Willian began his career atCorinthians before joiningShakhtar Donetsk in August 2007 for a fee of €14 million. During his six years at the club, he won several honours, including fourUkrainian Premier League titles and theUEFA Cup in 2009. In 2013, he briefly signed withAnzhi Makhachkala before moving toChelsea for £30 million, winning the Premier League and theLeague Cup in his second season in England. He signed forArsenal in August 2020 before re-signing for boyhood club Corinthians the following year.
In 2007, Willian began playing for theCorinthians first team. He made five league appearances during hisfirst season with the senior side as Corinthians finished mid-table. His breakthrough came with Corinthians in the following campaign, featuring in 11 league matches, scoring twice, and making 29 appearances in all competitions for the club. Although they were 13th when Willian was sold,[citation needed] they ended up finishing 17th in theSérie A and were relegated for the first time in the club's history.[5]
Willian ended his first season with Shakhtar with 31 total appearances, 28 of which came in the league, scoring three league goals. He helped Shakhtar to aVyshcha Liha and Ukrainian Cup double, as they won the league by three points overDynamo Kyiv and defeated them 2–0 in the2008 Ukrainian Cup final.
He played in theSuper Cup penalty shootout victory over Dynamo Kyiv on 15 July, being replaced byBrandão after 46 minutes.[8] On 27 August, he scored a goal in a 3–1 victory overDinamo Zagreb in theChampions League.[9] On 1 November, he scored his first league goal for Shakhtar in a 3–1 win againstZorya Luhansk.[10] On 16 November, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv.[11] He scored the decisive goal in a 1–0 victory against Chornomorets Odesa on 25 April.[12]
Willian's first goal of theseason came in a 6–1Ukrainian Cup round of 32 victory againstDniester Ovidiopol on 15 August.[14] He made an appearance in Shakhtar's 1–0 extra time defeat to Spanish sideBarcelona in theUEFA Super Cup on 28 August, being replaced byJulius Aghahowa in the 90th minute of the match.[15] On 17 September, he netted the second goal in a 4–1 win against Belgian sideClub Brugge in agroup stage match in theEuropa League.[16] He ended the season with seven goals in 39 appearances, including 22 appearances and five goals in the league. He helped Shakhtar to victory in theUkrainian Premier League. They finished the league with 77 points, six ahead of nearest rivals Dynamo Kyiv.[17]
Willian started theseason with a goal in Shakhtar's emphatic 7–1 victory againstTavriya Simferopol in theSuper Cup on 4 July.[18] He followed that up on 10 July with the second goal in the firstleague match of the season, a 2–0 victory overKryvbas Kryvyi Rih.[19] On 15 August, he netted the only goal in a 1–0 victory againstKarpaty Lviv, scoring in first-half stoppage time.[20] He also scored the only goal in a 1–0 win againstIllichivets Mariupol on 29 August.[21] On 8 March, he scored two goals in aChampions League last 16 tie againstRoma, with Shakhtar winning 3–0 on the night and progressing to the quarter-final after winning 6–2 on aggregate.[22] He played in the 2–0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv in theUkrainian Cup Final on 25 May, being replaced byAlex Teixeira after 77 minutes.[23] He ended the season with eight goals from 43 appearances, including 23 league appearances and three league goals. Shakhtar retained their league title with a score of 72 points, seven points ahead of second-placed team Dynamo Kyiv. They added the Ukrainian Cup and Super Cup titles to clinch a domestic treble.[24]
The followingseason, Willian played the full 90 minutes in theSuper Cup match against Dynamo Kyiv on 5 July; however, Shakhtar lost the match 3–1.[25] On 19 October, he scored the opening goal in a 2–2 draw withZenit Saint Petersburg in theChampions League.[26] He scored the second goal in a 2–1 win overIllichivets Mariupol on 10 March.[27] On 6 May, he played the full match in a 2–1 extra-time victory againstMetalurh Donetsk in theUkrainian Cup Final.[28] He finished the season with six goals—five in the league—from 37 appearances, 27 of which came in the league. Shakhtar secured theUkrainian Premier League title for the third year in a row and theUkrainian Cup title for a second consecutive season.[29]
Shakhtar opened theseason with a 2–0 win againstMetalurh Donetsk in theSuper Cup; however, Willian did not make the squad for the match.[30] He had to wait until the fourth league match of the season, on 6 August, to make his first appearance, in a 4–0 win againstVolyn Lutsk.[31] He replaced goalscorerAlex Teixeira after 46 minutes. On 19 August, he scored his first goal of the season and provided two assists in a comprehensive 5–1 victory againstChornomorets Odesa.[32] Willian scored both of Shakhtar's goals in their 3–2 loss to reigningEuropean championsChelsea in theChampions League group stage on 7 November.[33]
On 31 January 2013, Willian moved toAnzhi Makhachkala for a fee thought to be in the region of €35 million.[34][35] He originally chose to wear the number 10; however, due to UEFA restrictions stating that a player must wear a number used in the Champions League for the remainder of the season, he was forced to wear the number 88, which he had chosen at Shakhtar.[36] After moving to Russia, Willian said he was happy to join Anzhi and wished Shakhtar Donetsk great success in the future. On his debut, Willian sustained an injury againstNewcastle United in aEuropa League match.[37] He scored his only goal for Anzhi on 14 April 2013 in a 3–0 victory againstVolga Nizhny Novgorod.[38]
