Elano

1.2.1. Santos FC

Elano established himself as a starter at Santos, where he played alongside notable talents such as Robinho, Diego, and Alex. He quickly gained a reputation as a gifted goalscoring midfielder, netting a career-best 22 goals in 2004 as part of the Santos side that won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. During his initial three-year spell at Santos, he scored a total of 34 goals and helped the club secure the Campeonato Brasileiro in both 2002 and 2004, in addition to being a Copa Libertadores runner-up. His impressive performances earned him a transfer to Ukrainian side FC Shakhtar Donetsk on 1 February 2005.

Elano rejoined Santos for a second spell on 30 November 2010, in a transfer deal worth 2.90 M EUR. As part of the agreement, Galatasaray was set to receive 50% of any transfer profit if Santos sold him to another club for more than 2.90 M EUR before 31 December 2012. Santos later sold 20% of his economic rights to an investment group, Terceira Estrela Investimentos S/A (TEISA), for 1.56 M BRL. Upon his return to Brazilian football, he became the joint top scorer of the 2011 Campeonato Paulista with 11 goals, alongside Corinthians striker Liédson. During this period, he won the Copa Libertadores in 2011 and consecutive Campeonato Paulista titles in 2011 and 2012.

1.2.2. Shakhtar Donetsk

After his transfer to Ukraine, Elano initially struggled to secure a regular starting spot in his first season. However, he soon established himself as a pivotal player, and his exceptional form led to a significant milestone: he became the first player from the Ukrainian Premier League to be called up to the Brazil national football team. This call-up occurred on 16 August 2006, for a match against Norway. During his time at Shakhtar, he developed into one of the league's standout players.

1.2.3. Manchester City

On 2 August 2007, Manchester City acquired Elano for 8.00 M GBP, with the player signing a four-year contract. He made his debut on the opening day of the season against West Ham United, where he provided the cross for the opening goal. He also participated in his first Manchester derby against Manchester United on 19 August 2007. Elano expressed his enjoyment of life in Manchester, describing the city as beautiful and noting that the weather suited him better than that in Ukraine. He also admitted his surprise at the high tempo of football in the Premier League. He was assigned the squad number 11.

On 29 September, Elano scored his first goal for City in a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United. Eight days later, he added two more goals in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Middlesbrough, one from open play from approximately 25 yd out and the other a curling free-kick from just outside the penalty area. He continued his strong form by scoring the only goal in a match against Birmingham City and converting a late penalty in a League Cup victory against Bolton Wanderers. On 2 January 2008, he scored the first goal of the year at St James' Park in Manchester City's 2-0 victory over Newcastle. Two weeks later, in the FA Cup third round, Elano scored the winning goal that saw Manchester City eliminate West Ham and advance to the next round. He received his fifth yellow card of the season against Arsenal, which meant he missed the 2-1 victory over rivals Manchester United. Towards the end of March and early April 2008, Elano successfully converted three penalties against Birmingham City (in a 3-1 defeat), Sunderland (in a 2-1 victory), and Bolton in the second round of the League Cup.

His performances at the end of the 2007-08 season were praised by then-manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who declared that the "Real Elano is Back." Elano demonstrated remarkable versatility throughout the 2007-08 season, playing in various positions, including full-back in a 3-1 home win against Portsmouth. He concluded the season with a goal in the 8-1 defeat at Middlesbrough on the final day of the 2007-08 Premier League season, finishing his first season with ten goals and ten assists across all competitions.

Elano had a relatively quiet pre-season for the 2008-09 campaign, returning slightly later due to international duties. He delivered a strong performance in a 1-0 friendly win over Milan on 9 August 2008, creating numerous chances from his free role in midfield. He continued his good form with a successful penalty in a 4-2 loss to Aston Villa. He then scored two goals in a 3-0 home win against West Ham, making him the joint top scorer in the Premier League after matchday two. However, with the high-profile return of Shaun Wright-Phillips and the transfer of his fellow Brazilian Robinho to the club in the early part of the 2008-09 season, there was uncertainty about his ability to maintain his dominant midfield position. During Robinho's debut match for the club, a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea, Elano remained on the bench. He later played a left-central midfield role in Mark Hughes' restructured side, where he was tasked with supporting left-back Javier Garrido and forward Robinho. He scored a goal from 25 yd out against Omonia on 2 October 2008, helping Manchester City qualify for the group stages of the UEFA Cup. Despite mixed performances when coming off the bench, he maintained his perfect penalty record with goals from the spot in the UEFA Cup quarter-final against Hamburger SV on 16 April 2009, three days later in a 4-2 win over West Bromwich Albion, and again in a 3-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers on 2 May. He departed the club in the summer of 2009 due to the team's extensive player reinforcements.

1.2.4. Galatasaray

Elano joined Galatasaray on 30 July 2009, signing a four-year contract with the Turkish club for 9.30 M EUR. He was met at the airport by over 1,300 enthusiastic fans and took the number 9 shirt, previously worn by Hakan Şükür. His debut came on 20 August 2009 in a UEFA Europa League play-off game against Estonian side Levadia Tallinn, entering as a substitute in the 69th minute. He scored his first goal for the club on his home Süper Lig debut against Kayserispor on 23 August 2009, with a remarkable left-footed strike from 28 yd out. In his first year at Galatasaray, he recorded 3 goals in 25 appearances.

