Elano

Santos

Elano began his career with Guarani of Campinas in São Paulo state. After a short spell with Limeira's Internacional, he joined Santos in 2001. He made his senior debut for the latter on 21 January 2001, coming on as a substitute for Deivid in a 1–0 Campeonato Paulista home win against former club Guarani. His first goal for the club came on 28 April, the equalizer in a 5–1 away routing of Mogi Mirim. Elano subsequently established himself as a starter at Peixe, and played alongside Robinho, Diego and Alex. He soon gained a reputation as a talented goalscoring midfielder, scoring a career-best 22 goals as part of the Santos side which won the Campeonato Brasileiro in 2004. Three years at Santos produced a total of 34 goals and earned the player a transfer to the Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk on 1 February 2005.

Shakhtar Donetsk

Although he was not a regular in his first season in Ukraine, Elano went on to establish his credentials as a key player and exceptional form saw him become the first player from the Ukrainian Premier League to represent the Brazil national team, when he was called up for the Brazil–Norway game on 16 August 2006.

Manchester City

On 2 August 2007, Manchester City paid £8 million for Elano, who signed a four-year contract. He made his debut on the opening day of the season against West Ham United, providing the cross for the opening goal. He played in his first Manchester derby against Manchester United on 19 August…

Elano was capped for Brazil in the 2004 CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament in January 2004. His full international debut came in October 2004, and he has since earned 50 caps, and scoring nine goals. He scored his first two international goals in the 2006 friendly 3–0 win against Argentina on 3 September at the Emirates Stadium, London. In 2007, Elano participated in the Copa América, playing four games for Brazil, including the final against Argentina, during which he assisted a goal before being substituted out due to injury. On 19 November 2008, Elano scored in the 6–2 victory over Portugal in a friendly. Elano scored his sixth international goal against Italy with an all set up by his former Santos and Manchester City teammate Robinho, who went on to score Brazil's second goal. Elano then set up the match-winning goal for Lúcio, completing a stunning second-half comeback in the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup against the United States, helping the Seleção win a third trophy in the competition. On 14 November 2009, Elano made an assist in a friendly against England. Nilmar ran between two defenders to head a long pass from Elano past goalkeeper Ben Foster and score the winning goal in a 1–0 victory.

2010 FIFA World Cup

On 15 June 2010, Elano scored Brazil's second goal against North Korea in their first game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the 72nd minute. He also scored a goal against the Ivory Coast in the 62nd minute of Brazil's second game but was…

Club

International

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Elano goal.

Elano is married to Alexandra, and they have two daughters. He separated from his wife for a short period of time in 2011 and had an affair with Brazilian actress Nívea Stelmann. He reconciled with his wife later that year and now is a practicing Roman Catholic. After the 2015 Indian Super League final, Elano was arrested for allegedly physically assaulting the co-owner of FC Goa. This case was referred to the ISL disciplinary committee. The ISL took a "serious view of the unsportsmanlike behavior by the Goa franchise and alleged unsportsmanlike behavior of certain players of the teams on and off the field." Meanwhile, Chennaiyian fans showed their support for Elano and condemned the unsportsmanlike behavior of FC Goa owners.