Elias Mendes Trindade (born 16 May 1985), known simply as Elias, 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 le ...

who played as a

central midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Career

Early career

Born in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Elias was a

Palmeiras Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...

youth graduate, and played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

at the club. In December 2005, after a short stint at ''Verdão''s B-team, he signed for Náutico. Elias made his debut for ''Timbu'' on 15 January 2006, starting in a 1–0

Campeonato Pernambucano The Campeonato Pernambucano de Futebol (Pernambucan Football Championship, in English) is the football championship of Pernambuco state, Brazil, and is organized by the FPF. The first edition of the Campeonato Pernambucano was played in 1915, a ...

away loss against Serrano. On 20 January, after just one further match, he was released. Elias spent the rest of the 2006 season playing for amateur sides Leões da Geolândia and Estrela Vermelha, and subsequently joined São Bento for the 2007 season, where he moved back to a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

role and impressed for the club. In that year he also represented Juventus-SP, scoring one of the goals in the club's 2–3 loss against Linense in the second leg of the

Copa Paulista The Copa Paulista de Futebol, formerly known as Copa FPF, also sometimes called Copa Federação Paulista de Futebol or, in English, São Paulo State Cup, is a tournament organized by Federação Paulista de Futebol Company every second half of ...

Finals, which his side won after a 4–4 aggregate result. On 4 December 2007, Elias agreed to a contract with Ponte Preta in the Série B. He made his debut for the club the following 16 January by starting and scoring his team's third in a 4–2 home win against Ituano, and was a regular starter in the

2008 Campeonato Paulista The 2008 Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1 was the 107th season of São Paulo's top-flight professional association football league. The competition began on January 16 and ended on May 4. Palmeiras won ...

which his side reached the Finals.

Corinthians

On 8 May 2008, Elias signed a contract with fellow second division side

Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...

until December 2011. An immediate starter, he helped the club return to Série A in his first season, and was a key unit in the club's

2009 Campeonato Paulista The 2009 Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1 was the 108th season of São Paulo's top-flight professional football league. The season began on January 21 and ended on May 3. Corinthians were crowned the lea ...

winning campaign. Elias made his top tier debut on 6 August 2009, starting in a 1–0 loss at his former club Náutico. He scored his first goal in the category on 27 August, netting his team's second in a 2–2 away draw against Grêmio Barueri.

Atlético Madrid

On 5 December 2010, Elias confirmed that he would leave Corinthians and join Spanish team

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...

in January 2011, for a rumoured fee of

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

7 million. The club confirmed the transfer on 16 December, and made his debut abroad on 17 January, starting in a 3–0 home win against

RCD Mallorca Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, S.A.D. (, ca, Reial Club Deportiu Mallorca , ''Royal Sporting Club Mallorca''), commonly known as Real Mallorca or just Mallorca is a Spanish professional football club based in Palma on the island of Majorca in ...

. Elias scored his first goal abroad on 2 March 2011, netting the equalizer in a 1–1 draw at

Getafe CF Getafe Club de Fútbol (), or simply Getafe, is a professional football club based in Getafe, a city in the Community of Madrid. The team competes in La Liga, the highest tier of the Spanish football system. The club's home stadium (owned and op ...

Sporting CP

On 29 August 2011, after being deemed surplus to requirements at ''Atleti'', Elias moved to

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

on a five-year contract. The club paid a fee of €8.85 million, making this the highest paid transfer in SCP history at the time. On 15 September, Sporting sold 50% economic rights of Elias for €3.85 million to Quality Sports Investments. On his debut, on 10 September 2011, Elias scored a goal against

F.C. Paços de Ferreira Futebol Clube Paços de Ferreira () is a Portuguese football club based in Paços de Ferreira, Porto district. Founded in 1950, the club competes in the Primeira Liga, holding home games at the 9,077-seater Estádio da Mata Real, a municipal s ...

, on a win (2–3) of Sporting. At the 76th minute, Sporting was losing by 2–0, but with the goals by

Marat Izmailov Marat Nailevich Izmailov (russian: Марат Наилевич Измайлов, tt-Cyrl, Марат Наил улы Измайлов; born 21 September 1982) is a Russian former professional footballer. Mainly a right midfielder, he could als ...

