Walter Samuel

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Samuel began his club career with domestic club Newell's Old Boys in 1996, later moving to Boca Juniors the following year. This was soon followed by a move to Europe in 2000, and spells with Italian club Roma, and Spanish club Real Madrid. In 2005, he returned to Italy, joining Inter, where he remained for nine seasons, winning five consecutive Serie A titles; he played a key role in the club's treble success in the 2009–10 season, partnering with Lúcio in defence under José Mourinho. At an international level, he has accumulated over 50 caps for the Argentina national team, representing his country at two FIFA World Cups, the 1999 Copa América, and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he won a runners-up medal.

In Their Own Story

On 7 November 2010, during a fixture against Brescia, Samuel suffered a severe knee injury — a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, this time on his other knee. This forced him to miss the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup triumph in the United Arab Emirates. After the match, Samuel expressed his delight: 'I'm feeling good and I'm delighted at having been able to play the last few minutes of this match. I would like to thank the medical staff for the work they did after my injury, my family who has always stood by me, and all the fans.'

On 5 February 2012, Samuel played his 500th match as a professional in a 4–0 defeat at Roma. On 7 October 2012, he scored inside three minutes in the derby versus Milan, which resulted in the winning goal, meaning that Samuel had won all 10 derbies he had played. He wore the captain's armband for the first time on 15 February 2014 in a 2–1 win at Fiorentina due to Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso being on the bench. His final goal for the club came in a 4–0 win at Sampdoria in April 2014. Samuel left Inter at the end of the 2013–14 season, having made 236 appearances and winning 13 trophies in nine years. His last appearance for the club occurred on 10 May 2014 in a 4–1 home win over Lazio.

Reader's Guide

Samuel started playing professionally in 1996 in Argentina for Newell's Old Boys, and a year later moved to Boca Juniors, where he played 103 matches and scored five goals in all competitions until 2000. In that year, Roma bought his contract for 40.265 billion Italian lire (about €20 million). He gained fame as one of the best defenders in the Italian league and won the Serie A title with Roma in 2001. Real Madrid paid €25 million for his transfer in 2004. Samuel failed to make an impact at Madrid. In August 2005, he returned to the Serie A with a transfer to Inter Milan on a four-year contract for a reported €16 million fee. He began his Inter adventure by winning the 2005 Supercoppa Italiana versus Juventus. He finished his first season at Inter by making 42 appearances in all competitions, with the team winning the championship following the relegation of Juventus due to match-fixing, and Coppa Italia by defeating Roma 4–2 on aggregate. In the Derby della Madonnina on 23 December 2007, Samuel hurt himself whilst marking Kaká, and later had reconstructive surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament. He started training with the first team again in October of the 2008–09 season and played his first match in more than nine months on 9 November. Samuel was one of the most important players under Mourinho in the 2009–10 season, partnering Lúcio in defence as they won the Serie A title, the Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League, completing a historic treble. He scored his first goal of the season on 20 October in the third Champions League group stage match versus Dynamo Kyiv. Later on 9 January, Samuel scored a last-minute winner in the 4–3 win versus Siena. He played his 100th Serie A game for Inter on 24 April in the 3–1 win over Atalanta. Samuel suffered a severe knee injury on 7 November 2010 fixture against Brescia. He returned in action on 15 May of the following year. On 5 February 2012, Samuel was an unused substitute in the 4–0 defeat at Roma. At the end of the season, he signed a new one-year contract with the club. Later on 7 October, he scored inside three minutes in the derby versus Milan which resulted the winning goal. In June 2013, Samuel extended his contract for another season. He scored his first goal of the season on 9 February 2014, a header which resulted the winner in the match against Sassuolo. Samuel wore the captain armband for t

Did You Know?

• Samuel was born Walter Adrián Luján and later took the last name of his stepfather, Óscar Samuel.
• He won five consecutive Serie A titles with Inter Milan.
• Samuel scored a last-minute winner against Siena on 9 January 2010 that proved decisive in Inter's title win.
• He made his 100th UEFA club competition appearance while playing for Basel in December 2015.