Place of birth Fortaleza, Brazil 2003 Corinthians Height 1.75 m Siblings Raffael | Playing position Years Team Weight 74 kg | |
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Full name Ronny Heberson Furtado de Araújo Date of birth (1986-05-11) 11 May 1986 (age 30) Parents Francisco Edilson Caetano de Oliveira Number 12 (Hertha BSC / Midfielder) Similar Raffael, Sami Allagui, Alexander Baumjohann, Jens Hegeler, Johannes van den Bergh Profiles | ||
Ronny Heberson Furtado de Araújo (born 11 May 1986), known simply as Ronny, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays mainly as a left midfielder but also as a left back.
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He signed with Sporting Clube de Portugal at the age of 20, but could never impose himself in the first team. Subsequently, he played several seasons with Hertha BSC, having joined in 2010.
Early years / Sporting
Born in Fortaleza, Ronny began his professional career with Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, spending three seasons with the club but appearing mainly for the reserve team. After his contract ended in July 2006, he moved to Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Since joining Sporting, Ronny struggled to gain first-choice status: in the 2006–07 season, he battled with internationals Marco Caneira and Rodrigo Tello to finish with 12 Primeira Liga appearances, although he would score a memorable goal in an 88th minute 1–0 away win against Associação Naval 1º de Maio on 26 November 2006 – his free kick was unofficially measured according to some sources and YouTube at 211 km/h.
Ronny began the 2007–08 campaign as starter, but with the arrival in January of Leandro Grimi from A.C. Milan lost his position, playing just six games in his third year. For 2009–10, only being third or fourth-choice at Sporting, he was loaned to U.D. Leiria, freshly returned to the top division.
Hertha BSC
At the end of the loan, after helping Leiria stay up whilst contributing with three goals, Ronny transferred to German second division club Hertha BSC, where his older brother Raffael was also playing. He made his Bundesliga debut on 17 September 2011, coming on as a substitute for Patrick Ebert in the last minutes of a 2–2 home draw against FC Augsburg.
For 2012–13, Ronny moved into a more attacking midfield position, left vacant after his sibling's departure. He scored a career-best 18 goals precisely in that season, helping his team return to the top flight after one year out.
On 31 August 2016, Ronny and director of football Michael Preetz mutually agreed to terminate the former's contract one year in advance, after he became surplus to requirements under head coach Pál Dárdai.
Personal life
Ronny's older brother, Raffael, is also a footballer. An attacking midfielder, he represented most notably Borussia Mönchengladbach and Hertha, where the pair played together for two seasons.