Alex Sandro

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. 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 AC 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. 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 '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.

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. 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 equalizer 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 match day 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.

2023–24 On 25 May 2024, Alex Sandro scored the last goal of the season for Juventus from a header in his final game for the club, helping his side to a 2–0 Serie A victory against Monza, which saw the team finish in third place in the league, qualifying for the Champions League the following season. During the match, he made his 327th appearance for Juventus, equalling Pavel Nedvěd's record of the most appearances for the club by a non–Italian player.

Flamengo On 26 August 2024, Alex Sandro joined Brazilian club Flamengo. He signed a contract until 31 December 2026. Alex Sandro debuted in a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A match between Flamengo and Vasco da Gama, held on 15 September 2024, that ended in a 1–1 draw. He scored his first goal with the Flamengo shirt in the 1–0 victory over Corinthians on 2 October 2024, at Maracanã, in the first leg of the semi-final of the Copa do Brasil. 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.

Alex Sandro was also a member of the Brazil team that won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London; he started in the 2–1 defeat to Mexico in the final of the tournament.

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.

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. He remained on the bench in Brazil's 1–0 defeat to Argentina in the final.

On 7 November 2022, Alex Sandro was named in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On 18 May 2026, Alex Sandro was selected for Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Style of play

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, and even as a left-sided centre-back in a three–man back-line. 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

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Alex Sandro goal. Supercoppa Italiana: 2018 UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2016–17

Flamengo FIFA Challenger Cup: 2025 FIFA Derby of the Americas: 2025 Copa Libertadores: 2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2025 Copa do Brasil: 2024 Supercopa do Brasil: 2025 Campeonato Carioca: 2025, 2026

Brazil U20

Brazil Copa América: 2019

Individual O Jogo Team of the Year: 2012, 2013 Serie A Team of the Year: 2016–17, 2017–18 FIFA FIFPro World11 nominee 2019 (20th defender)