Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, better known as Alex (pronounced [a'l?ks]; born 17 June 1982), 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 ("Cannon of Vila Belmiro").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.