Global InformationWalter Samuel information
 Samuel with Inter Milan in October 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walter Adrián Samuel | |||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Walter Adrián Luján | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 23 March 1978 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Laborde, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Newell's Old Boys | 42 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Boca Juniors | 77 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Roma | 122 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Real Madrid | 30 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2014 | Internazionale | 169 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Basel | 29 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | 469 | (31) | ||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Argentina U20 | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2010 | Argentina | 56 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018– | Argentina (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
Walter Adrián Samuel (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈwalteɾ saˈmwel]; born Walter Adrián Luján; 23 March 1978) is an Argentine former professional footballer.[1] Samuel has been regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation,[2][3] and as one of football's toughest defenders,[4] with former international teammate and Inter captain Javier Zanetti referring to him as the "hardest player" he has played with.
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.
- ^ "Basel secure Samuel signature". TEAMtalk. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
- ^ Joe Wright (18 February 2015). "Walter Samuel, il Muro si è sgretolato a Basilea". Goal.com (in Italian). Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ "No Candreva rift, insists new Inter coach Pioli". The Score. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ Christian Liotta (19 February 2014). "Tutto Samuel: Inter, la tappa più importante! Gli attaccanti più forti..." (in Italian). FC Inter News.it. Retrieved 30 December 2015.