, Elias and

Ricky van Wolfswinkel Ricky van Wolfswinkel (; born 27 January 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club FC Twente. He has played top-flight football in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, France, Spain and Switzerland and ...

, Sporting won and began a series of victories in the league, earning him the nickname of "The Prophet" amidst Sporting fans. He scored again on 18 December, in a 1–1 draw against Académica, being subsequently

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

in that match.

Flamengo (loan)

On 10 January 2013, Elias joined Brazilian side

Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football t ...

on loan for the season. He made his debut on 27 January by replacing

Renato Abreu Carlos Renato de Abreu (born 9 June 1978, in São Paulo), known as Renato or Renato Abreu, is a Brazilian association football centre midfielder. Specialising in free kicks and long shots, Renato was recognised by the press and fans as one of th ...

in a 1–0 home win against

Volta Redonda Volta Redonda () is the name of a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro state of Brazil with an area of 182.81 km2, located from 350m to 707m above the sea level (22°31'23" S, 44°06'15" W) an ...

, and scored his first goal on 14 March in a 3–2 home loss against Resende. Elias was a regular starter during his loan spell, with Flamengo attempting to keep the midfielder for the 2014 campaign, but the move did not materialize.

Return to Corinthians

On 7 April 2014, and after two months of negotiations, Elias returned to Corinthians, who paid €4 million for 50% of his economic rights. He was presented on 10 April, and signed a contract until December 2017. A regular starter upon arriving, Elias subsequently lost his undisputed status but still appeared regularly.

Sporting CP return

On 31 August 2016, Elias returned to Portugal and Sporting, signing a two-year contract, with a buyout clause of €60 million. However, he was sparingly used by the Lions, scoring twice in 13 appearances overall.

Atlético Mineiro

On 27 January 2017,

Atlético Mineiro Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to: Sports Teams Athletico *Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy *Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...

announced the signing of Elias. He featured regularly for the side during his spell, but was released on 7 January 2020, one month earlier than the expiry of his contract.

International career

On 23 September 2010, Elias was first called up to the Brazil national team by coach

Mano Menezes Luiz Antônio Venker de Menezes (born 11 June 1962), known as Mano Menezes, is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of Sport Club Internacional, Internacional. He managed the Brazil national f ...

. He made his full international debut on 7 October, replacing

Philippe Coutinho Philippe Coutinho Correia (born 12 June 1992) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Brazil national team. He is known for his combination of vision, ...

in a 3–0 win over

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 Turkmeni ...

. Elias was also included in Mano's 23-man list for the

2011 Copa América The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South Americ ...

, while also featuring in

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 lifte ...

's list for the

2015 Copa América The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, ...

and in the

Copa América Centenario The Copa América Centenario ( pt, Copa América Centenário, french: Coupe Amerique Centennaire, en, Centennial Cup America; literally ''Centennial America Cup'') was an international men's association football tournament that was hosted by the ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

Juventus *

: 2007 Corinthians *

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B The Campeonato Brasileiro Série B is commonly referred to as the Brasileirão Série B (Série B), and until 2022 was officially called Brasileirão Sportingbet by sponsorship reasons. It is the second tier of the Brazilian football league system ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional association football, football league in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. Run b ...

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 ...

Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil ( en, Brazil Cup) is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de ...

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 ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Flamengo *

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 fact ...

Atlético Mineiro *

Campeonato Mineiro Campeonato Mineiro is the state football league of the state of Minas Gerais and is controlled by the Minas Gerais Football Federation FMF (Federação Mineira de Futebol). The history of Campeonato Mineiro can be divided into two parts: befor ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

International

Brazil * Superclásico de las Américas:

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Individual

* Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year:

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elias 1985 births Living people Footballers from São Paulo Brazilian footballers Association football midfielders Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Campeonato Brasileiro Série B players Campeonato Brasileiro Série C players Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras players Clube Náutico Capibaribe players Esporte Clube São Bento players Clube Atlético Juventus players Associação Atlética Ponte Preta players Sport Club Corinthians Paulista players CR Flamengo footballers Clube Atlético Mineiro players La Liga players Atlético Madrid footballers Primeira Liga players Sporting CP footballers 2011 Copa América players 2015 Copa América players Copa América Centenario players Brazil international footballers Brazilian expatriate footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate footballers in Portugal Expatriate footballers in Spain