Willian

Corinthians

Willian started playing futsal at six years old in his hometown of Ribeirão Pires. In 1998, he joined the Corinthians youth system. In 2005, at the age of 17, he was already part of the squad that won the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. He was also among the Corinthians loanees who briefly played for Grêmio Mauaense in the 2005 Campeonato Paulista Série A3. In 2007, Willian began playing for the Corinthians first team. He made five league appearances during his first season with the senior side as Corinthians finished mid-table. His breakthrough came with Corinthians in the following campaign, featuring in 11 league matches, scoring twice, and making 29 appearances in all competitions for the club. Although they were 13th when Willian was sold, they ended up finishing 17th in the Série A and were relegated for the first time in the club's history.

Shakhtar Donetsk

2007–08 season

On 23 August 2007, Willian signed a five-year contract with Shakhtar Donetsk for a transfer fee of €14 million. His debut for the club came on 15 September in a 2–1 league victory over Chornomorets Odesa, where he came on as a 57th-minute substitute, replacing fellow Brazilian Jádson. Willian scored his first goal for the club on 31 October in a 4–1 victory over Arsenal Kyiv in the Ukrainian Cup. He made his European debut on 6 November in a 3–0 Champions League defeat to A.C. Milan, coming on as a 73rd-minute replacement for Răzvan Raț. Willian ended his…

As a member of the under-20 Brazil team, Willian made his debut in the 2007 South American Youth Championship against Chile on 7 January 2007, which Brazil went on to win. In 2007, he was also selected for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but Brazil were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Spain. On 10 November 2011, Willian made his senior debut for Brazil in a friendly match against Gabon. On 16 November 2013, he scored his first international goal in a 5–0 win over Honduras in Miami, Florida. On 7 May 2014, Willian was selected as part of the 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He came on at half-time in extra time of the round of 16 match against Chile in Belo Horizonte for his Chelsea teammate Oscar, and took a penalty in the shootout which he put wide of the goal, although Brazil nonetheless advanced. At the 2015 Copa América, Willian assisted Roberto Firmino's decisive goal in the 2–1 win over Venezuela in Santiago, a result which sent Brazil into the quarterfinals as group winners. On 5 May 2016, he was named by Brazil manager Dunga among the 23-man list for the Copa América Centenario to be held in the United States. In May 2018, he was named in Tite's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On 7 June 2019, he received a late call-up for the 2019 Copa América to replace the injured Neymar.

A fast, agile, and technically gifted player, Willian is known for his quick feet, acceleration, and explosive style of play, which allow him to dribble past opponents at speed while keeping close control of the ball, a typical Brazilian style. He is also known for performing feints and tricks, such as the elástico, to confuse and beat defenders. He primarily plays as a winger, and his high stamina, vision, and creativity enable him to link up play between the deeper midfielders and the forwards, as well as create goalscoring chances. During the 2015–16 season, while at Chelsea, he demonstrated his prowess with direct free kicks, with almost all of his goals coming from set pieces. He improved his attacking statistics, which led to him being named Chelsea's top performer of the season.

Willian is married to Vanessa Martins. They have twin daughters, Valentina and Manuella. Like many Brazilian footballers, Willian is a devout Christian. In April 2016, Willian was named in the Panama Papers. On 13 October 2016, Willian's mother, Dona Zezé, died at the age of 57. During the game against Premier League champions Leicester City, his teammates Diego Costa and Eden Hazard dedicated their goals to Willian and his mother. Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, also dedicated the victory to Willian and his family. In 2018, Willian and his teammate David Luiz acquired Babbo, an Italian restaurant located in Mayfair, London.