BIOGRAPHY AND CAREERGiovani dos Santos Ramirez born 11 May 1989 is a Mexican footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Spanish La Liga club Racing Santander on loan from English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He can also play as a winger or second striker. Since joining Tottenham he has had loan spells at Ipswich Town and Galatasaray. He previously played for FC Barcelona.
Dos Santos was a member of the Mexican National U-17 team that won the 2005 U-17 World Cup held in Peru. He made his debut for the Mexico national team in a 1–0 victory over Panama on 9 September 2007.
Giovani dos Santos, was born in Monterrey, Mexico. He is the son of former Brazilian footballer Zizinho, who played for the Mexican football clubs Club América and Club Leon in the late 1980s. His mother, Liliana Ramírez, is a Mexican national. Dos Santos has two brothers and two half-brothers; the elder, Éder dos Santos, currently plays for Club América in the Primera División de Mexico as a defensive midfielder, and his younger brother, Jonathan dos Santos plays for FC Barcelona B in the Spanish Second Division.
Dos Santos earned his first selection for a Mexican national football team roster when Hugo Sanchez picked him for exhibition games against Panama and Brazil. Dos Santos appeared for the first time for Mexico in a 1–0 victory over Panama on 9 September 2007. The match was abandoned at half time because of heavy rain. He scored his first two goals for Mexico on 24 June 2009 in a friendly match against Venezuela, a game in which he was also named Man of the Match. He scored his third goal for Mexico on 19 July in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-final game against Haiti in the 42nd minute and also recorded two assists in the 4–0 victory. On 26 July 2009, he helped Mexico end a 10-year drought of victory against the United States on U.S. soil with a 5–0 victory that helped secure Mexico's fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was named player of the tournament. On 5 September 2009, Dos Santos contributed to all three goals in a 3–0 win over Costa Rica in the 2010 World Cup qualification stages. He scored the first goal from outside the penalty box with his preferred left foot and assisted in the following two goals.
When his brother Jonathan dos Santos was cut from Mexico's final 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup, his father Zizinho said that Dos Santos was very hurt and claimed he was unsure whether Dos Santos would play in the World Cup.
In the 2010 World Cup, Dos Santos started in every game for Mexico as a right winger. He completed 138 passes without providing an assist. He was voted runner-up for the FIFA young player of the tournament award, which eventually went to Thomas Müller of Germany.
GIOVANI DOS SANTOS PROPILE
Full name: Giovani dos Santos Ramírez
Date of birth: 11 May 1989
Place of birth: Monterrey, Mexico
Height: 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Playing position: Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club: Racing Santander (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
Number: 17
Youth career
2002–2006 Barcelona
Senior career
2006–2007 Barcelona B 27 (6)
2007–2008 Barcelona 28 (3)
2008– Tottenham Hotspur 10 (0)
2009 → Ipswich Town (loan) 8 (4)
2010 → Galatasaray (loan) 14 (0)
2011– → Racing Santander (loan) 8 (2)
National team
2005 Mexico U17 8 (2)
2007 Mexico U20 6 (5)
2007– Mexico 35 (6)
Giovani Santos and Belinda (girlfriend)