1.2.5. Return to Brazil

On 8 July 2012, it was announced that Elano would join Grêmio. He was part of a player swap deal for striker Ezequiel Miralles and signed a three-year contract with the Porto Alegre-based club.

Elano had a brief loan spell at Flamengo in 2014, joining the club in January from Grêmio. He remained with Flamengo until August, when his loan deal was cancelled. During his time at Flamengo, he won the Campeonato Carioca in 2014. Following his departure from Flamengo, he returned to Grêmio, but his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 22 August 2014.

1.2.6. Chennaiyin FC

On 20 September 2014, Elano signed with Chennaiyin FC for the debut season of the Indian Super League (ISL). He agreed to a three-month contract for 1.00 M USD, joining as the club's marquee player. He made history by scoring from a free kick on his debut against FC Goa in a 2-1 victory on 15 October 2014, becoming the first marquee player to score in the ISL. He showcased a dominant performance on 28 October, scoring two goals (a penalty and a free kick) and providing two assists in Chennaiyin's 5-1 win over Mumbai City. This performance propelled him to the top of the ISL scoring chart with five goals in four games. He concluded the season as the league's top scorer with eight goals, earning the Indian Super League Golden Boot. However, he also spent time recuperating in Brazil after suffering an injury against Pune City. On 6 January 2015, it was reported that Elano was a free agent and intended to return to Brazil.

1.2.7. Second return to Santos

On 13 January 2015, Elano agreed to a short-term deal with Santos, marking his third stint with the club. He made his debut in this third spell on 1 February, coming on as a second-half substitute for Thiago Ribeiro in a 3-0 home victory against Ituano. In May, he extended his contract for an additional season.

On 17 June 2015, Elano agreed to a loan move back to his former club Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League, once again as their marquee player. During his second season with Chennaiyin, he played a crucial role in helping the team win the ISL championship, defeating Goa 3-2 on 20 December 2015. However, following the final, Elano was involved in a controversy when he was arrested by the Goan police for allegedly assaulting Goa co-owner Dattaraj Salgaocar. He was released after spending the night with the police before returning to Brazil the following day. Elano maintained his innocence, and video footage of the altercation showed him attempting to de-escalate the situation rather than initiating conflict. Ultimately, he was not charged by the AIFF, the Indian Super League organizers, or the Goan police. In August 2016, it was revealed that one of Salgaocar's conditions for selling his stake in FC Goa was that Elano would not be permitted to return to the Indian Super League for at least two seasons.

Returning to Santos in January 2016, Elano made infrequent appearances for the club. On 24 November of that year, he announced his impending retirement from professional football after his contract expired in December. He simultaneously confirmed his transition into a new role as Dorival Júnior's assistant manager for the 2017 campaign. Elano's final professional match took place on 11 December 2016, when he came on as a substitute for Lucas Lima in a 1-0 home victory against América Mineiro. He concluded his playing career having played 322 matches and scored 68 goals specifically for Santos.

1.3.1. Brazil National Team

Elano was first capped for Brazil in the 2004 CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament in January 2004. His full international debut came in October 2004. Between 2004 and 2011, he earned 50 caps and scored nine goals for the national team. He scored his first two international goals in a 3-0 friendly win against Argentina on 3 September 2006, at the Emirates Stadium in London. On 19 November 2008, Elano scored in Brazil's 6-2 victory over Portugal in a friendly match. He scored his sixth international goal against Italy in a 2-0 friendly win, with the goal being set up by his former Santos and Manchester City teammate Robinho. Elano then provided the match-winning assist for Lúcio, completing a stunning second-half comeback in the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup against the United States, helping the Seleção secure their third trophy in the competition. On 14 November 2009, Elano assisted Nilmar's winning header in a 1-0 friendly victory against England.

1.3.2. Major Tournament Participation

In 2007, Elano participated in the 2007 Copa América, playing four games for Brazil, including the final against Argentina. During the final, he assisted a goal before being substituted due to injury, as Brazil went on to win the tournament.

Elano was selected for the Brazilian squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. On 15 June 2010, he scored Brazil's second goal against North Korea in the 72nd minute during their opening game. He also scored a goal against the Ivory Coast in the 62nd minute of Brazil's second group stage match. However, he was substituted minutes later after sustaining an injury from a heavy challenge, and consequently did not play for the remainder of the tournament.

He was also part of the Brazilian squad for the 2011 Copa América in Argentina. He was brought on as a substitute in two group stage matches: Brazil-Venezuela and Brazil-Paraguay. In the quarter-final match against Paraguay, which remained goalless, Elano was the first player to take a shot in the subsequent penalty shootout. However, he, along with Brazil's three subsequent penalty-takers - Thiago Silva, André Santos, and Fred - failed to convert their penalties, leading to Brazil's elimination from the tournament.