ALEX RODRIGO DIAS DA COSTA

'Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa', better known as 'Alex', (born June 17, 1982 in Niterói) is a Brazilian professional football player. Alex plays as a centre back currently for Chelsea and the Brazil national football team.
Having been bought by the English Premier League club Chelsea in 2004, Alex finally joined the Chelsea squad in the summer of 2007 after three years at loan to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. ^[1] Alex is famously known among PSV fans for his great strength and his imposing appearance which earned him the nickname "The Tank". ^[2]

Contents

Club Career

Santos

PSV

Chelsea

International Career

Career stats

References

External links

Club Career

Santos

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 PSV and Chelsea scout Piet de Visser, but because of potential problems in attaining a work permit, he was loaned out to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.^[3]

PSV

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, donning the number 4 jersey for the Dutch club.
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. In the UEFA Champions League 2004-05, Alex played a key role in the PSV team that was eliminated in the semi-finals against AC Milan on away goals (PSV won their home game 3-1 but had previously lost 0-2 in San Siro). The team eliminated AS Monaco FC and Olympique Lyonnais on their way to the semis.
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 AFC Ajax and AZ Alkmaar.
Alex scored in a UEFA Champions League first knockout round against Arsenal for both teams in the second half, turning in an own goal past his own goalkeeper 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 .^[4] However, he was later injured and played no part of PSV's UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool, which PSV lost 4-0 on aggregate.

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 were very high.^[5] 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.
Alex was granted a work permit on 2 August 2007, and completed his transfer to Chelsea FC after agreeing personal terms and passing a medical, signing a three year deal, and adding to Mourinho's options at centre-back, along with team captain John Terry, Portuguese international Ricardo Carvalho, Israeli international Tal Ben Haim, and youngsters Sam Hutchinson and Harry Worley.
On 14th August 2007 Alex was presented to the English media, in a press conference with manager Jose Mourinho, and was given shirt number 33. He made his debut on 19 August 2007 when he came on as a substitute for Florent Malouda against Liverpool F.C. in the 85th minute, with the teams tied at 1-1.^[6]

International Career

Alex made his debut for Brazil on 17th August 2003 against Mexico.^[7] He was a member of the Brazil squad that won the Copa América 2007.

Career stats

Season	Club	Country	Competition	Matches	Goals
2002	Santos FC		Campeonato Brasileiro	24	3
2003	Santos FC		Campeonato Brasileiro	34	9
2004	Santos FC		Campeonato Brasileiro	4	0
2004-05	PSV		Eredivisie	27	3
2005-06	PSV		Eredivisie	28	2
2006-07	PSV		Eredivisie	19	4
2007-08	Chelsea F.C.		Premier League	1	0
'Total'				'137'	'21'

References

1. Chelsea target Alex earns permit
2. Tank about to be parked on Chelsea’s lawn
3. Piet De Visser - Internationaal Voetbalscout
4. Arsenal 1-1 PSV (agg 1-2)
5. Alex set on Chelsea move
6. Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
7. Futebol - The Foreign Legion

External links

★

★ Chelsea profile

★ Alex at PSV Eindhoven photos by Tvw

★ Fanpage of Alex