Alex Sandro
Alex Sandro Lobo Silva, or simply Alex Sandro, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club Juventus and the Brazil national team.
At club level, Alex Sandro began his career with Atletico Paranaense, and later also played for Santos on loan. In 2011, he joined Porto for €9.6 million, alongside teammate and countryman Danilo, who plays as a right back. He joined Juventus in 2015, winning the domestic double in his first three seasons, followed by two more consecutive league titles over the following two years.
At international level, Alex Sandro also plays for the Brazil national football team, for which he has gained over 10 caps so far. At youth level, he also represented the Brazil national under-20 football team, winning both the South American Youth Championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2011, as well as the Brazil national under-23 football team, with which he won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was later also part of the Brazil squad that won the 2019 Copa América.
Club career
Atletico Paranaense
After winning an impressive amount of honours with the Atletico Paranaense youth setup and a very good performance in the Copa Parana with the U23 side, Alex Sandro earned his first call up to the senior side in October 2008. He played one game in the Brasileiro, taking on Internacional on 18 October.In 2009, Alex Sandro played a role in Atletico's championship run in the Campeonato Paranaense, playing in eight matches. He scored his first goal on 25 January against Rio Branco, passing the ball to himself around the keeper. As of October 2009, he has played in nine Brasileiro matches, playing a total of 269 minutes.
Santos
Alex Sandro was signed by Santos in 2010 on a two-year loan deal. Atletico Paranaense sold him to the investors, using Uruguayan club Deportivo Maldonado as a proxy to hold the registration rights. According to Atletico Paranaense's 2010 financial report, the club received R$1,114,000 from Deportivo Maldonado for transactions)of unnamed players.Porto
On 23 July 2011, Portuguese Primeira Liga club Porto signed Alex Sandro for €9.6 million from the proxy club Deportivo Maldonado. He signed a five-year contract with a release clause of €50 million.Juventus
2015–16
On 20 August 2015, Alex Sandro joined Italian Serie A champions Juventus for €26 million on a five-year contract. He made his club debut on 12 September 2015 in a 1–1 home draw against Chievo in Serie A. Defending champions Juventus endured a difficult start to the season, and were in the bottom half of the table by late October. The club mounted a comeback that started with a last-gasp Turin derby win on 31 October, with the Brazilian left-back playing a key role in that upturn.On 21 November 2015, Sandro assisted Paulo Dybala with a cross, helping Juventus beat rival side Milan 1–0 in Serie A. Four days later, on 25 November, he assisted another winning goal, for Mario Mandžukić, in a 1–0 home win over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League to secure the club a spot in the round of 16 of the competition. On 17 January 2016, Alex Sandro scored his first Juventus goal – and his first in Serie A – from the top of the 18-yard box in the 42nd minute of a 4–0 away win over Udinese.
On 17 February, it was confirmed Alex Sandro would be sidelined for ten days after he picked up an injury to his rectus femoris muscle in his left thigh during training at the Juventus Center the day before, forcing him to miss out on the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League on 23 February against Bayern Munich. He returned for the second leg in Munich, where he could not prevent his team's elimination despite putting on a strong individual performance.
The Brazilian completed his first season in Turin winning a Serie A–Coppa Italia double. He came on as a substitute for Patrice Evra in the Coppa Italia final against Milan at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, which was decided by an Álvaro Morata lone goal in extra time.
2016–17
Despite scoring an own goal in a 3–1 away defeat to Genoa, Alex Sandro carried his form of the previous season into the new one. A series of impressive performances saw him displace incumbent Patrice Evra from the starting left back role. The Frenchman eventually moved to Marseille in January 2017.Alex Sandro completed the season with 43 appearances across competitions, 11 more than the previous year. That made him one of the most frequently used players by coach Massimiliano Allegri. From a statistical standpoint, the Brazilian also further improved his goalscoring output, netting three times in the league as Juventus completed a third successive league and cup double.
