page_title: Alex (footballer, born 1982)
section_title: 2010–11
hierarchical_section_title: Alex (footballer, born 1982) / Club career / Chelsea / 2010–11
caption_attribution_description: Andy Carroll and Didier Drogba watch for the ball coming in
context_page_description: Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, better known as Alex, is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a central defender. He was known for his physical strength and the power of his shot, which has gained him the nicknames of "The Tank" and Canhão da Vila.
  Having been bought by the Premier League club Chelsea in 2004, he was loaned to Dutch team PSV and he won 3 Eredivisie titles with them. Alex finally joined the Chelsea squad in the summer of 2007 after three years in the Netherlands. In his time at Chelsea, he won the FA Cup in 2009 and a league and FA Cup "double" in 2010, as well as reaching the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final. He joined Paris Saint-Germain for £4.2 million in January 2012 and won Ligue 1 twice with the club, moving to Milan on the expiration of his contract in 2014 and retiring two years later.
  Alex earned 17 caps for Brazil between 2003 and 2008, winning the 2007 Copa América and finishing as runner-up at the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
context_section_description: In light of Ricardo Carvalho's departure to Real Madrid, Alex started the 2010–11 season as first choice centre back for Chelsea, alongside John Terry. On 3 October 2010, he scored a 25-yard freekick in a 2–0 victory over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. On 5 October, he was ruled out for up to three weeks after picking up a thigh injury in the final stages of Sunday's 2–0 win over Arsenal, and subsequently withdrew from the Brazil squad for the friendly matches against Iran, and Ukraine. Alex made his return for Chelsea where he made his return on 30 October 2010 and played 90 minutes against Blackburn Rovers in a 2-1 win. On 1 December 2010, Alex suffered a knee injury and was out of action about 3 months. While rehabilitation on his injury, Manager Carlo Ancelotti would consider signing a new defender if Alex fails to recover from knee surgery before the end of January but Alex failed to do so and Chelsea went on to sign David Luiz from Benfica. By mid March 2011, Alex made his return to training with the first-team squad.
  After he recovered from the injury, Alex made his return on 9 April 2011 in a match against Wigan Athletic in a 1-0 win, where he came on for Paulo Ferreira in the 75th minute. On 8 May 2011, it took a goal-costing mistake from David Luiz against Manchester United in the season-deciding match for Alex to break back into the starting line-up, getting substituted on at half time that match, and then starting and playing the full 90 minutes the following match against Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on 15 May 2011, where he scored a headed goal in the 82nd minute in a 2–2 draw. In the last league game of the season against Everton, Alex started the match alongside John Terry but was substituted on 70 minutes for Ferreira in their 1–0 defeat at Goodison Park. At the end of the campaign, Alex made 20 appearances and scored 2 goals in all competitions. Alex was criticized for allegedly stating in an interview that he was a boyhood Liverpool supporter.
caption: Alex and Didier Drogba marking Newcastle United's Andy Carroll and Shola Ameobi.
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