Alex Sandro

For other people with similar names, see Alexsandro.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Loboand the second or paternal family name is Silva.

Alex Sandro

Alex Sandro playing for Juventus in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Alex Sandro Lobo da Silva [1]
Date of birth	(1991-01-26) 26 January 1991 (age 33) [1]
Place of birth	Catanduva, São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Position(s)	Left-back, left wing-back
Team information
Current team	Juventus
Number	12
Youth career
2006–2008	Atletico Parananense
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–2010	Atletico Paranaense	17	(0)
2010–2011	Deportivo Maldonado	0	(0)
2010–2011	→ Santos (loan)	30	(1)
2011–2015	Porto	87	(3)
2015–	Juventus	229	(13)
International career‡
2011	Brazil U20	11	(0)
2012	Brazil U23	3	(0)
2011–	Brazil	40	(2)
Medal record Representing  Brazil Men's Football Copa América Winner 2019 Brazil Runner-up 2021 Brazil FIFA U-20 World Cup Winner 2011 Colombia South American U-20 Championship Winner 2011 Peru
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 April 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 December 2022

Alex Sandro Lobo da Silva (born 26 January 1991) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Serie A 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 former teammate and countryman Danilo, who played as a right back. Joining 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 represents Brazil, for which he has gained 40 caps. At youth level, he also represented the Brazil under-20 team, winning both the South American Youth Championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2011, 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. ^[2] Atletico Paranaense sold him to the investors, using Uruguayan club Deportivo Maldonado as a proxy to hold the registration rights. ^[3] According to Atletico Paranaense's 2010 financial report, the club received R$1,114,000 from Deportivo Maldonado for transactions of unnamed players. ^[4]

Porto

Alex Sandro with Porto in 2014

On 23 July 2011, Portuguese Primeira Liga club Porto signed Alex Sandro for €9.6 million from the proxy club Deportivo Maldonado. ^{[5] [6]} He signed a five-year contract with a release clause of €50 million. ^[6]

Juventus

2015–16

On 20 August 2015, Alex Sandro joined Italian Serie A champions Juventus for €26 million on a five-year contract. ^[7] He made his club debut on 12 September 2015 in a 1–1 home draw against Chievo in Serie A. ^[8] 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. ^[9]

On 21 November 2015, Sandro assisted Paulo Dybala with a cross, helping Juventus beat rival side AC Milan 1–0 in Serie A. ^[10] 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. ^[11] 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. ^[12]

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. ^[13] He returned for the second leg in Munich, where he could not prevent his team's elimination despite putting on a strong individual performance. ^[14]

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. ^[15]

2016–17

Despite scoring an own goal in a 3–1 away defeat to Genoa, ^[16] Alex Sandro carried his form of the previous season into the new one. ^[17] A series of impressive performances saw him displace incumbent Patrice Evra from the starting left back role. ^{[17] [18]} The Frenchman eventually moved to Marseille in January 2017. ^{[17] [19]}

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. ^[20]

Prior to the final he had played a vital role in the Bianconeri's run, especially in the quarter-finals against Barcelona, where excellent defensive performances helped to neutralise the attacking threat of Lionel Messi, and enabled Juventus to keep clean sheets across both legs of the tie. ^[21]

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 (excluding qualifying rounds) in a 1–0 away win over Manchester United. ^{[22] [23]} He made his 100th Serie A appearance with Juventus on 30 March 2019, in a 1–0 home win over Empoli. ^[24] In Juventus's following league match on 2 April, a 2–0 away win over Cagliari, he made his 150th appearance for the club. ^[25] On 20 April, he scored the temporary equalizer as Juventus came from behind to defeat rivals Fiorentina 2–1 at home and win the Serie A title. ^[26]

2019–20

Alex Sandro playing for Juventus in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League

On 24 August 2019, on the opening match day of the 2019–20 Serie A season, Alex Sandro assisted Giorgio Chiellini's goal in a 1–0 away win against Parma. ^[27] On 18 December, he provided two assists, one for Paulo Dybala and another for Cristiano Ronaldo, in a 2–1 away win against Sampdoria. ^[28]

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, ^[29] 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. ^[30]

Senior

Alex Sandro made his senior international debut on 10 November 2011 in a 2–0 away win over Gabon. ^[31] He scored his first international goal on 12 October 2018, in a 2–0 friendly away win over Saudi Arabia. ^[32]

In May 2019, Sandro was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa América on home soil by manager Tite. ^[33] 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. ^[34] 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. ^[35] 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. ^[36]

On 17 June 2021, he scored the opening goal in a 4–0 win over Peru in Brazil's second group match of the 2021 Copa América, which took place on home soil. ^[37]

On 7 November 2022, Alex Sandro was named in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. ^[38]

