Wesley

Club Brugge Wesley moved to Club Brugge on 29 January 2016. He scored his first goal in his debut match against KVC Westerlo. Brugges worked to tone down his aggression during games which led to a number of yellow cards and a sending off in his first season, he wore tape on his hands in a match against Royal Antwerp as a reminder to not react. Following a week-long training camp with the rest of the squad, Wesley made his debut for Villa in a friendly match against Minnesota United on 17 July 2019. Wesley scored his first Villa goal in his third appearance, opening the scoring in the 2–0 win over Everton on 23 August, with a first time strike beating Jordan Pickford.

On 1 January 2020, Wesley suffered a severe cruciate knee ligament injury after a tackle from Burnley's Ben Mee. Wesley had scored earlier in the game, a 2–1 win. His injury was initially predicted to take around nine months to recover from. However, the injury was more severe than first thought, and Wesley's time on the sidelines was much longer. He made his return to football on 26 March 2021, over a year later, playing for 45 minutes in a training ground friendly against West Bromwich Albion.

Wesley made his return to competitive football on 25 April 2021, 480 days since his last game, as a late substitute in a 2–2 Premier League draw against West Bromwich Albion.

Loans On 28 August 2021, Wesley rejoined Club Brugge on a season-long loan. He made his second debut for Brugge on 18 September 2021, in a 1–0 victory over Charleroi.

On 7 January 2022, Wesley was recalled from his Club Brugge loan, and joined Brazilian club Internacional on a 12-month loan. On 29 January 2022, Wesley made his debut for Internacional – scoring a penalty in a 2–0 victory over Frederiquense in the Campeonato Gaúcho.

On 22 July 2022, Wesley was recalled from his Brazilian loan and moved on loan to Segunda División club Levante. He made his debut on 12 August 2022, in a 0–0 draw with Huesca. Wesley scored his first goal for the club on 3 January 2023, an injury time winner in a 3–2 Copa del Rey victory over Getafe.

Stoke City On 28 July 2023, Wesley signed a one-year contract with Stoke City. After failing to score a single goal in 23 appearances for Stoke, Wesley was released at the end of his contract.

Fatih Karagümrük On 10 August 2024, Wesley signed for TFF First League club Fatih Karagümrük on a free transfer. The following day, Wesley made his debut as a substitute in a 0–0 draw against Amed. On 18 August 2024, in his first start for Karagümrük, Wesley scored a brace in a 2–2 draw against Çorum.

Shenzhen Peng City On 2 July 2025, Wesley joined Chinese Super League club Shenzhen Peng City

International career Wesley made his international debut for Brazil on 15 November 2019, coming off the bench in a 1–0 loss to Argentina.

Style of play Wesley was born with one leg almost three centimetres shorter than the other, which has led to comparisons in his movement to legendary compatriot Garrincha.

Personal life Wesley grew up in the city of Juiz de Fora, around 200 kilometres from Rio de Janeiro. His father was a footballer who played as a midfielder but only made a small amount of money from playing; Wesley credited his father as having taught him the game of football. His father became partially disabled later in his life and died following a brain tumour when Wesley was nine years of age. As a sixteen-year-old he worked in a factory sorting screws to support his family between football trials before his move to AS Trencin.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours AS Trenčín Slovak League: 2015–16 Slovak Cup: 2015–16

Club Brugge Belgian First Division A: 2015–16, 2017–18 Belgian Super Cup: 2016, 2018

Individual Belgian Young Professional Footballer of the Year: 2017–18