On 7 October 1994, Juninho was signed by Middlesbrough for a fee of £4.75m and across three spells, established himself as a club legend.
Joining from Sao Paulo, the Brazilian trickster became adored by the Teesside faithful, earning himself the nickname of ‘The Little Fella’.
In his first spell at the Riverside Stadium, the midfielder helped Boro to reach the finals of the FA Cup and League Cup – losing both finals before joining Atletico Madrid in 1997 after fearing he may miss out on Brazil’s 1998 World Cup squad.
Juninho then made his second return to Boro in 2002 after a brief loan spell while at Atletico and certified his legacy as a club legend by lifting the League Cup in 2004 – which remains the club’s only major honour won.
In December 2007, Juninho was voted by Boro fans in a PFA fan’s poll as the club’s greatest-ever player.
Juninho claims Middlesbrough’s League Cup win was better than winning the World Cup with Brazil
Someone as talented as Junhinho was well-versed in winning trophies during his time as a player.
As well as the many accolades he won at club level, Juninho even became part of a select few globally to get their hands on a World Cup, having been a part of the 2002-winning squad with Brazil.
But despite winning football’s biggest prize, for Juninho, his League Cup success with Boro in 2004 was a bigger achievement for him.
He told The Sun in 2024: “I always said this title means a lot to me, especially when you feel a real part of winning the title.
“In the World Cup I played in four games then I was out and then I played the last few minutes in the final.
“With the Middlesbrough title I could feel more involved in the games.”
Juninho added:” It is most important to win titles but when you play a direct role in the success then it means a lot, just like in that League Cup.
“That is what I came to Middlesbrough for – to win trophies. It means a lot to me. It was such a special achievement in my career.
Juninho reveals the one regret he has from time at Middlesbrough
All good things eventually come to an end, even for the best of the best.
Despite his rapport with the Boro fans and his God-like status at the club, Juninho’s third spell ended on a sour note.
Steve McClaren, who was the Boro manager at the time, told the midfielder that he would no longer be a part of his plans going forward and Juninho was sold to Celtic in 2004 – the summer after winning the League Cup.
It’s something that still haunts the Brazilian to this day, especially as he never got to feature in Middlesbrough’s one and only European campaign.
“It was my dream to help Middlesbrough get to and then play in Europe as well as winning trophies,” he explained.
“But they put the pressure on me to leave. He told me that I wasn’t going to play every weekend. That’s when Celtic came in and I made my mind up to go there.
“Nothing against Celtic, who are an absolutely huge club and where I had a good time, but I should have held on and fought to stay at Middlesbrough.”