Alex, the goalscoring centre-back | OneFootball

Guilherme Guarche, from the Memory Center

Born on a Thursday, June 17, 1982, in the city of Niterói, the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro until the merger between Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara, 15 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro, Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa—recognized worldwide as one of the best center-backs Brazilian football has ever produced—turns 44 today.

Alex, who earned the nickname Canhão da Vila at Santos because of the power of his right-footed shot, was signed by Santos in 2001 at the age of 18, when he was playing in the youth ranks of Juventus from São Paulo. It was during one of the U-20 team’s training sessions at CT Rei Pelé that coach Emerson Leão’s keen eye spotted him and promoted the defender to Santos’s first team.

After fielding a center-back pairing of Odvan and Cléber, who failed to meet the expectations of Santos fans, coach Leão decided to invest in the young defender, using him during the 2002 Brazilian Championship alongside André Luís. The two formed a formidable duo that the sports press nicknamed the “Twin Towers.”

His first match for Alvinegro came on August 25, 2002, at Maracanã Stadium, in the Brazilian Championship, in a 1-1 draw between Santos and Fluminense, with Diego Ribas scoring Santos’s goal. On that day, coach Leão sent out the following lineup: Júlio Sérgio, Alex, André Luís and Preto; Elano (Maurinho), Paulo Almeida, Renato, Diego (Wellington) and Léo; Robinho and Alberto (William).

From that date on, Alex took over the starting spot and never gave it up until he left Peixe in 2004. Tall (1.88 m and 92 kg), Alex imposed himself through strength and determination on the pitch. Agile and quick, he was a fair and

disciplined defender, rarely receiving yellow cards, always playing cleanly and

making tackles with class.

In the Brazilian Championship, he played an active part in the team that became known as the second version of the “Meninos da Vila” and that gave Santos its seventh national title. The following year was the season in which Alex played the most and scored many goals—15 in 60 matches in total.

That year, Peixe finished as runner-up in the Brazilian Championship and was also runner-up in the Copa Libertadores de América. His football and, especially, his free kicks earned him a place in the Brazilian National Team, where he played in the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the U-23 side, a tournament recognized by FIFA as an international competition.

In 2004, he helped Peixe win its eighth national title, and his performances ended up attracting the interest of European clubs, leading to his signing by Chelsea of England in 2005. Before that, he won Placar magazine’s Silver Ball award in 2002 and 2003.

During the period in which he wore the black-and-white colors, Alex played exactly 103 matches, scoring 20 goals. He is Santos’s highest-scoring defender. At the English club, he had visa problems and was eventually loaned to PSV Eindhoven, where he stood out and won several titles as well as call-ups to the national team. In 2007, he left the Dutch club and returned to Chelsea.

In Europe, Alex cemented his successful career and played only for giants of European football. Besides PSV, he also built his career at Chelsea/ENG, PSG/FRA, and Milan/ITA.

In May 2016, he terminated his contract with Milan and returned to Brazil. While recovering, he spent a few months training at CT Rei Pelé. When Santos showed interest in signing him, he had to undergo another surgery on his right knee. With a nine-month recovery forecast, the return ultimately did not happen.

Titles won in his career

Santos: Brazilian Champion in 2002 and 2004.

PSV Eindhoven: Dutch Cup and Eredivisie: 2004-2005, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007.

Chelsea: FA Cup, FA Community Shield, Premier League, and UEFA Champions League.

Paris Saint-Germain: French Super Cup and French League Cup.

Brazil National Team: Copa América in 2007.

At the age of 34, Alex decided to retire permanently from football and settled in Santos, living in a beautiful building on the beachfront avenue in the charming Gonzaga neighborhood.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.