Alex (footballer, born 1977) facts for kids
Alex playing for Fenerbahçe in 2011
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alexsandro de Souza | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 September 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Operário Ferroviário (head coach) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Coritiba | 24 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Palmeiras | 37 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Parma | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | → Flamengo (loan) | 12 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | → Palmeiras (loan) | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | → Cruzeiro (loan) | 29 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | → Palmeiras (loan) | 16 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Cruzeiro | 55 | (27) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2012 | Fenerbahçe | 245 | (136) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Coritiba | 55 | (18) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 499 | (221) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Brazil U20 | 15 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2005 | Brazil | 49 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | São Paulo U20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Avaí | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Antalyaspor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Operário Ferroviário | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alexsandro de Souza (born on September 14, 1977), known simply as Alex, is a Brazilian football manager and former footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder, a player who helps both defense and attack. Alex is currently the head coach of Operário Ferroviário.
Alex was a captain for the Brazil national team. He also captained the Turkish club Fenerbahçe. During his career, he played for several clubs in Brazil, including Coritiba, Palmeiras, Flamengo, and Cruzeiro. He also played for Parma in Italy. Alex is especially famous for his time at Fenerbahçe. There, he became the highest-scoring foreign player ever in the Süper Lig, which is Turkey's top football league.
For his country, Alex played 48 games and scored 12 goals for Brazil between 1998 and 2005. He was part of the teams that won the Copa América in 1999 and 2004. He was captain in the 2004 tournament. He also played in the 2000 Olympics and two FIFA Confederations Cups. However, he was never chosen to play in a FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Early Club Days
Alex was born in Curitiba, Brazil. He started his professional football journey with his hometown club, Coritiba, in 1995. He played there until 1997.
He then moved to Palmeiras in São Paulo. With Palmeiras, he helped the team win the Copa Libertadores in 1999. This is a very important club competition in South America. He also won the Torneio Rio-São Paulo in 2000 and the Copa do Brasil and Copa Mercosur in 1998.
After a short time with Flamengo and a return to Palmeiras, Alex joined Cruzeiro in 2001. He later returned to Cruzeiro in 2002 after a brief period with Parma in Italy, where he only played friendly matches. At Cruzeiro, he became team captain and wore the number 10 jersey. He led his team to win the "Brazilian triple crown" in 2003. This means they won the State Championship, the Brasileirão (Brazilian League), and the Brazilian Cup all in one year. Cruzeiro won the Brasileirão with a record 100 points.
Time at Fenerbahçe
In 2004, Alex moved to Fenerbahçe in Turkey for 5 million euros. He quickly became a key player and later the team captain. On November 13, 2010, he scored his 100th goal in the Süper Lig for Fenerbahçe. He was 33 years old when he scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Bucaspor. Fenerbahçe won that match 5–2. His first goal in that game was Fenerbahçe's 3000th goal in the Süper Lig. Because of this, his jersey and shoes from that match are now in the club's museum.
On May 15, 2011, he scored five goals in a single game against Ankaragücü, which Fenerbahçe won 6–0. After Fenerbahçe won the league title in the 2010–11 season, Alex received the golden boot award. He was the top scorer with 28 goals.
On September 15, 2012, a statue of Alex was put up in Kadıköy Yoğurtçu park. This was paid for by fans, showing how much they loved him. Alex's last goal for Fenerbahçe was on September 20, 2012, in the Europa League. His last game for the club was on September 29, 2012. His contract with Fenerbahçe ended on October 1, 2012, after some disagreements with the coach. He finished his amazing career in Turkey with 136 assists and 171 goals in 341 games.
Return to Coritiba and Retirement
After leaving Fenerbahçe, Alex joined his first club, Coritiba, on October 18, 2012. He played his first game for them on January 31, 2013. His first goal came on February 9, 2013. He had a great run where he scored in nine straight matches, getting 12 goals. He helped Coritiba win the Campeonato Paranaense, their 37th state title.
In October 2014, Alex announced he would retire from football. His very last game was a 3–2 win against Bahia on December 7, 2014.
