Alison (footballer, born 1993)

Santos

Born in Mongaguá, São Paulo, Alison joined Santos' youth setup in 2004, aged 11. On 10 September 2011 he made his professional debut, starting in a 1–0 home success over Cruzeiro.^[1] However, after only two minutes in field, he had to be replaced due to a knee injury, which kept him sidelined for six months.^[2]

Alison later suffered the same injury when he was due to return, only appearing in a match with the under-20 team in January 2013.^[3] He was definitely promoted to the first team late in that month, after winning the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior.

On 16 August 2013, after retaining a starting spot under Claudinei Oliveira, Alison renewed his link with Santos until December 2017.^[4] However, he suffered an injury during the latter stages of the campaign, and only returned in March 2014.

On 18 July 2014 Alison scored his first professional goal, netting the first of a 2–0 home win against Palmeiras.^[5] In February of the following year, however, he suffered another serious knee injury, being sidelined for eight months.^[6][7] He returned to the fields on 29 October, coming on as a late substitute in a 3–1 home win against São Paulo FC.^[8]

A backup to Thiago Maia and Renato, Alison only appeared rarely in 2016 before suffering a knee sprain. He went through an arthroscopy in July,^[9] being declared fit to play in September.^[10]

On 20 January 2017, Alison was loaned to Red Bull Brasil until the end of the 2017 Campeonato Paulista, in order to regain match fitness.^[11] Upon returning, he started to feature regularly with the first team under Levir Culpi, becoming a starter after the departure of Thiago Maia to Lille OSC.

Alison made his Copa Libertadores debut on 10 August 2017, starting in a 1–0 home win against Atlético Paranaense. On 5 December, he renewed his contract until the end of 2022.^[12]

On 10 November 2020, it was announced that Alison and a further six first team players tested positive for COVID-19.^[13] He tested positive for a second time the following 18 January.^[14]

Al-Hazem

On 2 August 2021, Saudi club Al-Hazem reached an agreement with Santos for the transfer of Alison.^[15] Santos announced his departure eleven days later,^[16] and he was announced by his new club three days after that.^[17]

On 20 May 2022, Alison terminated his contract with the club after failing to receive wages, but was still sidelined due to a knee injury.^[18]

Santos return

On 9 February 2023, Santos announced the return of Alison on a one-year contract.^[19] He returned to action on 26 April, replacing Rodrigo Fernández in a 1–0 home win over Botafogo-SP, for the year's Copa do Brasil.^[20]

Alison became a first-choice in late May 2023, after Fernández's poor form, but suffered another knee injury in June, being sidelined for the remainder of the year.^[21] On 4 December, his contract was extended for a further season.^[22]

Later career

On 6 January 2025, Londrina announced the singing of Alison on a one-year contract.^[23] He left the club in November, after being a first-choice in their promotion to the Série B and featuring in 36 matches during the year.^[24]

On 8 December 2025, Alison signed for Criciúma,^[25] but departed the club the following 5 January.^[26] The following day, he announced his retirement at the age of 32, alleging "his body asked him to stop" playing.^[27]