Felipe Melo

Felipe Melo de Carvalho was born on June 26, 1983 in Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, and built a long career as a midfielder known for his technical quality and intense marking. Physically strong and combative, Felipe Melo played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe and Brazil throughout two decades. His time at Juventus Turin between 2009 and 2011 is considered one of the highlights of his European career, during which he played alongside figures like Del Piero and contributed to Vecchia Signora's return to the top of Italian football. Before that, he had made his mark at Fiorentina and other Italian and Spanish clubs. For the Brazilian National Team, Felipe Melo competed in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, a tournament marked by an unfortunate own goal in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands — a deflection from Arjen Robben's cross — followed by his expulsion. Despite this episode, his trajectory in the national team included more than 50 call-ups. Upon returning to Brazil, he found his greatest national platform at Palmeiras, becoming a Palmeiran icon and key player in the team's achievements between 2017 and 2023. He concluded his career with a spell at Fluminense, the club where he was formed.