Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa (born 17 June 1982), known as Alex, is a Brazilian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He was known for his physical strength and the power of his shot, which has gained him the nicknames of "The Tank" and ''Canhão da Vila'' ("Cannon of Vila Belmiro"). Having been bought by the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club Chelsea in 2004, Alex was loaned to Dutch team

PSV PSV may refer to: * Partial specific volume * PlayStation Vita, a handheld game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment * Petit Saint Vincent, an island south of St. Vincent in the Grenadine islands * Platform supply vessel, a specific typ ...

and he won 3

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is ...

titles with them. Alex finally joined the Chelsea squad in the summer of 2007 after three years in the Netherlands. In his time at Chelsea, he won the FA Cup in 2009 and a league and FA Cup "double" in 2010, as well as reaching the

2008 UEFA Champions League Final The 2008 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on 21 May 2008 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, to determine the winner of the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League. It was contested by Manchester United and Chels ...

. He joined

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As F ...

for £4.2 million in January 2012 and won

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. ...

twice with the club, moving to A.C. Milan on the expiration of his contract in 2014 and retiring two years later. Alex earned 17 caps for

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

between 2003 and 2008, winning the

2007 Copa América The 2007 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, known simply as the 2007 Copa América or 2007 Copa América Venezuela, was the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams. The c ...

and finishing as runner-up at the

2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the seventh edition of the Gold Cup, the association football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). For the first time since 1993, the tournament was held in more than one ...

Club career

Santos

Alex began his career with Santos of Brazil, making his first team debut in 2002 before later becoming part of the club's central pillars. Alex made his professional league debut in the 1–1 draw against Fluminense. Less than a month after his debut, Alex scored his first goal for the club in a match against

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link ...

on 18 September 2002. After multiple impressive performances, Alex secured his place in the team's regular starting lineup. In his first season playing, in 2002, Santos won the Série A title, their first since 1968. In the 2003 season, Alex participated in 34 matches and, despite playing defense, managed to score nine goals. Also in 2003, Alex helped Santos reach the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

of the

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

, where Santos lost 5–1 on aggregate against Argentine side

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...

. In the second leg of Copa Libertadores Finals, Alex scored the only goal for Santos in a 3–1 loss.

PSV (loan)

Alex was signed by English

club Chelsea in 2004 on the recommendation of famed

and Chelsea scout Piet de Visser, but because of potential problems in attaining a work permit, he was loaned out to Dutch

club PSV. The joint contract of Chelsea and PSV loaned Alex to the latter, with Chelsea having a €1 million buy-out clause. Alex eventually played three years at PSV, donning the number 4 jersey for the

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022, He formally joined PSV in the 2004–05 season, helping the club win a domestic double of both the

championship and

Dutch Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. ...

that year. In the Champions League, Alex played a key role in the PSV team that was eliminated in the semi-finals against A.C. Milan on away goals (PSV won their home game 3–1 but had previously lost 0–2 at the

San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums ...

). The team eliminated

AS Monaco Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Fren ...

and

Olympique Lyonnais Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a men and women's French professional football club based in Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The men play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. Founded in 1950, ...

on their way to the semi-finals. Alex won a second straight Dutch league championship in the 2005–06 season with PSV. Chelsea did not recall Alex, even though Piet de Visser and Chelsea Head of Scouting

Frank Arnesen Frank Arnesen (born 30 September 1956) is a former Danish footballer and sporting director at Dutch football club Feyenoord. Arnesen was the Director of Football at English football clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and was Sporting Direct ...

recommended that Alex be brought over to solve the club's defensive problems.Alt URL
/ref> Instead, Chelsea manager José Mourinho insisted on the signing of

Khalid Boulahrouz Khalid Boulahrouz (born 28 December 1981) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defender. His nickname is "The Cannibal" for his ability to "eat up" the opposition. He was noted for his tackling and versatility at the back. ...

in place of Alex. Therefore, Alex stayed a third season at PSV on loan in 2006–07. He won a third straight Eredivisie title with PSV, after a dramatic final-day finish to the season in which PSV sensationally trumped both

AFC Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the ...

and AZ. Alex scored in a UEFA Champions League first knockout round against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

for both teams in the second half, turning in an

own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...

past his own goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, but compensating for it with a storming headed goal with eight minutes left to play to redeem himself and in the process ensure PSV a place in the quarter-finals. He was later injured, however, and played no part in PSV's UEFA Champions League quarter-final against

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, which PSV lost 4–0 on aggregate.

