My Take
Zé Roberto is one of those players who makes you question everything you thought you knew about age and peak performance. A left-sided midfielder born in São Paulo in 1974, he had the kind of career arc that just doesn't happen — thriving in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, winning Bundesliga titles, then somehow heading back to Brazil and carrying on well into his forties with Grêmio and Palmeiras at a level that would embarrass players half his age. He was never the flashiest name in the room, but his positioning, endurance, and football intelligence were quietly elite for two solid decades. There's something deeply satisfying about a player who just refuses to be written off, and Zé Roberto embodied that stubbornness in the best possible way.
Overview
José Roberto da Silva Júnior (born 6 July 1974), commonly known as Zé Roberto, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a left wing-back or as a midfielder. He is most well known for his time with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, as well as Portuguesa, Grêmio and Palmeiras in the Brazilian league.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Zé Roberto
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョゼ・ロベルト・ダ・シウヴァ・ジュニオル
- Reading
- じょぜ・ろべると・だ・しうゔぁ・じゅにおる
- Born
- July 6, 1974 (age 51)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Tiger
- Origin
- São Paulo, Brazil
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 172 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- association football player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.