Part 2- They Banned him, Exiled him, Scammed him, Robbed him, and Sued him all because he stood up Football - The Story of Alex De Souza.

The following year, Alex did something that defied all expectations. Cruzeiro hadn't won the Mineiro Championship in five years, and when their captain left, the responsibility fell on Alex. He didn't just take on the challenge—he dominated it. Scoring 9 goals and providing 9 assists in 11 matches, he not only became the team’s top scorer but also the competition’s top assist provider. In the crucial matches against their arch-rivals, Atlético Mineiro, Alex scored twice and assisted twice, including a stunning backheel goal. Cruzeiro didn’t just win the championship—they did it without losing a single match.

In the final match of the year, Alex needed 5 goals to match Ronaldo Fenômeno’s record for most league goals in a season for Cruzeiro. Coincidentally, Ronaldo was the only player in the club’s history to have scored 5 goals in a single match, and he had done it against Bahia, the same team Alex was about to face. So what did Alex do? He scored 5 goals, tying Ronaldo’s record and cementing his place in history. As Alex said in a press conference, "When the team went onto the pitch, I already knew we were gonna win."

Alex turned his attention to Turkey. His goal was simple: lead Fenerbahçe to back-to-back league titles, something they hadn’t achieved in 30 years. And he delivered. Alex played around 2,700 minutes of football, scored 24 goals, and provided 16 assists, averaging a goal contribution every 67 minutes. Fenerbahçe won the league, and Alex was named Player of the Year. He was even set to join the Brazil squad for the Confederations Cup but missed out due to injury.

The following season was a reversal of fortunes. Instead of 24 goals, Alex had 24 assists; instead of 16 assists, he scored 16 goals. But despite his brilliance, Fenerbahçe lost the title to Galatasaray in the final match of the season, leading to riots where Alex was mobbed by fans

Alex continued to excel over the next few seasons. He reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where Fenerbahçe narrowly lost to Chelsea, and he won the Turkish Cup, the last major trophy missing from his collection. With that win, Alex became the first foreign captain in Fenerbahçe’s history to win the cup. Despite tensions with Fenerbahçe’s manager, Alex finished the 2010-11 season as the top scorer and top assist provider. He even became the first Brazilian to be named the league’s top scorer since 1985, winning his fifth Turkish Player of the Year Award.


However, the following season brought heartbreak. The same manager who had issues with Alex became the club’s chairman and promptly sacked him. In a hastily organized press conference, the chairman claimed Alex wasn’t as good as his competitors and that Fenerbahçe had given him too much freedom. This came after Alex had carried the club to Champions League qualification while contributing more goals and assists than any other player. "I dedicated myself to this club for 8 years, and this is what I get in return?" Alex wondered, tearing up in a press conference held outside his home.

This is the story of Clarence Seedorf, a legend whose contributions to football deserve to be remembered and celebrated.

Alex left Turkey but left behind an everlasting legacy. He is the club’s second-highest goalscorer, top assist provider, and the player with the most official Man of the Match awards. He even has a statue outside the club’s stadium. But the harsh reality is that the Fenerbahçe fans appreciated Alex more than the club itself did.

Alex de Souza’s story is one of triumphs and tragedies, of incredible talent overshadowed by misfortune and overlooked by those who should have celebrated him the most. As we remember the legends of football, let’s not forget the brilliance of Alex, a player who deserves to be mentioned alongside the greatest of all time.