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A Lan
FC Red Bull Salzburg g SK Sturm Graz 30.JPG
Alan with Red Bull Salzburg in 2014
Personal information
Full name A Lan
Date of birth (1989-07-10) 10 July 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth José Bonifácio, São Paulo, Brazil
Height 1.83m
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current club Qingdao West Coast
Number 11
Youth career
2006–2007 Londrina
2007–2008 Fluminense
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2008 Londrina 6 (4)
2008–2010 Fluminense 46 (11)
2010–2015 Red Bull Salzburg 88 (59)
2015–2021 Guangzhou FC 78 (40)
2019–2020 → Tianjin Tianhai (loan) 27 (9)
2020 Beijing Guoan (loan) 15 (5)
2022–2023 Fluminense 5 (2)
2024– Qingdao West Coast 22 (11)
National team
2009–2010 Brazil U20 5 (1)
2021– China 14 (3)
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 July 2024.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 September 2024
Alan
Simplified Chinese 阿兰·道格拉斯·博尔热斯·德·卡瓦略
Traditional Chinese 阿蘭·道格拉斯·博爾熱斯·德·卡瓦略
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Ālán Dàogélāsī Bó'ěrrèsī dé Kǎwǎlüè

A Lan (Chinese: 阿兰; pinyin: Ā Lán; born Alan Douglas Borges de Carvalho; 10 July 1989), simply known as Alan, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chinese Super League club Qingdao West Coast. Born in Brazil, he plays for the China national team.

After spells in Brazil with Londrina and Fluminense, Alan joined Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg in 2010. There he established himself in the first team and became an intrinsic part of the squad. His playing time was limited in the 2011–12 season owing to an injury. Nevertheless, Alan scored regularly for the club, including many hat-tricks. In 2015, after playing nearly 130 matches for the Austrian side and scoring nearly 100 goals, he signed with Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande.

Club career

Brazil

Born in Barbosa, São Paulo, Alan signed for Londrina, in 2007. In 2008, he was given a professional contract by Fluminense with whom he played for two seasons till 2010. He scored 11 league goals for the club and also won the 2010 Brasileiro.

Red Bull Salzburg

On 11 August 2010, Alan signed for Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg for an undisclosed fee, as a replacement for Marc Janko who headed to FC Twente. He made his debut for the club in UEFA Champions League qualifier against Hapoel Tel Aviv which his team lost 2–3. In that match he came as a 67th-minute substitute for Franz Schiemer. In his first season with the club, Alan scored a hat-trick against Sturm Graz on 16 April 2011. Alan also scored braces against Austria Wien and SC Wiener Neustadt as he ended the season with 10 league goals.

Alan(4)
Alan in action against Kapfenberger SV in October 2010

Alan started the 2011–12 season by scoring a hat-trick against Latvian side FK Liepājas Metalurgs. His goal scoring streak continued as he scored a brace against FK Senica as well as scoring in a defeat against AC Omonia. However his playing time in his second season with the Austrian club was limited as he ruptured his cruciate ligament in a league match against Rapid Vienna on 28 August 2011 and was ruled out of action for at least six months.

Alan got back on training on 20 November 2012. He finished the 2012–13 season with 11 goals in 14 league matches and did not play in any continental match.

The 2013–14 season proved to be the most successful season so far for the Brazilian striker. On 8 February 2014, Alan scored a hat-trick against relegation threatened SV Grodig. In that match, the same feat would also be achieved by his Spanish partner Jonathan Soriano. He also received two red cards - one against SV Ried and another against FC Basel in an UEFA Europa League encounter. Alan ended the season winning the Austrian Football Bundesliga and Austrian Cup - completing a domestic double. He was the second topscorer only behind teammate Soriano.

The following season too, started well for Alan, as he scored regularly for his side. On 23 October 2014, Alan scored a hat-trick as Salzburg won 4–2 against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Europa League group stage. He added another two on 27 November in a 3–1 win at Celtic Park which ensured that Salzburg became the first ever Austrian club to win in Scotland, striking in the 8th and 13th minutes. In his penultimate league match for his club, he scored a hat-trick, scoring in 52nd, 58th and 60th minute against FK Austria Wien. Despite leaving halfway through the season, with eight goals he was the joint top scorer in the season's Europa League, alongside Everton's Romelu Lukaku. This was the second consecutive time that a Red Bull player had achieved this honour, after his strike partner Soriano.

Guangzhou Evergrande

On 16 January 2015, Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao officially announced they had signed Alan from Red Bull Salzburg on a four-year contract for a transfer fee of €11.1 million. He was issued the number 7 jersey. On 14 February 2015, he made his official debut in the 2015 Chinese FA Super Cup against Shandong Luneng, coming on as a substitute for Gao Lin. On 3 March 2015, Alan suffered a cruciate ligament rupture while training before the 2015 AFC Champions League match against Western Sydney Wanderers, ruling him out for at least five months. After Paulinho and Robinho joined the club in July, Alan, who was still recovering from injury, was degraded to the reserve team squad for the second half of the season due to foreign player limit. He was named in the 23-man squad for the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup but didn't play in the tournament, while manager Luiz Felipe Scolari explained that he just recovered from injury and was not ready to play.

Alan made his return on 6 March 2016, 370 days after his injury, in a Super League match against Chongqing Lifan, coming on as a substitute for Huang Bowen. Alan scored his first goal in his fifth appearance for Guangzhou on 24 April 2016, in a 4–0 away victory against Tianjin Teda. He went on to score in the next five matches, including 2–1 win over Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, 2–1 win over Hangzhou Greentown, 2–0 win over Hebei China Fortune, 3–0 win over Liaoning during Guangzhou Evergrande's 9-league winning streak and 2–0 win against Nei Mongol Zhongyou in the CFA Cup. Alan scored 18 goals in 35 appearances as Guangzhou won the double of 2016 Chinese Super League and 2016 Chinese FA Cup.

On 22 February 2017, Alan started the season with Guangzhou Evergrande in an emphatic 7–0 home victory over Hong Kong side Eastern in the 2017 AFC Champions League. He missed a penalty in the first half but scored in the second half. On 25 February, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 win against Jiangsu Suning in the 2017 Chinese FA Super Cup and was awarded the most valuable player of the tournament. He made 43 appearances and scored 21 goals in the 2017 season, acting an important part of Guangzhou Evergrande's winning their seventh consecutive title of the league.

Alan scored his first goal in the 2018 season on 26 February 2018 in a 4–1 victory over Shanghai Greenland Shenhua to win the 2018 Chinese FA Super Cup. He was awarded the most valuable player for the second time. On 2 March, he scored his first hat-trick in China in a 5–4 home loss to city rivals Guangzhou R&F in the first league match of the season. Alan continued his impressive performance in March, scoring eight goals in five matches until 30 March, he was sent off during a league match against Tianjin Quanjian for throwing an elbow at Liu Yiming. On 10 April, he was handed an 8-match suspension in the Super League by the CFA. On 17 April, Alan scored twice in a 3–1 win over Cerezo Osaka, which ensure Guangzhou's qualification to the Knockout stage of 2018 AFC Champions League. On 2 May, he scored a penalty at the second half but missed his penalty shootout attempt in the fifth round of 2018 Chinese FA Cup against Guizhou Hengfeng as Guangzhou eliminated from the tournament by 4–1 in the penalty shootout. Alan made his 100th cap for Guangzhou on 3 November 2018 in the league titles deciding match against Shanghai SIPG. He scored twice but Guangzhou finally lost 5–4.

Loan to Tianjin Tianhai

On 7 February 2019, Alan was loaned to fellow first-tier club Tianjin Tianhai for the 2019 season. He made his debut for the club on 1 March 2019, playing the whole match in a 3–0 away defeat against his former club Guangzhou Evergrande.

Loan to Beijing Guoan

On 29 February 2020, it was announced that Alan would be loaned to Beijing Guoan for the 2020 season. He scored his first goal for the club on 6 August 2020 against Tianjin TEDA.

Return to Fluminense

On 21 June 2022, Alan rejoined Fluminense on a two-year deal. On 18 August 2023, Alan's contract with Fluminense was terminated by mutual consent.

Qingdao West Coast

On 24 February 2024, Alan returned to China and signed a with Chinese Super League club Qingdao West Coast.

International career

Alan played three matches for the Brazil under-20 team in an unofficial tournament.

In March 2013, Alan described himself as half-Austrian and expressed his desire to play for the Austria national football team. He said "Maybe I'll play sometime for Austria." But according to FIFA rules he had to play at least five years in Austria to be able to represent the national team. However his move to Guangzhou Evergrande dented the hope of playing for Austria as he was only six months shy of five years while joining the Chinese outfit.

In 2019, Alan obtained Chinese citizenship via naturalisation, which makes him eligible to play for the China national football team.

He made his debut for China on 30 May 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Guam, he came on as a substitute and scored twice in a 7–0 victory.

Style of play

A statement by Guangzhou Evergrande described Alan as a "blade", who is physically very strong and make wise use of opportunities. He has also been said as "strong, energetic, skilled" and a player with good control of the ball. Alan is equally adept in his both left and right foot. He is also known for his first-time lay-offs.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League State League National Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fluminense 2008 Série A 13 1 2 3 0 0 1 0 16 4
2009 23 6 5 2 3 1 0 0 31 9
2010 10 4 14 4 4 2 10 2 38 12
Total 46 11 21 9 7 3 11 2 0 0 85 25
Red Bull Salzburg 2010–11 Austrian Bundesliga 24 10 2 0 6 0 32 10
2011–12 5 3 1 2 5 6 11 11
2012–13 14 11 0 0 0 0 14 11
2013–14 29 26 5 6 12 5 46 37
2014–15 16 9 2 7 8 8 26 24
Total 88 59 0 0 10 15 31 19 0 0 129 93
Guangzhou Evergrande 2015 CSL 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0
2016 27 14 8 4 0 0 0 0 35 18
2017 27 10 5 3 10 7 1 1 43 21
2018 12 13 1 1 8 4 1 1 22 19
2021 12 3 0 0 0 0 12 3
Total 78 40 0 0 14 8 19 11 3 2 114 61
Tianjin Tianhai (loan) 2019 CSL 27 9 0 0 27 9
Beijing Guoan (loan) 2020 15 5 1 2 6 4 22 11
Fluminense 2022 Série A 4 1 0 0 4 1
2023 1 1 6 1 1 0 3 0 11 2
Total 5 2 6 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 13 3
Qingdao West Coast 2024 CSL 22 11 0 0 0 0 22 11
Career total 281 137 27 10 35 28 68 36 3 2 414 213

International

China PR
Year Apps Goals
2021 8 3
2022 2 0
2024 4 0
Total 14 3
Scores and results list China's goal tally first.
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 30 May 2021 Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Suzhou, China  Guam 6–0 7–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2. 7–0
3. 11 June 2021 Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates  Maldives 3–0 5–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Club

Red Bull Salzburg

Guangzhou Evergrande

Fluminense

  • Taça Guanabara: 2023
  • Campeonato Carioca: 2023

Individual

  • Austrian Cup Top goalscorer: 2013–14, 2014–15
  • UEFA Europa League Top goalscorer: 2014–15
  • UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2014–15
  • Chinese FA Super Cup Most Valuable Player (2): 2017, 2018

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Alan Carvalho para niños

  • List of Chinese naturalized footballers
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