The one trophy that evaded Alex Sandro was the UEFA Champions League, which saw his side lose 4–1 in the final to holders Real Madrid at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Alex Sandro played a key role in Mario Mandžukić's temporary equaliser in the first half, supplying the cross that was chested down to the Croatian by Gonzalo Higuaín. In the second half, however, Alex Sandro's and his teammates' performances were less convincing, and one of Alex Sandro's mistakes led to a goal from his former Brazil Under-20 and Porto colleague Casemiro.
Prior to the final he had played a vital role in the Bianconeri
2017–18
In his third season with Juventus, Alex Sandro made 39 appearances for Juventus in all competitions, scoring four goals, all of which came in Serie A, from 26 league appearances; he finished the 2017–18 season by winning a third consecutive domestic double with the club.2018–19
On 23 October 2018, Alex Sandro made his 50th UEFA Champions League appearance in a 1–0 away win over Manchester United. He made his 100th Serie A appearance with Juventus on 30 March 2019, in a 1–0 home win over Empoli. In Juventus's following league match on 2 April, a 2–0 away win over Cagliari, he made his 150th appearance for the club. On 20 April, he scored the temporary equaliser as Juventus came from behind to defeat rivals Fiorentina 2–1 at home and win the Serie A title.2019–20
On 24 August 2019, on the opening matchday of the 2019–20 Serie A season, Alex Sandro assisted Giorgio Chiellini's goal in a 1–0 away win against Parma. On 18 December, he provided two assists, one for Paulo Dybala and another for Cristiano Ronaldo, in a 2–1 away win against Sampdoria.International career
Youth
Alex Sandro is a part of the golden Atlético Paranaense youth setup, which has produced a great amount of defenders in very little time, with Raul, Manoel, Ronaldo Alves, Carlão and Bruno Costa all making themselves known in 2009. After being a part of the Brazil under-18 setup, Alex Sandro was called up to the under-20 side in August 2009, alongside teammates Raul, Renan Foguinho and Gabriel Pimba. He made his debut in a friendly match at 18 years of age.He was a member of the teams that won the 2011 South American Youth Championship in Peru, as well as the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia, also featuring in the final of the tournament against Portugal, which Brazil won 3–2 in extra-time.
He also represented the Brazil under-23 side, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he made 3 appearances, including one in the final against Mexico, in which Brazil was defeated 2–1.
Senior
Alex Sandro made his senior international debut on 10 November 2011 in a 2–0 away win over Gabon. He scored his first international goal on 12 October 2018, in a 2–0 friendly away win over Saudi Arabia.In May 2019, Sandro was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa América on home soil by manager Tite. In Brazil's final group match on 22 June, a 5–0 win against Peru, Sandro made a substitute appearance, coming on for Filipe Luís. In the quarter-final match against Paraguay on 27 June, he once again made a substitute appearance, replacing the injured Filipe Luís at half-time; following a 0–0 draw, Brazil advanced to the semi-finals 4–3 on penalties. Sandro started in the 2019 Copa América Final against Peru on 7 July, at the Maracanã Stadium; the match ended in a 3–1 victory to Brazil.
Style of play
Regarded as one of the best left-backs in the world, Alex Sandro is a quick, energetic and offensive minded defender, who is also a strong tackler and a good reader of the game, courtesy of his speed and anticipation. He is capable of playing anywhere along the left flank; although mainly a full-back, he has also been used as a wing-back and as a wide midfielder. He has also occasionally been deployed in a more advanced position, as an outside forward or offensive winger. He has been described as a player who is a "powerful runner, can beat opponents one-on-one and is an excellent crosser of the ball". His playing position, athleticism, and playing style have drawn comparisons with compatriot and 2002 FIFA World Cup-winner Roberto Carlos.Career statistics
Club
International
International goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 12 October 2018 | King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 12 | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Santos- Copa do Brasil: 2010
- Copa Libertadores: 2011
Juventus
- Serie A: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
- Coppa Italia: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18; Runner-up 2019–20
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2018
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2016–17
- South American U-20 Championship: 2011
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2011
- Summer Olympic Games runner-up: 2012
- Copa América: 2019
- O Jogo Team of the Year: 2012, 2013
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2016–17, 2017–18
- FIFA FIFPro World11 nominee: 2019