Alessandro Santos

Alessandro Santos (三都主 アレサンドロ, Santosu Aresandoro, formerly Alessandro dos Santos; born 20 July 1977), often known as Alex, is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Brazil, he became a Japanese citizen and made 82 appearances for the Japan national team.

For the former Fenerbahçe midfielder, see Alex (footballer, born 1977). For the former A.C. Milan and Chelsea defender, see Alex (footballer, born June 1982).

Alessandro Santos
三都主 アレサンドロ
2019
Personal information
Full name Alessandro dos Santos
Date of birth (1977-07-20) 20 July 1977
Place of birth Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1994–1996 Meitoku Gijuku High School
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2003 Shimizu S-Pulse 198 (56)
2004–2009 Urawa Reds 100 (11)
2007 → Red Bull Salzburg (loan) 20 (1)
2009–2012 Nagoya Grampus 55 (0)
2013 Tochigi SC 25 (2)
2014 FC Gifu 18 (2)
2015 Maringá
2015 Grêmio Maringá
2016 PSTC
Total 416 (72)
International career
2002–2006 Japan 82 (7)
Medal record
Shimizu S-Pulse
Runner-upJ1 League1999
WinnerEmperor's Cup2001
Runner-upEmperor's Cup1998
Runner-upEmperor's Cup2000
Urawa Reds
WinnerJ1 League2006
Runner-upJ1 League2004
Runner-upJ1 League2005
Runner-upJ.League Cup2004
WinnerEmperor's Cup2005
WinnerEmperor's Cup2006
Nagoya Grampus
WinnerJ1 League2010
Runner-upJ1 League2011
Runner-upEmperor's Cup2009
Representing  Japan
AFC Asian Cup
Gold medal – first place2004 China
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Santos was born in Maringá in Paraná and moved to Japan in 1994 at the age of sixteen. He enrolled in Meitoku Gijuku High School in Kōchi and played football for the school club. After graduating from the school, he joined the J1 League team Shimizu S-Pulse in 1997. In 1999, the club won the second place and he received the J.League Player of the Year.[1] In Asia, the club won the champions 1999–2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup and third place 2000–01 Asian Cup Winners' Cup.

In August 2002, Santos agreed to join English Premier League club Charlton Athletic. But he was denied a work permit by the Home Office because he had not made the minimum number of national team appearances required for players from outside the European Union and returned to Shimizu for the remainder of the season.[2] In January 2004, he left Shimizu to join the Urawa Reds. After won the second place at J1 League for two years in a row (2004, 2005), the club won the champions in 2006 J1 League.

In January 2007, Santos was loaned out to Red Bull Salzburg.[3] He went back to Urawa in January 2008. He received a serious injury in a test match and had only one appearance in this season. In July 2009, he agreed to move to Nagoya Grampus.[4] He made 55 appearances for the club, before joining J2 League side Tochigi SC for the 2013 season. He made 25 appearances there, scoring twice. In January 2014, he joined fellow J2 League team FC Gifu.

International career

In 2001, Santos obtained Japanese citizenship. He made his first appearance for Japan national team on 21 March 2002, against Ukraine,[5] and he was part of Philippe Troussier's selection for the 2002 World Cup. He was the second foreign-born person to play for Japan in the World Cup finals after Wagner Lopes, who played in the 1998 World Cup and also the fifth naturalized citizen to play for Japan after Daishiro Yoshimura, George Yonashiro, Ruy Ramos, and Lopes.

After Zico took over as the national team manager, Santos was used on the left side of the Japanese lineup, as a full-back in a 4-4-2 formation or a midfielder in a 3-5-2 formation. At the 2004 Asian Cup, he played in all 6 matches and Japan won. He was selected in Japan's 2006 World Cup squad in May 2006, providing an assist for Keiji Tamada in a group stage match against his former country Brazil. He played 82 games and scored 7 goals for Japan until 2006.[5]

Others

In 2020, Alex founded the Aruko Sports Brasil, a team that currently competes in the Campeonato Paranaense.

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[6][7]
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Shimizu S-Pulse 1997 J1 League 2733021–324
1998 26105250–3612
1999 30111040–3511
2000 3045450–408
2001 30125121–3714
2002 2993022223613
2003 267404031378
Total 198562672445325370
Urawa Reds 2004 J1 League 2722110–303
2005 3245050–424
2006 3451000–355
Total 931181600010712
Red Bull Salzburg 2006–07 Austrian Bundesliga 90–––90
2007/08 111––10121
Total 201––10211
Urawa Reds 2008 J1 League 100000–10
2009 600040–100
Total 70004000110
Nagoya Grampus 2009 J1 League 140610040241
2010 2503110–291
2011 110401030190
2012 5020001080
Total 5501522080802
Tochigi SC 2013 J2 League 25220––272
FC Gifu 2014 J2 League 18200––182
Career total 41672511036414351789

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[5][8]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Japan 200291
2003151
2004222
2005171
2006192
Total827
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Santos goal.
List of international goals scored by Alessandro Santos
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
12 May 2002Kobe, Japan Honduras3–3Friendly
27 December 2003Saitama, Japan Hong Kong1–0East Asian Football Championship 2003
312 February 2004Tokyo, Japan Iraq2–0Friendly
430 May 2004Manchester, England Iceland3–2Friendly
529 January 2005Yokohama, Japan Kazakhstan4–0Friendly
69 August 2006Tokyo, Japan Trinidad and Tobago2–0Friendly
7

Honours

Shimizu S-Pulse

Urawa Red Diamonds

Red Bull Salzburg

Nagoya Grampus

Japan

Individual

References
  1. "Alex: Dreadlocks in deadlock at S-Pulse". The Japan Times. 30 November 2000. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  2. Charlton miss out on Alex, BBC, 28 August 2002
  3. Japan's Alex to join Miyamoto at Salzburg Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 21 December 2006
  4. 名古屋が三都主獲り、大型補強第３弾, Nikkan sport, 26 July 2009
  5. "Japan National Football Team Database". Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  6. Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 2014 (NSK MOOK)", 14 February 2014, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411109 (p. 239 out of 290)
  7. Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "J1&J2選手名鑑 2013 (NSK MOOK)", 14 February 2013, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411161 (p. 209 out of 266)
  8. RSSSF
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