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 lea ...

who played as a

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Career

Early career

Born in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Elias was a

Palmeiras The Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional association football, football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes (district of São Paulo), Perdizes. Palmeiras is ...

youth graduate, and played as a forward 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 is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. It is run by the Pernambuco Football Federation (FPF). History The first edition of the Campeonato Pernambucano was played i ...

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 In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

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 São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São P ...

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 () 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-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in C ...

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 São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Pa ...

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, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

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. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

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, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (, , ''Royal Sporting Club Mallorca''), commonly known as Real Mallorca or RCD Mallorca, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Palma de Mallorca, ...

. 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 S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Getafe, a city in the Community of Madrid. They compete in La Liga, the top tier of the Football in Spain, Spanish football. The team has pla ...

Sporting CP

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

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

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 Quality Sports Investments is a chain of companies dedicated to football investments. Through Quality Football Ireland, the company held footballer's contract rights. QSI also invited investors to buy their financial products: the economic rights ...

. On his debut, on 10 September 2011, Elias scored a goal against F.C. Paços de Ferreira, 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 (, ; born 21 September 1982) is a Russian former professional footballer turned linesman. Mainly a right midfielder, he could also appear as an attacking midfielder, being best known for his dribbling skills and pace wh ...

, Elias and

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

, 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 (; ), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo n ...

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

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

in a 1–0 home win against

Volta Redonda Volta Redonda () is 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) and with a pop ...

, 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 Menezes (born 11 June 1962), known as Mano Menezes, is a Brazilian professional football Coach (sport), coach, currently the head coach of Grêmio FBPA, Grêmio. Menezes managed the Brazil national football team, Brazil na ...

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

Philippe Coutinho Philippe Coutinho Correia (born 12 June 1992) is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club CR Vasco da Gama, Vasco da Gama, on loan fr ...

in a 3–0 win over

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. 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 association football, football tournament for national ...

, 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 (, , ; literally ''Centennial America Cup'') was an international men's soccer tournament that was hosted by the United States in 2016. The competition was a celebration of the centennial of CONMEBOL and the Copa Am� ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

Juventus *

: 2007 Corinthians *

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B The Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (commonly referred to as the Brasileirão Série B, the Série B or the Brazilian Série B to distinguish it from the Italian and the Ecuadorian Serie B), and currently officially called Brasileirão Série B ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF), ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil () 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 it is the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de Portugal, ...

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

Flamengo *

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Atlético Mineiro *

Campeonato Mineiro The Campeonato Mineiro is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. It is run by the Minas Gerais Football Federation (FMF). The history of Campeonato Mineiro can be divided into two parts: bef ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

International

Brazil *

Superclásico de las Américas The Superclassic of the Americas (, ), was an annual Exhibition game, friendly association football, football match between the national teams of Argentina national football team, Argentina and Brazil national football team, Brazil. Established ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Individual

* Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year:

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

* Best Central Midfielder in Brazil:

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elias 1985 births Living people Footballers from São Paulo Brazilian men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Campeonato Brasileiro Série B players Campeonato Brasileiro Série C players SE 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 São Paulo state football team 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 men's international footballers Brazilian expatriate men's footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Spain 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen