Lille defender Alexsandro started out at Flamengo, faced layoffs and played for clubs in Portugal before being considered for the National Team
(foto: FRANCK FIFE / AFP – 20/01/2025)
The expectation for Carlo Ancelotti‘s first call-up is high among the public that follows the Brazilian National Team. While it has not yet happened, fans are getting access to some names present on the preliminary list made by the Italian coach. Among those that have already been made public, that of defender Alexsandro may cause surprise in those who do not follow European football very closely. According to ge, the Lille player is among the athletes considered by Ancelotti to defend the Yellow Team in the June commitments for the Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. This would be the athlete’s first call-up. At 25 years old, Alexsandro is one of the best defenders in the French Championship and a regular starter for Lille, who played in the current edition of the Champions League and finished the national tournament in fifth place. The defender played in 47 of the 51 games that Los Dogues played this season – all as a starter.
Alexsandro had a difficult childhood, as he himself revealed in an interview with ge. Born in Duque de Caxias, a city in Rio de Janeiro near the capital Rio de Janeiro, the player grew up with his mother selling goals at the Jardim Gramacho landfill. It was also there that he got some clothes as a child.
“The situation we were in was very precarious, and I wanted to get out of it. When I opened the fridge and there was nothing to eat, I opened the cupboard and there wasn’t a single cookie. That negative situation, I turned into a positive one to get back on my feet. It was the lack of everything, the basics in my house that I made into a positive one. I lied to myself. I knew things might not happen, but I believed again and made it happen,” said Alexsandro. It was in 2014, when he joined Flamengo’s youth team, that the defender began to see signs of a more prosperous future. At Ninho do Urubu, he was part of a victorious generation and played alongside Hugo Souza, Corinthians’ goalkeeper, and Vinicius Júnior, Real Madrid’s forward and winner of the FIFA The Best award.
The dream of becoming a professional, however, faded away in 2016, when Alexsandro left Rubro-Negro. In the interview, he also revealed that he had tried out for more than 10 clubs after leaving Flamengo, but was not accepted by any of them. He stayed at Fluminense for two months before being released. After more than a year without opportunities in football, Alexsandro had to find other ways to earn money to help out at home. He worked as a street vendor, a can collector and on construction sites while still dreaming of a career on the pitch.
“It was the hardest year of my life. I was without a club, I was unemployed. I was looking for a club to show what I could do, but none of them could keep me. I was very positive. I am the oldest brother, I have four brothers. I couldn’t let these things get me down. At first, I saw it as a learning experience. After a year and a half, I didn’t want to anymore. I got a lot of ‘no’s’, I was very tired”.
Alexsandro, Lille defender
It was then that, in 2019, through a coach he worked with at Fluminense, Alexsandro received the opportunity to play in Portugal. On the European continent, he first played for Praiense, which at the time was playing in the Campeonato de Portugal (the fourth division). He also played for Amora before joining Chaves, which was playing in the Segunda Liga, in 2021. The player stood out for the team, but did not continue to climb the divisions in Portugal. His good performance caught the attention of Lille, who signed him in 2022. Right away, Alexsandro began to earn minutes for the team, which had been French champions in the 2020/21 season. In 2023, he became a regular starter. Today, he is more established than ever.
Alexsandro was on the field in Lille’s 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League qualifying round. The Brazilian met Vini Jr. again, with whom he had played 10 years ago, and faced Carlo Ancelotti, Real’s coach who could lead him in the national team.