International Career
Alex first played for the senior Brazil national team on September 23, 1998. He scored his first goal in his third game, helping Brazil win 3–0 against Latvia.
At the 1999 Copa América in Paraguay, Alex scored an important goal against Mexico. Brazil won this tournament. Days later, at the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup in Mexico, he scored two goals against Germany and two more against Saudi Arabia. Brazil reached the final but lost to the host team, Mexico.
Alex also played for the Brazilian Olympic team at the 2000 Olympics in Australia. He scored in wins against Slovakia and Japan. However, Brazil was knocked out in the quarter-finals. In qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he scored against rivals Argentina. He was not chosen for the World Cup team due to fitness issues.
At the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in France, Alex scored a late goal to draw 2–2 with Turkey. Brazil won the 2004 Copa América in Peru, with Alex as captain. He scored in a 4–0 win against Mexico in the quarter-finals. He was not selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
How Alex Played
Alex was a very talented and creative playmaker. He was great at setting up goals for his teammates. He usually played as an attacking midfielder, which is like a number ten. He was known for his excellent passing, technical skills, and vision on the field. He could also score goals, especially from free kicks. While he wasn't the fastest or strongest player, his smart play and ability to read the game made him special. Sometimes, he also played as a second striker or on the left side of the field.
Managerial Career
After retiring as a player, Alex started his coaching career. On April 5, 2021, he became the head coach of the under-20 team for São Paulo. He left that role on October 28, 2022.
On November 16, 2022, Alex was named head coach of Avaí. This team had just been relegated from Brazil's top league. He stayed with Avaí until May 3, 2023.
On May 18, 2024, Alex became the head coach of Antalyaspor in Turkey. He and the club decided to part ways on January 13, 2025.
Most recently, on June 16, 2025, Alex was appointed as the head coach of Operário Ferroviário in Brazil's second division.
Personal Life
Alex married Daianne in 2000. They have two daughters, Maria Eduarda (born 2004) and Antonia (born 2006), and one son, Felipe (born 2010). Alex has also worked with brands like Puma and Armani. His father-in-law used to be the president of the Coritiba football club. After he retired from playing, Alex started working as a pundit (a sports expert who gives opinions) and a TV show presenter for ESPN Brasil.
Honours and Awards
Alex won many titles and awards during his career:
- Palmeiras
- Copa do Brasil: 1998
- Copa Mercosur: 1998
- Copa Libertadores: 1999
- Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 2000
- Copa dos Campeões: 2000
- Flamengo
- Campeonato Carioca: 2000
- Taça Rio: 2000
- Cruzeiro
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2003
- Copa do Brasil: 2003
- Campeonato Mineiro: 2003, 2004
- Copa Sul-Minas: 2001, 2002
- Fenerbahçe
- Süper Lig: 2004–05, 2006–07, 2010–11
- Turkish Cup: 2011–12
- Turkish Super Cup: 2007, 2009
- Coritiba
- Campeonato Paranaense: 2013
- Brazil U20
- South American Youth Championship: 1992, 1995
- Brazil U23
- CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament: 2000
- Brazil
- Copa América: 1999, 2004
- Individual Awards
- Campeonato Paranaense Revelation: 1995
- Campeonato Paranaense Best Player: 1996
- Campeonato Paranaense Best Midfielder: 1997
- Copa Mercosur Best Player: 1998
- South American Team of The Year: 1999, 2003
- Troféu Telê Santana Star of the Year: 2003
- Bola de Ouro: 2003 (Best Player in Brazil)
- Bola de Prata: 2003 (Best Player in his position)
- Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2004
- Turkish Cup top scorer: 2004–05
- Footballer of the year in Turkey: 2005, 2010
- Süper Lig Gol Kralı (Top Scorer): 2006–07 (19 goals), 2010–11 (28 goals)
- UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2007–08 (6 assists)
- Turkish Cup Best Player: 2011–12
Images for kids
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Alex playing for Fenerbahçe in 2011
See also
In Spanish: Alexsandro de Souza para niños
