ISL 2020-21: Everything you need to know about Jamshedpur FC midfielder Alexandre Monteiro de Lima
Alexandre Monteiro de Lima, fondly known as Alex, is Jamshedpur FC's fourth foreign import for the upcoming season of the Indian Super League (ISL).
The strong and well-built playmaker is renowned for his ability to hold the ball, create a flurry of chances as well as get into scoring positions in the attacking third. Predominantly a central midfielder, the Brazilian is versatile and can play a multitude of positions in the middle of the park. Alexandre Monteiro de Lima is an extremely skillful player who can unlock the toughest of defenses with ease.
The 31-year-old has vast experience plying his trade across four continents, amassing a total of 337 appearances with 43 goals and 23 assists. At Jamshedpur FC, Alexandre Monteiro de Lima will reunite with his former boss Owen Coyle, who also signed him at Houston Dynamo.
Let's take an in-depth look at his career:
Here's all you need to know about Alexandre Monteiro de Lima:
#1 Early Development in Brazil and Switzerland
Born in Brazil's Sao Paulo, Alex joined Grêmio Mauaense's youth setup. He left Brazil in 2008, signing his first professional contract for Switzerland's second division side FC Wohlen. In his first season in Switzerland, Alex failed to feature in any of the matches and was subsequently loaned out to fellow Swiss outfit FC Gossau.
During the 2009-10 season, the midfielder finally made his professional debut for Gossau in the Swiss Challenge League against FC Servette. He returned to Wohlen after a successful loan stint at Gossau, where he made 18 appearances and scored two goals. Alex established himself as a first-team player at Wohlen on his return and remained at the club for two more seasons, managing over 50 appearances.
#2 MLS Adventure
The big break in Alexandre Monteiro de Lima's career came in 2012 when he was snapped up by Major League Soccer outfit Chicago Fire FC. He was influential from the beginning and powered Chicago to the MLS Playoffs.
He represented Chicago 84 times before being roped in by the Owen Coyle-managed Houston Dynamo. He spent three seasons at Houston, racking up 88 appearances and scoring 11 goals during his stint. He steered Houston to the MLS Playoffs and subsequently progressed to the Western Conference Finals in his final season in the MLS. He capped off his memorable MLS stint by being the highest assist provider of Houston in 2017.
#3 Recent Spells
He brought down the curtain on his impressive MLS journey by departing for South Korea to join second division side Suwon FC. There he played 30 times in the highly competitive K League 2 matches, scoring five goals.
The next season he moved to fellow K League 2 club, FC Anyang where he appeared in 33 league games and scored 13 goals which were the most he had registered in a single season in his entire career.
The Brazilian last appeared for Vietnamese top division side Ho Chi Minh City FC in 2020. After the brief spell at Vietnam, which consisted of just three starts, Alexandre Monteiro de Lima terminated his contract mutually to link up with Owen Coyle at Jamshedpur FC.
Alex will be sporting the iconic number 7 for the Red Miners in the upcoming ISL campaign and is expected to start in Jamshedpur FC's opening game against Chennaiyin FC on November 24.