Willian Arão

Early career

Born in São Paulo, Arão began his career in the youth sides of Grêmio Barueri at the age of 15. He left for São Paulo FC in 2008, and became a part of the squad which won the 2010 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. Shortly after winning the Copinha, Arão was spotted by agent Mino Raiola, who brought him to Spanish side Espanyol. He spent eight months at the club, and despite training with the main squad and with the B-team, he was unable to play due to bureaucratic problems.

Corinthians

In November 2011, Arão moved to Corinthians. After appearing with the main squad in a friendly against Flamengo, he made his professional debut on 15 April 2012, starting in a 2–1 Campeonato Paulista away win over Ponte Preta. A backup to Ralf and Paulinho, Arão was a part of both 2012 Copa Libertadores and 2012 FIFA Club World Cup squads, despite not featuring in both competitions; in the former, he replaced Adriano in the list for the quarterfinals, and in the latter, he was registered after Guilherme Andrade was signed after the allowed date by FIFA.

Portuguesa (loan)

On 6 August 2013, after being demoted to fourth-choice, Arão was loaned to fellow top tier side Portuguesa until the end of the year. At the club he played a total of fifteen matches, including his first two continental appearances at 2013 Copa Sudamericana.

Chapecoense (loan)

On 9 January 2014, Arão signed with Chapecoense a one-year loan deal. Regularly used in the…

On 19 January 2017 Arão was called up to the Brazil national team for the first time to play a friendly match against Colombia. He made his full international debut six days later, starting in the 1–0 win at the Nilton Santos.

Club

As of 8 September 2026

International

As of 25 January 2017.

Club

Corinthians

FIFA Club World Cup: 2012 Copa Libertadores: 2012 Recopa Sudamericana: 2013 Campeonato Paulista: 2013 Botafogo

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B: 2015 Flamengo

Copa Libertadores: 2019, 2022 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2019, 2020 Supercopa do Brasil: 2020, 2021 Recopa Sudamericana: 2020 Campeonato Carioca: 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 Fenerbahçe

Turkish Cup: 2022–23 Panathinaikos

Greek Cup: 2023–24

Individual

Campeonato Carioca Team of the Year: 2016 Bola de Prata: 2016, 2019 Best Defensive Midfielder in Brazil: 2016, 2019, 2021 Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament: 2021 South American Team of the Year: 2021