Willian Biography
Willian is a professional footballer from Brazil who now plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder for Premier League team Fulham. He was born Willian Borges da Silva on August 9, 1988.
Willian began his professional career at Corinthians before moving on to sign for Shakhtar Donetsk in August 2007 for a reported €14 million. He achieved success throughout his six years with the team, taking home four Ukrainian Premier League championships and the UEFA Cup in 2009. He briefly signed with Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013 before joining Chelsea for £30 million. In his second season in England, Chelsea won the Premier League and League Cup.
Since making his national team debut in 2011, Willian has competed for Brazil at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups, the 2015 Copa América, the Copa América Centenario, and the 2019 Copa América, which the country won at home.
| Nickname | Chelsea’s Samba |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 35 years old (in 2023) |
| Date of Birth | August 09, 1988 |
| Full Name | Willian Borges da Silva |
| Profession | Professional Soccer Player |
| Nationality | Brazil |
| Birthplace | Ribeirão Pires, São Paulo, Brazil |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Zodiac Sign | Leo |
Willian Club career
Corinthians
At the age of six, Willian began playing futsal in Ribeiro Pires, where he was raised. He joined the Corinthians youth program in 1998. He was already a member of the team that won the Copa So Paulo de Futebol Junior in 2005 when he was just 17 years old. In the 2005 Campeonato Paulista Série A3, he was also one of the Corinthians loanees that briefly played for Grêmio Mauaense.
Willian began competing for Corinthians’ first team in 2007, donning the number 10. In his debut season with the senior team, he played in five league games as Corinthians finished in the middle of the pack. His big break came with Corinthians the next season, when he played in 11 league games, scored twice, and made 29 appearances for the team in all competitions. Despite being in 13th place when Willian was sold, they ultimately finished in 17th place in Série A and were demoted for the first time in club history.
Shakhtar Donetsk
2007–08 season
Willian agreed to a five-year contract with Shakhtar Donetsk on August 23, 2007, in exchange for a €14 million transfer fee. On September 15, Willian made his club debut in a 2-1 league win over Chornomorets Odesa. In the 57th minute, he was substituted in for fellow Brazilian Jádson. On October 31, he scored his first goal for the team in a 4-1 Ukrainian Cup victory over Arsenal Kyiv. On November 6, he made his European debut in a 3-0 Champions League loss to A.C. Milan, replacing Răzvan Raţ in the 73rd minute.
He made 31 total appearances, 28 of which were in the league, and he scored 3 league goals by the end of his rookie campaign. He assisted Shakhtar in winning the Ukrainian Cup and Vyshcha Liha. They defeated Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in the 2008 Ukrainian Cup Final and by three points overall in the league.
2008–09 season
On July 15, he participated in the Super Cup triumph over Dynamo Kyiv through penalty shootout before being substituted by Brando after 46 minutes. He contributed a goal to a 3-1 Champions League victory over Dinamo Zagreb on August 27. He scored his first league goal for Shakhtar on November 1 in a 3-1 victory over Zorya Luhansk. He scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv on November 16. On April 25, he scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Chornomorets Odesa.
Willian participated in Shakhtar’s 2-1 victory over Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup Final,[16] which helped Shakhtar win the final UEFA Cup championship before the competition was renamed the UEFA Europa League. During the 2008–09 season, he made 52 appearances and scored eight goals. He scored five goals while playing in all but one league game and added another in a 4-1 victory for Shakhtar over Zakarpattia Uzhhorod in the Ukrainian Cup’s round of 16.
2009–10 season
On August 15, Willian scored his first goal of the year in a 6-1 victory over Dniester Ovidiopol in the Ukrainian Cup round of 32. On August 28, he made a cameo in the 90th minute of Shakhtar’s 1-0 extra-time loss to Barcelona in the UEFA Super Cup. Julius Aghahowa took his place. He scored the second goal in a 4-1 victory over Belgian team Club Brugge on September 17 during a Europa League group stage encounter. In 39 appearances, including 22 appearances and five league goals, he finished the season with seven goals. Shakhtar won the Ukrainian Premier League with his assistance. They had 77 points at the league’s conclusion, six more than their closest challenger, Dynamo Kyiv.