Chelsea

2007–08

In an interview with Dutch newspaper ''

De Telegraaf ''De Telegraaf'' (; en, The Telegraph) is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper. Haro Kraak,Gaat Paul Jansen de crisis bij De Telegraaf oplossen?, ''de Volkskrant'', 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015. Paul Jansen has been the editor-in-chief s ...

'', Alex confirmed that Chelsea were in the process of getting him a work permit and that the possibilities of him joining Chelsea next season were very high. Alex later confirmed that Chelsea had almost completed the process of acquiring him a work permit and that he would start the season as a Chelsea player. Alex was granted a work permit on 2 August 2007, and completed his transfer to Chelsea after agreeing to personal terms and passing a medical, where he then signed a three-year deal with the London club. On 14 August 2007, Alex was presented to the English media in a press conference with manager José Mourinho, where he was given shirt number 33. He made his debut on 19 August when he came on as a substitute for

Florent Malouda Florent Johan Malouda (born 13 June 1980) is a French football coach and former professional player. A left winger, he spent most of his career at Lyon and Chelsea, winning four consecutive Ligue 1 titles with the former and the UEFA Champi ...

against

in the 85th minute, with the teams tied at 1–1. He also played in the 0–2 defeat away at

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa P ...

and the 4–0 victory over

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's ...

in the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

. Alex scored his first goal for Chelsea on 20 October 2007, a 30-yard free kick against

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

. He scored from another free kick on 28 November in a Champions League game against

Rosenborg BK Rosenborg Ballklub, commonly referred to simply as Rosenborg () or RBK, is a Norwegian professional association football, football club from Trondheim that plays in Eliteserien (football), Eliteserien. The club has won a record 26 league titles ...

. He then scored in Chelsea's 4–4 draw with

, scoring his first goal at

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium) ...

from an

Andriy Shevchenko Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko, or Andrii Mykolaiovych Shevchenko ( uk, Андрій Миколайович Шевченко, ; born 29 September 1976) is a Ukrainian football manager, a former professional football player and a former politic ...

pass, taking his tally for the season to three goals.

2008–09

Alex enjoyed his longest spell in the first team during the 2008–09 season. He was given his chance due to regular starter Ricardo Carvalho being injured for long periods of the campaign. He scored Chelsea's 1,000th Premier League goal against

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

on 1 November 2008. Alex started every game for Chelsea under

Guus Hiddink Guus Hiddink (; born 8 November 1946) is a Dutch former football manager and professional player. He enjoyed a long career playing as a midfielder in his native Netherlands. Retired as player in 1982, Hiddink went into management, leading both c ...

, who managed Alex at

, and also scored in an

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...

quarter-final victory away to

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the ...

. In the Champions League quarter-finals second leg at Stamford Bridge against

, Alex scored a free-kick from 30 yards out to level the score at 2–2. The game eventually ended 4–4 and Chelsea won 7–5 on aggregate, but Chelsea were infamously eliminated by

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

in the semi-finals. On 10 May, Alex scored a header in Chelsea's 4–1

win over Arsenal from a

Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...

free-kick.

2009–10

Alex played his first pre-season match against Milan in the World Football Challenge. On 13 October 2009, Alex signed a new four-year contract with Chelsea, keeping him at

until the summer of 2013. Alex missed the start of the season, having sustained a groin injury on 15 August 2009. He started his first game of the season in a League Cup match against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...

on 28 October 2009, playing the full 90 minutes. He made his first

start of the season against

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

on 16 December 2009. On 13 March 2010, he scored his first goal of the season at Stamford Bridge giving Chelsea the lead in a 4–1 league win over

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium ...

2010–11

In light of Ricardo Carvalho's departure to

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

, Alex started the 2010–11 season as first-choice centre-back for Chelsea, alongside

John Terry John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He was most recently the ...

