PROFILE | A year of two halves for Alexsandro | OneFootball

Alexsandro’s steady improvement since arriving at Lille OSC in 2022 was finally recognised last season when he was selected to be part of Carlo Ancelotti’s first Brazil squad. He would earn his first and second caps, starting in both of Brazil’s FIFA World Cup qualifying games in June, against Ecuador and Paraguay. 

It was the reward for an excellent season, where the centre-back was an indispensable figure in Lille’s backline, providing the foundation alongside Bafodé Diakité that helped the club to success in Ligue 1, where they finished 5th, and an impressive run to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, where they were eliminated by Borussia Dortmund. 

Lille are often the victim of their own success. So much so that it has become the central part of their financial model. They buy low and sell high by targeting young talent and offering them a platform to grow and place themselves in the shop window for the attention of richer clubs. Ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, they knew they would have to sell one of Diakité or Alexsandro. 

And with Bournemouth spending around €40m on Diakité, Lille would look to depend on Alexsandro as the new leader in their backline. There was some adjustment as he struck up a new relationship with Aïssa Mandi and Nathan Ngoy, but on the whole, things looked positive, and Lille had won twice and drawn once ahead of the September international break. 

He would play the full ninety minutes of the 1-0 defeat to Bolivia on the 10th of September before returning to Lille. A match that had annoyed his Lille head coach, Bruno Génésio, due to the altitude of the stadium (4088 metres above sea level). Génésio explained, “Alex didn’t train this morning. He’ll do something very light tomorrow because of the travel, the time difference, and this match in extreme, even dangerous conditions. There are a lot of uncertainties.”

World Cup dream dented?

While club president Olivier Létang would chime in with tongue firmly placed in cheek, “It’s not serious for the player’s health, making him climb more than 4000 metres in altitude, making him come back down, making him travel to Europe, and asking him to play. We’re putting the physical integrity of the players at risk.”

This didn’t stop Génésio from picking him in his starting lineup just four days later. And it was not surprising that the centre-back would go down injured during the 2-1 win over Toulouse. It was a decision from Lille that cost Alexsandro dearly, and he has not played since the 14th of September. 

With the World Cup happening in the summer, the hope is that Alexsandro has not lost out on his chance to represent his nation on the biggest stage.

GFFN | Nick Hartland