In August 2013, following financial restructuring, Anzhi chose to transfer their entire squad, including recent signing Willian.[39]
On 25 August 2013, EnglishPremier League club Chelsea agreed to a deal to sign Willian for a fee of £30 million, subject to a work permit hearing on 28 August 2013.[40] The deal was made official on 28 August 2013, and Willian signed a five-year contract, receiving the number 22 shirt.[41] Although regulations usually state that non-EU players must be regular internationals, Willian was given a work permit despite only having two caps at the time, as anFA panel deemed that if he were not Brazilian, he would have been a regular international and therefore would have had more caps.[42]
Prior to signing for Chelsea, Willian had attracted interest from Chelsea's London rivalsTottenham. He completed a medical at Tottenham before meeting with Chelsea, which caused confusion as to which club he would sign for. Willian claims Chelsea was his first preference, and he would have only signed with Tottenham if the deal with Chelsea had fallen through.[43][44]
Willian made his debut on 18 September againstBasel in the Champions League, in a 2–1 home defeat.[45] After featuring in wins againstSwindon Town andSteaua București in theLeague Cup and Champions League respectively, he made his league debut on 6 October away toNorwich City,[46] and scored in a 3–1 win.[47] He scored his second Chelsea goal on 1 January 2014 in a 3–0 victory atSouthampton.[48] On 27 April 2014, Willian scored in Chelsea's 2–0 away victory againstLiverpool.[49]
In extra time in aLeague Cup semi-final against Liverpool on 28 January 2015, he took the free-kick which was headed in byBranislav Ivanović to put Chelsea into the final.[52] On 1 March, Willian was selected to start against Tottenham in the2015 League Cup Final atWembley Stadium, a match which Chelsea won 2–0 to win the trophy for the fifth time.[53]
Willian ended the2014–15 season having appeared in 36 of Chelsea's 38 league matches as the club won its fifth league title.[54]
On 16 September, Willian scored directly from a free kick to open the scoring as Chelsea defeatedMaccabi Tel Aviv in the club's first game of theChampions Leaguegroup stage.[55] He went on to score from free kicks in the team's next three matches; Premier League matches against Newcastle United and Southampton and a 2–1 loss atPorto in the Champions League.[56] On 4 November, Willian scored his fifth free-kick of the season to give Chelsea a 2–1 win over Dynamo Kyiv,[57] and 20 days later he recorded a sixth in a 4–0 triumph at Maccabi, making him Europe's top free-kick scorer of the season.[citation needed]
On 9 December, Willian scored his fifth Champions League goal of the season in a 2–0 victory over Porto in Chelsea's final group match, ensuring the team qualified for theknockout stage as group winners.[58] He was subsequently named by UEFA as one of the top XI players of the Champions' League group stage.[59]
On 13 May 2016, Willian was named Chelsea's Fans' Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year for2015–16.[60]
On 12 July 2016, Willian signed a new four-year contract.[61] On 27 August 2016, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 win over newly promotedBurnley.[62]
On 22 April 2017, Willian scored twice in Chelsea's 4–2 FA Cup semi-final victory over rivals Tottenham at Wembley Stadium.[63]
On his 200th appearance for Chelsea, Willian scored twice and won two penalties as the Blues beatQarabağ 4–0 atBaku National Stadium on 22 November. The win guaranteed the team progression into the knockout stages of the Champions League.[64] In his next appearance, Willian came off the bench to score his first Premier League goal of the season, to rescue a point for Chelsea in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield.[65]
Willian scored his first goal of the season, coming off the bench to complete a 4–1 come-from-behind win at home toCardiff City on 15 September. Prior to this, he had won a penalty thatEden Hazard converted for his hat trick.[66] On 27 January, Willian, on his 550th club appearance, netted a brace in a 3–0 home win againstSheffield Wednesday in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The first goal was his 50th for Chelsea.[67]
In August 2019, Willian became Chelsea's new number 10 for the 2019–20 season, taking over from Eden Hazard.[68] He scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 home league win overBrighton & Hove Albion on 28 September.[69] In the next fixture, Willian scored the winning goal on his 300th Chelsea appearance, a 2–1 away win againstLille in the Champions League.[70] He scored a brace to beat Tottenham 2–0 away from home on 22 December.[71]
Willian scored twice in a 2–3league defeat toWest Ham United on 1 July 2020. In doing so, Willian became the first player to score a Premier League goal in every calendar month.[72] He scored in his third consecutive game from the penalty spot in Chelsea's next league match, a 3–0 win overWatford; the goal meant Willian had scored nine league goals, his highest league total in a Chelsea shirt.[73]
