Aílton (footballer, born 1973)
Aílton Gonçalves da Silva (born 19 July 1973), also known as Kugelblitz ("Ball lightning", due to his rotund physique and fast running speed), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker. A journeyman, Aílton began his career in Brazil where he played for Ypiranga, Internacional, Mogi Mirim, Santa Cruz, and Guarani. Following a stint with Tigres UANL in Mexico, he moved to Germany joining SV Werder Bremen. He spent six seasons with Werder Bremen, winning the double of Bundesliga and cup in the 2003–04 season, before transferring to league rivals FC Schalke 04. In the latter stages of his career he played for Beşiktaş, Hamburger SV, Red Star Belgrade, Grasshoppers Zürich, MSV Duisburg, Metalurh Donetsk, SCR Altach, Campinense, and Chongqing Lifan. He ended his career in the lower leagues with KFC Uerdingen 05, FC Oberneuland, Rio Branco-SP, and Hassia Bingen.
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Aílton at practice with MSV Duisburg in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aílton Gonçalves da Silva | ||
| Date of birth | 19 July 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Mogeiro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1994 | Ypiranga | 12 | (2) |
| 1994–1995 | Internacional | 21 | (4) |
| 1994–1995 | → Mogi Mirim (loan) | 28 | (8) |
| 1995–1996 | Santa Cruz | 21 | (7) |
| 1996–1997 | Guarani | 43 | (20) |
| 1997–1998 | UANL | 23 | (5) |
| 1998–2004 | Werder Bremen | 169 | (88) |
| 2004–2005 | Schalke 04 | 29 | (14) |
| 2005–2006 | Beşiktaş | 14 | (5) |
| 2006 | → Hamburger SV (loan) | 13 | (3) |
| 2006–2007 | Red Star Belgrade | 13 | (4) |
| 2007 | → Grasshoppers (loan) | 13 | (8) |
| 2007–2008 | MSV Duisburg | 8 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Metalurh Donetsk | 2 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | → SCR Altach (loan) | 12 | (7) |
| 2009 | Campinense | 1 | (1) |
| 2009 | Chongqing Lifan | 5 | (0) |
| 2010 | KFC Uerdingen 05 | 13 | (4) |
| 2010–2011 | FC Oberneuland | 12 | (3) |
| 2011 | Rio Branco-SP | 4 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Hassia Bingen | 21 | (19) |
| Total | 476 | (205) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
After Stéphane Chapuisat and Giovane Élber, Aílton is the third of six foreign players to have scored more than 100 goals in the Bundesliga, along with Claudio Pizarro, Robert Lewandowski and Vedad Ibišević.