Digão
Encyclopedia
Rodrigo Izecson dos Santos Leite (born 14 August 1985), commonly known as Digão, is a Brazil
ian professional footballer who plays as a central defender.
After signing with A.C. Milan
at the age of 19, he spent several years on loans with various teams, mainly in Italy
.
, Digão joined A.C. Milan
from São Paulo FC in the summer of 2004, loaned by another club in Italy
, U.C. Sampdoria
player until the summer of 2005. He went on to spend the following two seasons on loan to Rimini Calcio.
Returning to Milan in the summer of 2007, Digão made his debut for the club in a friendly match against FC Dynamo Kyiv
on 6 September, in which he received a yellow card. His first competitive appearance came on 20 December 2007 in Milan's 2–1 home defeat against Calcio Catania
, in the first leg of the Italian Cup
's round of 16. He eventually made his Serie A
debut on 1 March 2008, in a 1–1 home draw against S.S. Lazio
, coming on as a half-time substitute for Marek Jankulovski
, in his only appearance of the season.
On 13 August 2008, Belgium
's Standard Liège
secured Digão's services on a one-year loan. He only appeared in a single first division match for the club, coming on as a late substitute in the side's 3–1 win at home against K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot on 5 April 2009, and returned to Milan at the end of the season.
On 11 July 2009, Digão was handed a one-week trial with newly promoted German
Bundesliga
side SC Freiburg
, joining the team in the pre-season training camp in Schruns
, Austria
, and playing 30 minutes in a friendly match with Slavia Prague, as a substitute. On 22 July 2009, however, the club decided not to sign the player, presumably because of his lack of playing time in competitive matches over the last two seasons.
On 31 August 2009, Digão joined Serie B
team U.S. Lecce
on loan for the 2009–10 season
. However, on 1 February 2010 he was called back due to lack of playing time and subsequently sent, on another loan spell, to F.C. Crotone
, for the remainder of the season.
In 2010–11
, another loan ensued, with Digão moving to F.C. Penafiel in the Portuguese second division
. He left the club after appearing in only one third of the league's matches, and was also released by Milan.
, is also a footballer. An attacking midfielder, he also played for São Paulo and Milan, also spending several seasons in Spain
with Real Madrid
. A Brazilian international
on nearly 90 occasions, he helped the national team win the 2002 FIFA World Cup
.
Digão was responsible for his sibling's nickname: being unable to pronounce 'Ricardo' properly as a child, he used to call his older brother 'Kaká' instead.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian professional footballer who plays as a central defender.
After signing with A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
at the age of 19, he spent several years on loans with various teams, mainly in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Club career
Born in BrasíliaBrasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
, Digão joined A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
from São Paulo FC in the summer of 2004, loaned by another club in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, U.C. Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
player until the summer of 2005. He went on to spend the following two seasons on loan to Rimini Calcio.
Returning to Milan in the summer of 2007, Digão made his debut for the club in a friendly match against FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dynamo Kyiv is a professional football club based in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Founded in 1927, the club currently participates in the Ukrainian Premier League and has spent its entire history in the top league of Soviet and later Ukrainian football...
on 6 September, in which he received a yellow card. His first competitive appearance came on 20 December 2007 in Milan's 2–1 home defeat against Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
, in the first leg of the Italian Cup
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
's round of 16. He eventually made his Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
debut on 1 March 2008, in a 1–1 home draw against S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, coming on as a half-time substitute for Marek Jankulovski
Marek Jankulovski
Marek Jankulovski is a Czech footballer who currently plays for Czech club Baník Ostrava. His former club was Milan. He was voted the 2007 Czech Player of the Year....
, in his only appearance of the season.
On 13 August 2008, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
's Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
secured Digão's services on a one-year loan. He only appeared in a single first division match for the club, coming on as a late substitute in the side's 3–1 win at home against K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot on 5 April 2009, and returned to Milan at the end of the season.
On 11 July 2009, Digão was handed a one-week trial with newly promoted German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
side SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg, commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German association football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. SC Freiburg has played in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, since their promotion in 2009...
, joining the team in the pre-season training camp in Schruns
Schruns
Schruns is the main village of the Montafon valley in Vorarlberg, Austria, in the Bludenz district.In the west, one can see one of the most popular hiking and climbing mountains in Vorarlberg, the Zimba, which is called the "Vorarlberger Matterhorn"....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and playing 30 minutes in a friendly match with Slavia Prague, as a substitute. On 22 July 2009, however, the club decided not to sign the player, presumably because of his lack of playing time in competitive matches over the last two seasons.
On 31 August 2009, Digão joined Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
team U.S. Lecce
U.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
on loan for the 2009–10 season
2009–10 Serie B
The 2009–10 Serie B season is the seventy-eighth edition since its establishment in 1929. A total of 22 teams contest the league, 15 of which returned from the 2008-09 season, 4 of which have been promoted from Lega Pro Prima Divisione, and three relegated from Serie A.-Stadiums and...
. However, on 1 February 2010 he was called back due to lack of playing time and subsequently sent, on another loan spell, to F.C. Crotone
F.C. Crotone
Football Club Crotone is an Italian football club based in Crotone, Calabria. Founded in 1923, it currently plays in Serie B, holding home games at Stadio Ezio Scida, which has a 9,631-seat capacity.-History:...
, for the remainder of the season.
In 2010–11
2010–11 Liga de Honra
Teams relegated from 2010–11 Liga de Honra* 15th Place: Belenenses* 16th Place: LeixõesTeams promoted to 2010–11 Portuguese Liga* Champions: Beira-Mar* Runners-up: PortimonenseTeams promoted from 2009–10 Portuguese Second Division...
, another loan ensued, with Digão moving to F.C. Penafiel in the Portuguese second division
Liga de Honra
The Liga de Honra , known for sponsorship reasons as the Liga Orangina, is the Portuguese second level football league. It was formerly called Segunda Divisão and Segunda Divisão de Honra . When the LPFP took control of the two nationwide levels, it was renamed Segunda Liga, before renaming it...
. He left the club after appearing in only one third of the league's matches, and was also released by Milan.
Personal
Digão's older brother, KakáKaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...
, is also a footballer. An attacking midfielder, he also played for São Paulo and Milan, also spending several seasons in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
with Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
. A Brazilian international
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
on nearly 90 occasions, he helped the national team win the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
.
Digão was responsible for his sibling's nickname: being unable to pronounce 'Ricardo' properly as a child, he used to call his older brother 'Kaká' instead.