Getafe's official website. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  17. ^ "El Getafe invita a quedarse en casa" [Getafe invites to stay at home] (in Spanish). Marca. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  18. ^ "Celta Vigo 3–1 Getafe". ESPN FC. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Sammir: "Irme a Chine me resuelve las finanzas de por vida"" [Sammir: "Going to China will solve my finances for all my life"] (in Spanish). Marca. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  20. ^ 绿城官方宣布萨米尔租借半年穿30号 at sports.sina.com 15 July 2016 Retrieved 15 July 2016
  21. ^ Sammir ima novi klub, opet će igrati u drugoj ligi; index.hr, 1 February 2019 (in Croatian)
  22. ^ Jurišić, Predrag (1 March 2021). "Apsolutna legenda HNL-a odlučila zaključiti karijeru! Oprašta se i bivši Vatreni: 'Više ne mogu!'". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Sammir é convocado para a Seleção Sub-17". Furacao.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  24. ^ "Sammir é convocado para a Seleção Brasileira Sub-18". Furacao.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  25. ^ "Anderson inspirirao Sammira: Želim igrati za Hrvatsku već protiv Ukrajine". Sportske novosti. 11 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  26. ^ "Brazilac konačno debitira za Vatrene: Štimac ispunio Mamićevu želju i pozvao Sammira!". Jutarnji list. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  27. ^ "Macedonia vs. Croatia". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  28. ^ Chowdhury, Saj. "Cameroon 0-4 Croatia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  29. ^ "Sammir". Nogometni magazin. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  30. ^ "Hrvatski kup" (in Croatian). Dinamo Zagreb. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
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