. On 3 October 2010, he scored a 25-yard freekick in a 2–0 victory over

. On 5 October, he was ruled out for up to three weeks after picking up a thigh injury in the final stages of Sunday's 2–0 win over Arsenal, and subsequently withdrew from the Brazil squad for the friendly matches against

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

, and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

. Alex made his return for Chelsea where he made his return on 30 October 2010 and played 90 minutes against

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...

in a 2–1 win. On 1 December 2010, Alex suffered a knee injury and was out of action about three months. While rehabilitation on his injury, Manager

Carlo Ancelotti Carlo Ancelotti , (born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Real Madrid. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, Ancelotti is the most decorated manager ...

would consider signing a new defender if Alex fails to recover from knee surgery before the end of January but Alex failed to do so and Chelsea went on to sign

David Luiz David Luiz Moreira Marinho (born 22 April 1987) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Flamengo. Primarily a centre back, he can also be deployed as a defensive midfielder. After starting out at Vitoria, David Luiz moved to Be ...

from Benfica. By mid March 2011, Alex made his return to training with the first-team squad. After he recovered from the injury, Alex made his return on 9 April 2011 in a match against

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 193 ...

in a 1–0 win, where he came on for Paulo Ferreira in the 75th minute. On 8 May 2011, it took a goal-costing mistake from David Luiz against

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

in the season-deciding match for Alex to break back into the starting line-up, getting substituted on at half time that match, and then starting and playing the full 90 minutes the following match against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional Association football, football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football league system, English football. The club was ...

at Stamford Bridge on 15 May 2011, where he scored a headed goal in the 82nd minute in a 2–2 draw. In the last league game of the season against Everton, Alex started the match alongside

but was substituted on 70 minutes for Ferreira in their 1–0 defeat at

Goodison Park Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpo ...

. At the end of the campaign, Alex made 20 appearances and scored 2 goals in all competitions.

2011–12

In the summer transfer window, Alex was the subject of a bid from local rivals

. On 20 August 2011, in a home game against

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional Association football, football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English foo ...

, a defensive mistake from Alex allowed striker

Shane Long Shane Patrick Long (born 22 January 1987) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Reading and the Republic of Ireland national team. He also played hurling for the Tipperary county team in his early ...

through to score four minutes into the game. In the end, however, Chelsea won 2–1. On 21 September 2011, in a League Cup tie against

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswo ...

, Alex received a straight red card in the 49th minute after a foul on

Kerim Frei Kerim Frei Koyunlu (born 19 November 1993) is a footballer who plays as a winger for Fatih Karagümrük. Born in Austria, he represents the Turkish national team. He previously played club football for Fulham, Cardiff City, İstanbul Başakşe ...

, which also resulted a penalty. Pajtim Kasami, however, missed Fulham's penalty after his kick was saved by back-up goalkeeper Ross Turnbull. In the end, Chelsea later won 4–3 on penalties to progress to the next round. In November 2011, Alex made his last Chelsea appearance in a League Cup in a quarter-final against

, which Chelsea lost 2–0. He started the match but committed a handball in the penalty area, which Turnbull again saved from Andy Carroll. On 3 December 2011, Alex submitted a transfer request, which was accepted. He had been the subject of a bid from

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus ...

in the first transfer activity under their new manager

Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the manager of Bradford City. During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, an ...

. The move, however, broke down after both parties reportedly failed to agree personal terms; QPR could not match his wage demands and Alex stated he did not want to stay in England.

Paris Saint-Germain

On 27 January 2012, Alex joined

for £4.2 million to reunite with his former manager Carlo Ancelotti. On his move, he publicly stated that the reason for it was that Chelsea manager

André Villas-Boas Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas (; born 17 October 1977) is a Portuguese football manager, who most recently was the manager of Ligue 1 club Marseille. He is one of a growing number of top-level managers who have never played footbal ...

had not given him enough playing time at the club. He was given the number 13 shirt, free since the departure of

Sammy Traoré Sammy Traoré (born 25 February 1976 in Créteil) is a French and Malian football manager, as a player his preferred position was a defender. He made good use of the stepover technique, rarely seen in defenders, to maintain possession and als ...

