Clubs: Ipatinga FC, CS Marítimo, FC Porto, Vitória SC (loan), SC Braga

UEFA honours
UEFA Europa League: runner-up 2011

• Born in the Brazilian coastal city of Salvador, Alan Osório da Costa Silva left his homeland for Madeira in 2001, joining Marítimo.

• Spent four productive seasons in the Portuguese top flight with the island club, scoring 14 goals in 109 appearances, nine of them in a particularly memorable 2003/04 campaign in which Marítimo qualified for Europe.

• Left for Porto in 2005 and won the Portuguese league and cup double in his debut campaign; lost his place the following season and moved on a year-long loan to Guimarães, where he revived his career, missing only one league game and helping the promoted club to a third-place finish.

• Made a permanent move to Braga in 2008 and proved to be a big hit on the right wing, especially in 2009/10 when he started all 30 league games and scored eight goals − including memorable strikes in victories over Sporting Clube de Portugal and Porto − as the Arsenalistas finished runners-up to SL Benfica.

• Ever-present in the Minho side's first UEFA Champions League group stage campaign in 2010/11 and featured in every match (from the round of 32 onwards) as Braga qualified for the UEFA Europa League final.