Style of play

Alex Sandro playing for Porto in 2013

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. ^{[39] [40]} He is capable of playing anywhere along the left flank; although mainly a full-back, he has also been used as a wing-back ^[41] and as a wide midfielder. ^[42] He has also occasionally been deployed in a more advanced position, as an outside forward or offensive winger, ^[43] and even as a left-sided centre-back in a three–man back-line. ^[44] 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". ^[45] His playing position, athleticism, and playing style have drawn comparisons with compatriot and 2002 FIFA World Cup-winner Roberto Carlos. ^{[17] [46]}

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 23 April 2024 ^[47]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Atlético Paranaense	2008	Série A	1	0	0	0	—		0	0	1	0
	2009	Série A	16	0	0	0	—		8 [lower-alpha 1]	1	24	1
	Total		17	0	0	0	0	0	8	1	25	1
Santos (loan)	2010	Série A	24	1	4	1	—		1 [lower-alpha 2]	1	29	3
	2011	Série A	6	0	—		11 [lower-alpha 3]	0	7 [lower-alpha 2]	0	24	0
	Total		30	1	4	1	11	0	8	1	53	3
Porto	2011–12	Primeira Liga	7	1	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	3 [lower-alpha 5]	0	12	1
	2012–13	Primeira Liga	25	1	0	0	6 [lower-alpha 6]	0	5 [lower-alpha 5]	0	36	1
	2013–14	Primeira Liga	26	0	6	0	11 [lower-alpha 7]	0	5 [lower-alpha 8]	0	48	0
	2014–15	Primeira Liga	28	1	0	0	11 [lower-alpha 6]	0	1 [lower-alpha 5]	0	40	1
	2015–16	Primeira Liga	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
	Total		87	3	7	0	29	0	14	0	137	3
Juventus	2015–16	Serie A	22	2	5	0	5 [lower-alpha 6]	0	—		32	2
	2016–17	Serie A	27	3	4	0	11 [lower-alpha 6]	0	1 [lower-alpha 9]	0	43	3
	2017–18	Serie A	26	4	2	0	10 [lower-alpha 6]	0	1 [lower-alpha 9]	0	39	4
	2018–19	Serie A	31	1	2	0	9 [lower-alpha 6]	0	1 [lower-alpha 9]	0	43	1
	2019–20	Serie A	29	1	5	0	6 [lower-alpha 6]	0	1 [lower-alpha 9]	0	41	1
	2020–21	Serie A	26	2	3	0	5 [lower-alpha 6]	0	0	0	34	2
	2021–22	Serie A	28	0	4	1	7 [lower-alpha 6]	1	1 [lower-alpha 9]	0	40	2
	2022–23	Serie A	25	0	3	0	9 [lower-alpha 10]	0	—		37	0
	2023–24	Serie A	15	0	2	0	—		—		17	0
	Total		229	13	30	1	62	1	5	0	326	15
Career total			363	17	41	2	102	1	35	2	541	22

1. All appearances in Campeonato Paranaense
2. All appearances in Campeonato Paulista
3. All appearances in Copa Libertadores
4. All appearances in UEFA Europa League
5. All appearances in Taça da Liga
6. All appearances in UEFA Champions League
7. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League
8. One appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, four appearances in Taça da Liga
9. Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
10. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 9 December 2022 ^[48]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Brazil	2011	2	0
	2012	4	0
	2017	4	0
	2018	3	1
	2019	10	0
	2021	12	1
	2022	5	0
Total		40	2

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Alex Sandro goal. ^[48]

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	12 October 2018	King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	12	Saudi Arabia	2–0	2–0	Friendly
2.	17 June 2021	Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	27	Peru	1–0	4–0	2021 Copa América

Honours

Santos ^[47]

• Copa do Brasil: 2010
• Copa Libertadores: 2011
• Campeonato Paulista: 2010, 2011

Porto ^[47]

• Primeira Liga: 2011–12, 2012–13
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2013

Juventus ^[47]

• Serie A: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
• Coppa Italia: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21; runner-up: 2019–20, 2021–22
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2018
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2016–17

Brazil U20 ^[47]

• FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2011
• South American U-20 Championship: 2011

Brazil

• Copa América: 2019 ^[49]
• Superclásico de las Américas: 2018

Individual

• O Jogo Team of the Year: 2012, ^[50] 2013 ^[51]
• Serie A Team of the Year: 2016–17, ^[52] 2017–18 ^[53]
• FIFA FIFPro World11 nominee 2019 (20th defender) ^[54]

References

1. "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™: List of Players: Brazil" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
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External links

• Alex Sandro at the Juventus F.C. website
• Alex Sandro at Lega Serie A
• Alex Sandro at ForaDeJogo (archived)
• Alex Sandro at Olympics.com
• Alex Sandro at Olympedia
• Alex Sandro at the Brazilian Olympic Committee (in Portuguese)