![]() Welington playing for São Paulo in 2022 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Welington Damascena Santos [1] | ||
Date of birth | 19 February 2001 | ||
Place of birth | São Paulo, Brazil | ||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) [2] | ||
Position | Left-back | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Southampton | ||
Number | 34 | ||
Youth career | |||
2014–2020 | São Paulo | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2020–2024 | São Paulo | 125 | (2) |
2025– | Southampton | 15 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2023– | Brazil U23 | 1 | (0) |
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:15, 21 October 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 24 September 2023 |
Welington Damascena Santos (born 19 February 2001), known as Welington, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for EFL Championship club Southampton.
Welington played 26 matches for São Paulo under-15s, 37 matches in the under-17s and 107 matches in the under-20s. He won several trophies such as the 2018 Copa do Brasil U20 and the 2019 Copinha. [3] In the latter, he was part of the squad who shaved his head in honour of a fan of the club who had brain cancer. [4]
He was named in the professional team for the first time in December 2019 for the last match of the Brazilian Championship against CSA. [5] São Paulo won 2–1, but Welington did not make his debut. [6]
Turning professional in 2020, he made his debut on 8 March 2020, in a 1–0 defeat to Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto in the Campeonato Paulista. [7] He came on in the second half in place of Everton and suffered a fall in a head collision, but he remained on the field until the end of the match and was later taken to hospital. [8]
On 14 April, he scored his first goal as a professional in a 3–2 victory over Guarani in the Campeonato Paulista. [9] He was part of the Paulista winning squad on 23 May which won 2–0 against Palmeiras but was an unused substitute. [10] On 3 June, Welington renewed his contract until 31 December 2024. [11]
On 27 March, he scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory over Corinthians in the semi-finals of the Campeonato Paulista, helping São Paulo reach their second consecutive final. [12] On 3 April, Welington was a starter in the final, but ended up being beaten 4–0 by Palmeiras. [13]
Previously wearing the number 34 shirt, he started using the number six shirt after Reinaldo's departure. [14] After an injury suffered against Botafogo-SP in the Campeonato Paulista, he was injured again more seriously on 13 March in a match against Água Santa, [15] where he underwent ligament surgery on his left ankle. [16] After four months, he returned to training on the field for the first time in June. [17] On 19 August, Welington played his hundredth match for the club in the goalless draw with Botafogo. [18] [19]
On 4 February, he was part of the winning squad for the Supercopa Rei final against Palmeiras which ended 4–2 on penalties, after a goalless draw in normal time. [20]
On 26 July 2024, Welington signed a pre-contract with Premier League side Southampton, and he formally joined on 1 January 2025 following the expiry of his contract with São Paulo in December 2024. [21] [22] On 1 February 2025, Welington made his debut for the club in a 2–1 away victory against Ipswich Town. [23]
During a 2–1 home defeat against Stoke City on 23 August 2025, Welington picked up an ankle injury, with manager Will Still later confirming he was expected to be sidelined for "a couple of months". [24] [25]
Club | Season | League | State league | Domestic cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
São Paulo | 2020 | Série A | 1 | 0 | 1 [a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
2021 | Série A | 16 | 0 | 6 [a] | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
2022 | Série A | 32 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 1 | |
2023 | Série A | 16 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
2024 | Série A | 22 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 [b] | 0 | 48 | 0 | |
Total | 87 | 0 | 38 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 164 | 2 | ||
Southampton | 2024–25 [27] | Premier League | 10 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
2025–26 [28] | Championship | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
Total | 15 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||||
Career total | 102 | 0 | 38 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 180 | 2 |