Domingos Alexandre Martins da Costa
Encyclopedia
Domingos Alexandre Martins Costa (born 6 September 1979 in Guimarães
), aka Alex, is a Portuguese
footballer who plays for Vitória de Guimarães in the Portuguese first division.
Mainly a right defender, he can also appear as a midfielder
.
and Moreirense FC, Alex made his first division debuts with Sport Lisboa e Benfica, mainly deputising for established Miguel
. In 2004–05, he served a season-long loan spell at Vitória de Guimarães.
After good performances at Vitória which earned him a national team
call-up (three matches, including two in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
qualifiers
), Benfica sold Alex to VfL Wolfsburg
, on the very last days of the summer transfer window. He had a relatively successful first season, but only appeared four times in the Bundesliga
in the next three combined (none in the last two).
In late May 2009, Alex signed for former side Vitória de Guimarães, on a free transfer. During that first season, he operated mostly as a right back.
Guimarães
Guimarães Municipality is located in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the Braga District. It contains the city of Guimarães.The present Mayor is António Magalhães Silva, elected by the Socialist Party.-Parishes:-Economy:...
), aka Alex, is a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
footballer who plays for Vitória de Guimarães in the Portuguese first division.
Mainly a right defender, he can also appear as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Football career
After five seasons spent at both A.D. FafeA.D. Fafe
Associação Desportiva de Fafe is a Portuguese football club from Fafe, northern Portugal. Founded in 1958, it currently plays in the Portuguese Fourth Division, holding home games at Parque Municipal dos Desportos de Fafe, with a capacity of 8,000....
and Moreirense FC, Alex made his first division debuts with Sport Lisboa e Benfica, mainly deputising for established Miguel
Miguel Monteiro
Luís Miguel Brito Garcia Monteiro, simply Miguel , OIH , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Valencia CF in Spain, mainly as a right defender.-Early years / Benfica:...
. In 2004–05, he served a season-long loan spell at Vitória de Guimarães.
After good performances at Vitória which earned him a national team
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
call-up (three matches, including two in the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
qualifiers
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup...
), Benfica sold Alex to VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
, on the very last days of the summer transfer window. He had a relatively successful first season, but only appeared four times in the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
in the next three combined (none in the last two).
In late May 2009, Alex signed for former side Vitória de Guimarães, on a free transfer. During that first season, he operated mostly as a right back.