 Walace at the 2016 Olympics | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walace Souza Silva[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1995-04-04)4 April 1995 (age 30)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Salvador, Brazil[2] | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cruzeiro | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010 | Simões Filho | ||
| 2011–2013 | Avaí | ||
| 2012 | →Bahia (loan) | ||
| 2013–2014 | Grêmio | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2017 | Grêmio | 77 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | Hamburger SV | 27 | (2) |
| 2018–2019 | Hannover 96 | 26 | (1) |
| 2019–2024 | Udinese | 160 | (3) |
| 2024– | Cruzeiro | 2 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015 | Brazil U20 | 5 | (0) |
| 2016 | Brazil U23 | 4 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | Brazil | 5 | (0) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 20 November 2018 | |||
Walace Souza Silva (born 4 April 1995), or simplyWalace (Brazilian Portuguese:[ˈwalasi]), is a Brazilian professionalfootballer who plays as adefensive midfielder forCampeonato Brasileiro Série A clubCruzeiro.
Born inSalvador, Bahia, Walace started his youth career with the academy of amateur Simões Filho Futebol Clube. While playing in a cup, he caught the eye of a scout ofAvaí Futebol Clube and subsequently joined the club in the next year. However, he was soon loaned to the under-23 team ofEsporte Clube Bahia in the same year. In 2013, Walace joined the under-18 team ofGrêmio.[3]
Walace was promoted to the senior squad of the club in 2014 by managerEnderson Moreira.[4] On 27 April, he made his first team debut againstAtlético Mineiro.[2] In August, he made his first start for the club in a 2–0 defeat againstSport Club Internacional, where he was assigned to markAndrés D'Alessandro.[5] At the end of the season, media reports suggested that Italian clubSSC Napoli, Portuguese clubsFC Porto andS.L. Benfica expressed their interest to sign him.[6]
After the appointment ofRoger Machado as the club's manager in 2015, Walace became an undisputed starter for the club.[7] In June, Grêmio rejected an offer from Swiss clubFC Basel to secure his services.[8] On 5 October, his contract was extended till 2018.[7] In July 2016, he scored his first league goal in a 2–1 victory overFigueirense Futebol Clube.[9]
On 31 January 2017, Walace moved to German clubHamburger SV, signing a contract until 2021.[1] Eleven days later, he scored his first goal in a 3–0 victory againstRB Leipzig.[10]
In June 2018, Walace joined league rivalsHannover 96 on a four-year contract until 2022. The transfer fee paid to Hamburger SV was estimated at €6 million with 10% of the fee going to former club Grêmio.[11][12]
In June 2016, Walace was called byDunga to the senior international squad for the2016 Copa America as a replacement forLuiz Gustavo (who left the squad citing personal reasons).[13] He featured once in the tournament, in a 7–1 victory againstHaiti.[2]
In the next month, Walace was called to theBrazil under-23 squad for the2016 Summer Olympics to be held at the month of August. He came as a replacement forFred, whose clubFC Shakhtar Donetsk refused to release him for the tournament.[14] He featured four times in thetournament,[2] with his side emerging as the winner.[1]
| Club | Season | National League | State League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Grêmio | 2014[2] | Série A | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | |
| 2015[2] | 34 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 50 | 0 | |||
| 2016[2] | 24 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 4[a] | 1 | 45 | 5 | ||
| Total | 77 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 115 | 5 | ||
| Hamburger SV | 2016–17[2] | Bundesliga | 9 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18[2] | 18 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 27 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 30 | 2 | ||||
| Hannover 96 | 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 26 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| Udinese | 2019–20 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | – | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 30 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 30 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 36 | 1 | – | 2 | 0 | – | 38 | 1 | ||||
| 2022–23 | 37 | 0 | – | – | – | 37 | 0 | |||||
| 2023–24 | 37 | 2 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 38 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 160 | 3 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 165 | 3 | ||||
| Career total | 252 | 7 | 16 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 299 | 11 | ||
Grêmio
Brazil
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