On 9 August, Willian released an open letter about his departure from the club on Twitter.[74][non-primary source needed]
On 14 August 2020, Willian signed for Premier League clubArsenal on a three-year contract.[75] On 12 September, Willian made his debut for the club againstFulham, recording two assists,[76] as Arsenal won 3–0.[77] On 28 February 2021, Willian registered an assist in a 3–1 win overLeicester City in the Premier League, which was his first goal contribution in the league for Arsenal since November 2020.[78][79] On 9 May, Willian scored his only goal for Arsenal in a 3–1 home league win overWest Bromwich Albion, sealing the Baggies' relegation to theEFL Championship.[80]
Just after a year at the club, which Willian described as "the worst time that he had lived as a professional",[81] and on 30 August 2021, Arsenal announced he had left the club by mutual consent and confirmed that Willian was set to re-join his boyhood club, Corinthians.[82]
On 30 August 2021,Corinthians announced the return of Willian to the club on a deal running until December 2023.[83] He rescinded his contract in mid-August 2022 after complaining about virtual threats during his last months at the club.[84]
On 1 September 2022, Willian signed forFulham on a one-year contract.[85] On 23 October, Willian scored his first goal for Fulham, their third goal in a 3–2 away win atLeeds United.[86] His second goal came on 12 January 2023, against his former clubChelsea, the first goal in Fulham's historic 2–1 win over theirWest London rivals,[87] also meaning Fulham had won four top-flight games in a row for the first time since April 1966.[88][non-primary source needed]
On 19 March 2023, in theFA Cup quarter-final againstManchester United, Willian received ared card for using his hand to block a shot fromJadon Sancho in the 70th minute, after aVAR check. During the VAR check, Fulham managerMarco Silva was given a red card for arguing with the referee. After refereeChris Kavanagh gave Willian a red card,Aleksandar Mitrović pushed Kavanagh, resulting in Mitrović receiving a red card as well. Despite leading 1–0 before the red cards, Fulham would ultimately be eliminated after a 3–1 defeat.[89][90]
On 2 September 2024, Willian signed a contract withSuper League Greece clubOlympiacos.[92] On 30 December, his contract was terminated with mutual agreement.[93]
On 6 February 2025, Willian rejoined Fulham on a short-term deal until the end of the2024–25 season.[94] Willian said he was "completely happy" to return to Fulham and said "I think we can do good things until the end of the season."[95]
On 4 June 2025, Fulham announced that they would not be extending Willian's contract and he would leave the club at the end of the season.[96]
On 10 November 2011, Willian made his senior debut forBrazil in a friendly match againstGabon.[98] On 16 November 2013, he scored his first international goal in a 5–0 win overHonduras in Miami, Florida.[99]
On 7 May 2014, Willian was selected as part of the 23-man squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup.[100] He came on at half-time in extra time of the round of 16 match againstChile inBelo Horizonte for hisChelsea teammateOscar, and took a penalty in the shootout which he put wide of the goal, although Brazil nonetheless advanced.[101]
At the2015 Copa América, Willian assistedRoberto Firmino's decisive goal in the 2–1 win overVenezuela in Santiago, a result which sent Brazil into the quarterfinals as group winners.[102]
On 5 May 2016, he was named by Brazil managerDunga among the 23-man list for theCopa América Centenario to be held in the United States.[103]
A fast, agile, and technically gifted player, Willian is known for his quick feet, acceleration, and explosive style of play, which allow him to dribble past opponents at speed while keeping close control of the ball, a typical Brazilian style. He is also known for performing feints and tricks, such as the elastico, to confuse and beat defenders.[106][107][108][109] He primarily plays as a winger,[110][111][112] and his high stamina, vision, and creativity enable him to link up play between the deeper midfielders and the forwards, as well as create goalscoring chances.[108][111] During the 2015–16 season, while at Chelsea, he demonstrated his prowess with direct free kicks,[113] with almost all of his goals coming from set pieces.[111] He improved his attacking statistics, which led to him being named Chelsea's top performer of the season.[110][114]
Willian is married to Vanessa Martins. They have twin daughters, Valentina and Manuella.[115][116][non-primary source needed] Like many Brazilian footballers, Willian is a devout Christian.[117]
In April 2016, Willian was named in the Panama Papers.[118]
On 13 October 2016, Willian's mother, Dona Zezé, died at the age of 57. During the game against Premier League champions Leicester City, his teammates Diego Costa and Eden Hazard dedicated their goals to Willian and his mother.[119] Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, also dedicated the victory to Willian and his family.[120]
In 2018, Willian and his teammate David Luiz acquired Babbo, an Italian restaurant located in Mayfair, London.[121]
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