Alex (footballer, born June 1982)
Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa (Brazilian Portuguese: [aˈlɛks ʁoˈdɾiɡu ˈdʒiaz dɐ ˈkɔstɐ]; born 17 June 1982), known as Alex, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He was known for his physical strength and the power of his shot, which has gained him the nicknames of "The Tank" and Canhão da Vila ("Cannon of Vila Belmiro").
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Alex lining up for Chelsea in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa | ||
| Date of birth | 17 June 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Niterói, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2001 | Juventus (SP) | ||
| 2002 | Santos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2004 | Santos | 78 | (14) |
| 2004–2012 | Chelsea | 86 | (7) |
| 2004–2007 | → PSV (loan) | 84 | (11) |
| 2012–2014 | Paris Saint-Germain | 70 | (6) |
| 2014–2016 | AC Milan | 46 | (4) |
| Total | 361 | (42) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Brazil U23 | 13 | (2) |
| 2002–2011 | Brazil | 17 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Having been bought by the Premier League club Chelsea in 2004, Alex was loaned to Dutch team PSV and he won 3 Eredivisie titles with them. Alex finally joined the Chelsea squad in the summer of 2007 after three years in the Netherlands. In his time at Chelsea, he won the FA Cup in 2009 and a league and FA Cup "double" in 2010, as well as reaching the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final. He joined Paris Saint-Germain for £4.2 million in January 2012 and won Ligue 1 twice with the club, moving to A.C. Milan on the expiration of his contract in 2014 and retiring two years later.
Alex earned 17 caps for Brazil between 2003 and 2008, winning the 2007 Copa América and finishing as runner-up at the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup.