Alessandro Santos
三都主 アレサンドロ
FullnameAlessandro dos Santos
Birth date20 July 1977 (age 49)
Birth placeMaringá, Paraná, Brazil
Height1.78 m
PositionMidfielder
Youthyears 11994–1996
Youthclubs 1Meitoku Gijuku High School
Years 11997–2003
Clubs 1Shimizu S-Pulse
Caps 1198
Goals 156
Years 22004–2009
Clubs 2Urawa Reds
Caps 2100
Goals 211
Years 32007
Clubs 3→ Red Bull Salzburg (loan)
Caps 320
Goals 31
Years 42009–2012
Clubs 4Nagoya Grampus
Caps 455
Goals 40
Years 52013
Clubs 5Tochigi SC
Caps 525
Goals 52
Years 62014
Clubs 6FC Gifu
Caps 618
Goals 62
Years 72015
Clubs 7Maringá
Years 82015
Clubs 8Grêmio Maringá
Years 92016
Clubs 9PSTC
Totalcaps416+
Totalgoals72+
Nationalyears 12002–2006
Nationalteam 1Japan
Nationalcaps 182
Nationalgoals 17

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.

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. They would come in second place at J1 League for two consecutive seasons in (2004, 2005). The club won the 2006 J1 League title.

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 non-Japan-born person to play for Japan in the World Cup finals. Wagner Lopes was the first who played in the 1998 World Cup. Santos became the fifth naturalized Japanese citizen to play for Japan following 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. He played in all 6 matches of the 2004 Asian Cup; Japan won. In May 2006 he was selected in the Japan squad for the 2006 World Cup, providing an assist for Keiji Tamada in a group stage match against his former country Brazil. Until 1982, he played 82 games and scored 7 goals for Japan.[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]
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Shimizu S-Pulse1997J1 League2733021–324
199826105250–3612
199930111040–3511
20003045450–408
200130125121–3714
20022993022223613
2003267404031378
Total198562672445325370
Urawa Reds2004J1 League2722110–303
20053245050–424
20063451000–355
Total931181600010712
Red Bull Salzburg2006–07Austrian Bundesliga90–––90
2007/08111––10121
Total201––10211
Urawa Reds2008J1 League100000–10
2009600040–100
Total70004000110
Nagoya Grampus2009J1 League140610040241
20102503110–291
2011110401030190
20125020001080
Total5501522080802
Tochigi SC2013J2 League25220––272
FC Gifu2014J2 League18200––182
Career total41672511036414351789

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[5][8]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Japan200291
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.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
12 May 2002Kobe, JapanHonduras3–3Friendly
27 December 2003Saitama, JapanHong Kong1–0East Asian Football Championship 2003
312 February 2004Tokyo, JapanIraq2–0Friendly
430 May 2004Manchester, EnglandIceland3–2Friendly
529 January 2005Yokohama, JapanKazakhstan4–0Friendly
69 August 2006Tokyo, JapanTrinidad 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