Introduction
Alex Nicolao Telles (born 15 December 1992) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Portuguese club Porto. He played most of his professional career in Brazil, most notably for Grêmio. Telles is an offensive full-back and is described as a skilled, quick and playmaking defender.
Telles is highly rated in Brazil and was rewarded with a place in the 2013 Brasileirão Team of the Year. He also has an Italian passport.
Early years
Telles was born in Caxias do Sul, a city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. At the age of eight, he began playing football with the neighbouring kids and was later enrolled to a youth academy of Esporte Clube Juventude.
Club career
Juventude
Telles began his professional career with Juventude, making his debut on 24 January 2011 against São José-PA. He scored his first goal on 20 August in a 1–1 home draw against Cruzeiro.
Grêmio
In December, Telles was transferred to Grêmio after a partnership was established with Juventude. He made his Grêmio debut on 3 February 2013 against Internacional. On 26 May, Telles made his Série A debut, starting in a 2–0 home win against Náutico.
Galatasaray
On 22 January 2014, after long negotiations, Telles completed a move to Turkish club Galatasaray for €6 million, signing a contract that will keep him with the club until 2018. He made his debut two weeks later, starting in a 3–0 win against Tokatspor for the campaign's Turkish Cup, and made his maiden Süper Lig debut in a 3–0 home victory against Eskişehirspor on 8 February 2014. Telles made his first assist for the club against Antalyaspor in a 2–2 away game on 17 February. He also scored his first goal for Galatasaray against Akhisar Belediyespor on 8 March in a 6–1 home win.
In August 2015, there were rumours mentioning Telles as a good choice to fill the place made by the departure of left-back Filipe Luís at Chelsea. In response to the rumour, Galatasaray manager Hamza Hamzaoğlu said the club would only be tempted by an acceptable offer.
Loan to Internazionale
On 31 August 2015, Galatasaray agreed to let Telles join Italian club Internazionale of Serie A on a one-year loan for a €1.3 million fee, in addition to €250,000 if Inter qualify for the group stage of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League. The deal included a buyout option for €8.5 million, letting Internazionale make the move permanent when the loan deal is finished. Telles' move means he will reunite with Internazionale manager Roberto Mancini in Italy, who previously coached him at Galatasaray.
Porto
On 12 July 2016, Galatasaray announced Telles' dealing with Portuguese club Porto for €6.5 million. If Telles agrees another team while playing for Porto, his former team Galatasaray will gain 10% from that transfer.
Career statistics
- As of 11 December 2016
| Club | Season | League | State League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Juventude | 2011 | Série D | 4 | 1 | 11 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| 2012 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |||
| Subtotal | 13 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | 41 | 2 | |||
| Grêmio | 2013 | Série A | 36 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 51 | 1 | |
| Galatasaray | 2013–14 | Süper Lig | 15 | 1 | — | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15 | 22 | 1 | — | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| Subtotal | 39 | 2 | — | 12 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 2 | |||
| Internazionale (loan) | 2015–16 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| Porto (loan) | 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 11 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 20 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 119 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 193 | 6 | ||
Honours
Club
Galatasaray
- Süper Lig : 2014–15
- Turkish Cup : 2013–14, 2014–15
- Turkish Super Cup: 2015