Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa (born June 17, 1982 in Niterói, Brazil) is a Brazilian professional football player. Alex plays as a centre back currently for Chelsea and the Brazil national football team.
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chelsea | ||
| Number | TBD | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals as of 25 November 2006 | |||
Having been bought by Chelsea in 2004, Alex will finally join the Chelsea squad after three years at loan to PSV Eindhoven in Holland. Alex is famously known among PSV fans for his great strength and his imposing appearance which earned his the nickname "The Tank".
Career
Alex began his career with Santos of Brazil, making his first team debut in 2002. He was signed by English club Chelsea F.C. in 2004 on the recommendation of famed scout Piet de Visser, but because of potential problems in attaining a work permit, he was loaned out to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. The joint contract of Chelsea and PSV loaned Alex to PSV for two years, with Chelsea having a €1 buy-out clause. Alex eventually played three years at PSV.
He formally joined PSV Eindhoven in the 2004-05 season, helping the club win a domestic double of both the Dutch Eredivisie championship and Dutch Cup that year. Alex won a second straight Dutch league championship in the 2005-06 season with PSV. Chelsea did not recall Alex in the summer of 2006, but instead signed Holland defender Khalid Boulahrouz, and Alex stayed a third season at PSV on loan in 2006-07. He won a third straight Eredivisie title with PSV, after a dramatic final-day finish to the season in which PSV sensationally trumped both Ajax Amsterdam and AZ Alkmaar.
The highlight of the Brazilian centreback's career came on March 7, 2007 in a UEFA Champions League first knockout round encounter with Arsenal. After a cautious first half, Alex scored for both teams in the second half, turning in an own goal past his own goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, but compensating for it with a storming headed goal with eight minutes left to play to redeem himself and in the process ensure PSV a place in the quarter finals .[1] However, he was later injured and played no part of PSV's UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against Liverpool, which PSV lost 4-0 on aggregate.
Alex has not been able to play for Chelsea due to his lack of caps for the Brazilian national football team. Work permit rules in England requires that a non-EU player must have played in 75% of his country's international games in the last two years. Until this issue is resolved, Alex's stay in the Netherlands seems likely. PSV Eindhoven have continually signalled their interest to sign the defender from Chelsea.
In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Alex confirmed that Chelsea were in the process of getting him a work permit and that the possibilites of him joining Chelsea next season are very high.[2] Alex later confirmed that Chelsea had almost completed the process of acquiring him a work permit and that he would start next season as a Chelsea player. He has also declared that he would gain the confidence of his new manager at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, though he accepted that he would realistically have to play second fiddle to the established defensive partnership of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.[3][4]
Career stats
| Season | Club | Country | Competition | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Santos FC |  Brazil |
Campeonato Brasileiro | 24 | 3 |
| 2003 | Santos FC | Brazil |
Campeonato Brasileiro | 34 | 9 |
| 2004 | Santos FC | Brazil |
Campeonato Brasileiro | 4 | 0 |
| 2004-05 | PSV |  Netherlands |
Eredivisie | 27 | 3 |
| 2005-06 | PSV | Netherlands |
Eredivisie | 28 | 2 |
| 2006-07 | PSV | Netherlands |
Eredivisie | 19 | 4 |
| 2007-08 | Chelsea F.C. |  England |
Premier League | 0 | |
| Total | 136 | 21 | |||
References
- ^ "Arsenal 1-1 PSV (agg 1-2)". BBC Football. Retrieved March 9.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Alex set on Chelsea move". Sky Sports. Retrieved June 5.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Alex: "I'll win Jose over"". Sky Sports. Retrieved May 30.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Alex to show his worth". Sky Sports. Retrieved May 31.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help)
External links
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