. On 12 February 2012, Alex made his debut for PSG in a 0–0 draw against

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, where he made his first start before coming off for

Christophe Jallet Christophe Jean-Pierre Jallet (born 31 October 1983) is a French former professional footballer who played as a right back. During his career, he played for Niort, Lorient, Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon, Nice and Amiens, as well as register ...

at half-time. The following week, on 19 February 2012, Alex scored a 30-yard goal from a lay-off free kick, his first goal for PSG, against Montpellier on a free-kick combination with compatriot

Nenê Nenê (; born Maybyner Rodney Hilário; September 13, 1982) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player. Known previously as Nenê Hilario, he legally changed his name to simply Nenê in 2003. Early life Born Maybyner Rodney Hilário i ...

, which the result was 2–2. On 8 April 2012, Alex scored the winning goal in the 61st minute in a 2–1 win over

Olympique de Marseille Olympique de Marseille (, ; oc, Olimpic de Marselha, ), also known simply as Marseille or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional men's football club based in Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Founded in 1899, the club p ...

. On 6 November 2012, in a Champions League match against

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinam ...

, Alex scored the first goal of the match, a half-volley that evaded the reach of Dinamo goalkeeper Ivan Kelava after 16 minutes. On 3 August 2013, Alex scored the game-winning goal with the last kick of the game in PSG's 2–1 defeat of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...

in the

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries. His ...

at the Stade d'Angondjé in Libreville,

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

A.C. Milan

On 5 June 2014, Alex signed for Milan on free transfer when his contract with PSG expired. He made his competitive debut on 31 August in their first match of the new

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...

season, a 3–1 home win over

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

in which he deflected Antonio Candreva's shot into his own net. Alex scored his first Milan goal in a 3–2 loss to

Sassuolo Sassuolo (; egl, label= Modenese, Sasól ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known fo ...

on 17 May 2015. On 31 January 2016, Alex scored a diving header in the

Derby della Madonnina The Derby della Madonnina, also known as the Derby di Milano (Milan Derby, in English), is a derby football match between the two prominent Milanese clubs, Internazionale and A.C. Milan. It is called ''Derby della Madonnina'' in honour of on ...

. On 25 May 2016, club owner

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...

announced his departure, along with those of

Phillippe Mexes Phillippe is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Phillippe * Phillippe Aumont (born 1989), Canadian baseball player * Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy (1583–1660), French noblema ...

, Kevin-Prince Boateng and

Mario Balotelli Mario Balotelli Barwuah (; '' né'' Barwuah; born 12 August 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Swiss Super League club Sion. Balotelli started his professional football career in 2005 at Lumezzane, befo ...

. In December 2016, Alex announced his retirement as a player.

International career

Alex made his debut for

on 17 July 2003 against

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. Although he played under Brazil U-23 team at the tournament, the tournament was a full international tournament, hence the international cap gained was fully recognized by FIFA. He was overlooked for the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

squad. However, after the World Cup, he earned regular call-ups with the new head coach,

Dunga Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri (born 31 October 1963), known as Dunga (), is a Brazilian football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. Under his captaincy, Brazil won the 1994 FIFA World Cup and he lift ...

. He was a member of the Brazil squad that won the

with a 3–0 victory over arch-rivals

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

in the final. He was dropped from the Brazilian squad for the

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in J ...

due to injuries. On 11 May, he was called up to the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

squad as one of the seven back-up players.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Santos *

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian"), and also known as Brasileirão Assaí due to sponsorship with Assaí Atacadista, is a Br ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

PSV *

: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07 *

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. O ...

: 2004–05 Chelsea *

: 2009–10 *

: 2008–09, 2009–10 *

FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier L ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Paris Saint-Germain *

: 2012–13, 2013–14 *

Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France, w ...

: 2013–14 *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

Brazil *

Copa América The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

Individual * Bola de Prata: 2002, 2003

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alex 1982 births Living people Sportspeople from Niterói Brazilian footballers Brazil international footballers Association football defenders Santos FC players Chelsea F.C. players PSV Eindhoven players Paris Saint-Germain F.C. players A.C. Milan players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Eredivisie players Premier League players Ligue 1 players Serie A players Copa América-winning players 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2007 Copa América players FA Cup Final players Brazilian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in England Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in France Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands