Alex (footballer, born June 1982) facts for kids
Alex lining up for Chelsea in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa | ||
| Date of birth | 17 June 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Niterói, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2001 | Juventus (SP) | ||
| 2002 | Santos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2004 | Santos | 78 | (14) |
| 2004–2012 | Chelsea | 86 | (7) |
| 2004–2007 | → PSV (loan) | 84 | (11) |
| 2012–2014 | Paris Saint-Germain | 70 | (6) |
| 2014–2016 | AC Milan | 46 | (4) |
| Total | 361 | (42) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Brazil U23 | 13 | (2) |
| 2002–2011 | Brazil | 17 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa (born on June 17, 1982), known simply as Alex, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. He played as a centre-back, which is a defensive position in football. Alex was famous for his amazing physical strength and powerful shots. Because of this, people called him "The Tank" and Canhão da Vila (which means "Cannon of Vila Belmiro").
Alex was bought by the English club Chelsea in 2004. However, he was first loaned to the Dutch team PSV. While playing for PSV, he helped them win the Eredivisie league title three times. After three years in the Netherlands, Alex finally joined Chelsea in 2007. With Chelsea, he won the FA Cup in 2009 and then both the league and FA Cup in 2010. He also reached the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final with Chelsea.
In January 2012, Alex moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France. He won the Ligue 1 title twice with this club. After his contract ended in 2014, he joined A.C. Milan in Italy. Alex retired from playing football two years later, in 2016. He also played for the Brazilian national team 17 times between 2003 and 2008. He helped Brazil win the 2007 Copa América tournament.
Contents
Alex's Club Journey
Starting at Santos
Alex began his football career in Brazil with the club Santos. He played his first game for the senior team in 2002. Soon, he became a very important player for the club's defense. Alex scored his first goal for Santos in September 2002. His strong performances quickly earned him a regular spot in the starting lineup. In his first season, Santos won the Série A title, which was their first since 1968.
In 2003, Alex played in 34 matches and scored nine goals, which is a lot for a defender! That same year, he helped Santos reach the final of the Copa Libertadores. This is a very big tournament for South American clubs. Santos lost the final to Boca Juniors, but Alex scored their only goal in the second game.
Playing for Chelsea
Chelsea, a big English club, signed Alex in 2004. However, he couldn't get a work permit to play in England right away. So, Chelsea loaned him to PSV, a club in the Netherlands.
Time at PSV (on loan)
Alex played for PSV for three years. He wore the number 4 jersey. During his time there, he became known as "The Tank." This nickname came from his powerful free kicks and his strong physical presence on the field.
In the 2004–05 season, Alex helped PSV win both the Eredivisie league and the Dutch Cup. In the Champions League, PSV reached the semi-finals. They were knocked out by A.C. Milan in a very close match.
Alex won his second Dutch league title with PSV in the 2005–06 season. He stayed for a third season on loan in 2006–07. PSV won the Eredivisie again, making it three titles in a row for Alex. In a Champions League game against Arsenal, Alex scored a goal that helped PSV reach the quarter-finals.
Joining Chelsea's Team
Alex finally got his work permit for England on August 2, 2007. He officially joined Chelsea on August 10, signing a three-year contract. He was given the number 33 shirt. Alex made his first appearance for Chelsea on August 19, 2007, in a game against Liverpool.
He scored his first goal for Chelsea on October 20, 2007. It was a fantastic free kick from 30 yards out against Middlesbrough. He scored another free kick in a Champions League game and also scored his first goal at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's home stadium.
Key Moments at Chelsea
Alex played a lot more in the 2008–09 season. This was because another defender, Ricardo Carvalho, was injured. Alex scored Chelsea's 1,000th Premier League goal in November 2008. He played in every game under manager Guus Hiddink, who had also coached him at PSV.
In the Champions League quarter-finals against Liverpool, Alex scored another amazing free kick from 30 yards. Chelsea won that game, but they were later knocked out by Barcelona. In May, Alex scored a header in Chelsea's 4–1 win against Arsenal.
In October 2009, Alex signed a new four-year contract with Chelsea. He missed the start of the 2009–10 season due to an injury. He scored his first goal of that season in March 2010 against West Ham United.
For the 2010–11 season, Alex became a first-choice defender alongside John Terry. He scored a powerful 25-yard free kick against Arsenal in October 2010. However, he suffered a knee injury in December 2010 and was out for about three months. He returned to play in April 2011.
In the 2011–12 season, Alex had some tough moments. In September 2011, he received a red card in a League Cup game. In November 2011, he played his last game for Chelsea. In December 2011, Alex asked to leave the club.
Moving to Paris Saint-Germain
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On January 27, 2012, Alex joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. He was happy to reunite with his former manager, Carlo Ancelotti. Alex said he moved because he wasn't getting enough playing time at Chelsea. He was given the number 13 shirt.
Alex made his debut for PSG on February 12, 2012. The following week, he scored his first goal for PSG. It was a 30-yard free kick against Montpellier. In April 2012, Alex scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Olympique de Marseille. In November 2012, he scored the first goal in a Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb.
In August 2013, Alex scored the winning goal in the very last moments of the game. This helped PSG beat Bordeaux 2–1 in the Trophée des Champions.
Final Stop at A.C. Milan
On June 5, 2014, Alex signed with A.C. Milan in Italy after his contract with PSG ended. He made his first appearance for Milan on August 31, 2014. He scored his first goal for Milan in May 2015. In January 2016, Alex scored a diving header in the famous Milan derby match.
In May 2016, it was announced that Alex would be leaving the club. In December 2016, Alex officially announced that he was retiring from football as a player.
Alex's International Career
Alex played his first game for the Brazilian national team on July 17, 2003. This was against Mexico in the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Even though he played for Brazil's Under-23 team in that tournament, FIFA recognized it as a full international game.
He was not chosen for the 2006 FIFA World Cup squad. However, after the World Cup, he was regularly called up by the new coach, Dunga. Alex was part of the Brazil team that won the 2007 Copa América. They beat their rivals Argentina 3–0 in the final. He missed the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup due to injuries.
In May 2010, he was named as one of the seven backup players for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Santos | 2002 | Série A | 25 | 3 | 25 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2003 | Série A | 40 | 10 | 40 | 10 | |||||||||
| 2004 | Série A | 13 | 1 | 13 | 1 | |||||||||
| Total | 78 | 14 | 78 | 14 | ||||||||||
| PSV (loan) | 2004–05 | Eredivisie | 27 | 3 | — | 13 | 2 | 40 | 5 | |||||
| 2005–06 | Eredivisie | 28 | 2 | — | 7 | 0 | 35 | 2 | ||||||
| 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 29 | 6 | — | 8 | 2 | 37 | 8 | ||||||
| Total | 84 | 11 | — | 28 | 4 | 112 | 15 | |||||||
| Chelsea | 2007–08 | Premier League | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 39 | 3 | |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 24 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | — | 41 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 16 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 20 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| Total | 86 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 10 | ||
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2011–12 | Ligue 1 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | — | 34 | 3 | ||
| 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 3 | |
| Total | 70 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 92 | 9 | ||
| A.C. Milan | 2014–15 | Serie A | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 23 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 25 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 46 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 48 | 4 | |||||
| Career total | 364 | 42 | 19 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 68 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 465 | 52 | ||
International
| National team | Club | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Santos | 2003 | 5 | 0 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | ||
| PSV Eindhoven | 2004–2005 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2005–2006 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2006–2007 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Chelsea | 2007–2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2008–2011 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2012 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 17 | 0 | ||
Honours and Awards
Alex won many trophies and awards during his football career:
With Santos
With PSV
- Eredivisie (Dutch League): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07
- KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup): 2004–05
With Chelsea
- Premier League (English League): 2009–10
- FA Cup: 2008–09, 2009–10
- FA Community Shield: 2009
With Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1 (French League): 2012–13, 2013–14
- Coupe de la Ligue (French League Cup): 2013–14
- Trophée des Champions (French Super Cup): 2013
With Brazil National Team
- Copa América: 2007
Individual Awards
- Bola de Prata: 2002, 2003 (This award recognizes the best players in the Brazilian league)
See also
In Spanish: Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa para niños
