Afonso Alves is a Brazilian footballer known for his striking abilities.
He played for several clubs including Atlético Mineiro, Malmö FF, and Middlesbrough during his career from 2001 to 2013.
Alves was the top scorer in the Eredivisie during the 2006-07 season, scoring 34 goals.
Biography
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Afonso Alves Martins Júnior, known simply as Afonso Alves, is a Brazilian former professional footballer born in Brazil. He began his career at Clube Atlético Mineiro in 2001, where he showcased his potential as a forward. After a brief stint, he moved to Örgryte IS in Sweden, where he continued to develop his skills before making a significant leap to Malmö FF in 2004.
Rise to Prominence
Alves's career took off at Malmö FF, where he helped the team secure the Allsvenskan title in 2004. His impressive performance caught the attention of SC Heerenveen, where he transferred in 2006 for a record fee. During his time in the Eredivisie, he became the league's top scorer in the 2006-07 season, netting 34 goals in just 31 matches, and set a record by scoring seven goals in a single match against Heracles Almelo.
International Career and Later Years
In 2007, Alves earned his first call-up to the Brazil national team, contributing to their victory in the Copa América that same year. He scored his first international goal against Mexico in 2007. Following his international success, he transferred to Middlesbrough in the Premier League in 2008. His career continued with stints at Al-Sadd, Al-Rayyan, and Al-Gharafa in Qatar, before concluding in 2013. Throughout his career, Alves was known for his versatility as both a midfielder and forward, leaving a lasting impact on every club he played for.
Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Gallery
Career & Clubs
Club
International
Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Alves goal.
On 17 May 2007, Alves received his first call-up for the Brazil national team for friendlies against England and Turkey. On 1 June, in the game against England, Alves was brought on to replace Kaká after 71 minutes of play and very nearly scored after a Wes Brown slip. He was also part of the Brazilian squad which won the 2007 Copa América in Venezuela. Alves scored his first international goal on 12 September 2007 against Mexico in a 3–1 win.
Early career
Heerenveen
In Summer 2006, he moved to the Dutch club SC Heerenveen of the Eredivisie for €4.5 million, which remains their highest-ever transfer fee paid. In his first season, he finished as top goalscorer of the Eredivisie with 34 goals (in 31 games), which is a club record. Alves is the third Brazilian to become topscorer in the Dutch first division, joining former PSV strikers Romário and Ronaldo, and the second Brazilian who scored over 30 goals in the same competition, with Ronaldo netting 30 in the 1994–95 season. Other than finishing first in the scorers table, he was runner-up in the race for the European Golden Boot, a single point behind Roma forward Francesco Totti. On 7 October 2007, in only his second appearance of the season, Alves scored seven goals in his side's 9–0 victory over Heracles Almelo, setting a new Eredivisie record for most goals scored in a single match. Heerenveen's manager (Gertjan Verbeek) had already made three substitutions yet chose to take Alves off the pitch in the 89th minute to pay tribute to his fantastic performance.
Middlesbrough
In the January transfer window of the 2007–08 season he moved to Premier League side Middlesbrough on 31 January 2008. Alves' transfer fee was said to have been €12 million, on a four-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut on 9 February, against Fulham as a second-half substitute for Lee Dong-Gook. His first Middlesbrough start came on 27 February in an FA Cup…
- Club
- Al-Rayyan (2009–2010)
- Club
- Al Sadd Sports Club (2009–2010)
- Club
- Middlesbrough F.C. (2008–2009)
- Club
- Malmö FF (2004–2006)
- Club
- Al-Rayyan (2010–2010)
- Club
- Al-Gharafa SC (2012–2013)
- Club
- Örgryte IS (2002–2003)
- Club
- Clube Atlético Mineiro (2001–2002)
- Club
- SC Heerenveen (2006–2008)
- Club
- Al-Rayyan (2010–2012)
- Club
- Brazil men's national football team (2007–2007)
- Club
- Örgryte IS Fotboll
- League
- Premier League
- National team
- Brazil
Legacy
Malmö FF
Allsvenskan: 2004 Al-Rayyan
Emir of Qatar Cup: 2010 Qatar Crown Prince Cup: 2012 Brazil Copa América: 2007 Individual
Eredivisie top scorer: 2006–07 Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2007 AFC Cup top scorer: 2010
Clubs
Played together with
A'ala HubailAl-Gharafa SC · 2005–2007- Abasse BaAl-Rayyan · 2009–2009
Abbas SaadAl Sadd Sports Club · 2004–2004
Abdelhaq Ait LaarifAl-Gharafa SC · 2006–2008
Abdelkarim HassanAl Sadd Sports Club · 2010- Abdelkarim KissiSC Heerenveen · 2006–2006
Abderrazak HamdallahAl-Rayyan · 2017–2018- Abdoul Salam SowAl-Gharafa SC · 2003–2005
Abdul Kader KeïtaAl Sadd Sports Club · 2002–2005- Abdul Kader KeïtaAl Sadd Sports Club · 2010–2012
Abdulaziz Al SulaitiAl Sadd Sports Club · 2014–2014- Abdulaziz AliAl-Gharafa SC · 1998
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Afonso Alves Martins Júnior, better known as Afonso Alves, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He represented Atlético Mineiro, Örgryte, Malmö FF, Heerenveen, Middlesbrough, Al-Sadd, Al-Rayyan and Al-Gharafa during a career that spanned between 2001 and 2013. He won eight caps and scored one goal for the Brazil national team, and helped his country win the 2007 Copa América.
All links
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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