Walter Adrián Samuel (Spanish pronunciation: ; born Walter Adrián Luján; 23 March 1978) is a retired Argentine professional footballer. Samuel has been regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation, and as one of football's toughest defenders, 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 international level, he has accumulated over 50 caps for the Argentine 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.
Samuel was part of Argentina U20 which emerged victorius in the 1997 edition of FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made his debut in the tournament in the opening Group E match versus Hungary which was won 3–0, and went on to play in the remaining two matches as Argentina topped their group.
Samuel has played 56 matches for Argentina between 1999 and 2010, scoring five goals. He played for his country in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as in the 1999 Copa América, and in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which Argentina won a runners-up medal.
In August 2019, Samuel enrolled in the UEFA Pro Licence courses at Coverciano. He is Assistant Coach in Argentina to Lionel Scaloni since 2019.
1996-1997 |
1997-2000 |
1999-2010 |
2000-2004 |
2004-2005 |
2005-2014 |
2014-2016 |
| Roma | Appearances | Italian Serie A | 2000-2001 | 31 |
| Roma | Goals | Italian Serie A | 2000-2001 | 1 |