Juliano Belletti: I became a hero thanks to Champions League-winning goal for Barcelona

Posted Monday, July 04, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

Former Brazil international Juliano Belletti has revealed that he became a hero thanks to his spell at Barcelona and has good memories of his period at the Spanish champions.

The 35-year-old announced his retirement from professional football last week and has looked back at his career with satisfaction; Belletti became a fans' favorite at Camp Nou after he scored the winning goal in Barcelona's 2-1 Champions League final win over Arsenal in 2006.

"There is no denying that the goal in the Champions League final in Paris was one of the highlights of my career. It's a moment that got my name in the history books. Football has a lot of heroes and thanks to Barcelona I became one after that goal," Belletti said to Sport.

Another highlight of the former full-back's career was winning the World Cup in 2002, and he still feels pride when thinking about wearing the Brazil shirt.

"I am very proud of everything that I achieved in my career. I made it into the national side, which is very special for Brazilians. There have been some great players who were crowned world champions and I am one of them. It was an amazing feeling."

Belletti started his professional career with Cruzeiro and also wore the jerseys of Sao Paulo, Atletico Mineiro, Villarreal, Barcelona, Chelsea, Fluminense and Ceara during his long career.