2010–11 season
Willian scored the opening goal of the campaign for Shakhtar in the Super Cup matchup against Tavriya Simferopol on July 4. In a 2-0 victory over Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, he added a second goal in the first league game of the season on July 10. On August 15, he scored in stoppage time of the first half to secure a 1-0 victory over Karpaty Lviv. On August 29, he also provided the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Illichivets Mariupol.
On March 8, he scored twice in a Champions League match between Shakhtar and Roma, which Shakhtar won 3-0 on the night and 6-2 overall to advance to the quarterfinals. On May 25, he took part in the 2-0 triumph over Dynamo Kyiv in the Ukrainian Cup Final before Alex Teixeira came on to take his place. In 43 appearances, including 23 in the league, he finished the season with eight goals and three goals. With a total of 72 points, Shakhtar defended their league championship, seven points better than Dynamo Kyiv, who finished in second place. They completed the domestic trifecta by adding the Ukrainian Cup and Super Cup victories.
2011–12 season
Willian played the whole 90 minutes the next year against Dynamo Kyiv in the Super Cup, but Shakhtar fell short 3-1. He opened the scoring in a 2-2 Champions League tie with Zenit Saint Petersburg on October 19. On March 10, he added the insurance goal in a 2-1 victory over Illichivets Mariupol. He participated fully in the Ukrainian Cup Final triumph over Metalurh Donetsk on May 6th, which ended 2-1 after extra time.
In 37 games, 27 of which were in the league, he concluded the season with six goals, including five league goals. Shakhtar won the Ukrainian Cup for the second consecutive year and the Ukrainian Premier League for the third consecutive year.
2012–13 season
Willian did not make the team for Shakhtar’s season opener in the Super Cup, which they won 2-0 over Metalurh Donetsk. Before making his first appearance of the year in a 4-0 victory over Volyn Lutsk, he had to wait until the fourth league game of the season on August 6. After 46 minutes, he took the place of goal scorer Alex Teixeira. He contributed two assists and his first goal to a convincing 5-1 win over Chornomorets Odesa on August 19. Shakhtar lost 3-2 to Chelsea in the Champions League group stage on November 7th, and Willian scored both of their goals.
Anzhi Makhachkala
Willian transferred to Anzhi Makhachkala on January 31, 2013, for an estimated sum of €35 million. He had originally intended to wear the number 10, but UEFA rules requiring players to wear numbers worn in the Champions League for the remainder of the season forced him to switch to the number 88 he had chosen at Shakhtar. Willian expressed his happiness to join Anzhi after relocating to Russia and his best wishes for Shakhtar Donetsk’s future success. Willian suffered an injury in his debut Europa League game against Newcastle United. In a 3-0 win over Volga Nizhny Novgorod on April 14, 2013, he scored his sole goal for Anzhi.
Following a financial restructuring in August 2013, Anzhi made the decision to relocate their whole team, including recently acquired Willian.
Chelsea
2013–14 season
Chelsea of the English Premier League and Willian’s transfer cost were agreed upon on August 25, 2013, subject to a work permit hearing on August 28, 2013. On August 28, 2013, the agreement became official, as Willian signed a five-year contract and was given the number 22 shirt. Willian received a work permit despite having only two caps at the time, despite standards typically requiring non-EU players to be regular internationals. An FA panel determined that if he were not a Brazilian, he would have been a regular international and so would have had more caps.
Tottenham, a rival team in London, had expressed interest in Willian before he joined Chelsea. Prior to meeting with Chelsea, he underwent a medical with Tottenham, which raised questions about which team he would ultimately sign with. Willian admits he preferred Chelsea over all other teams and would have only joined Tottenham had the deal with Chelsea fallen through.
Willian made his Champions League debut on September 18 against Basel in a 2-1 home loss. He then played in victories over Swindon Town and Steaua București in the League Cup and Champions League, respectively. On October 6, away at Norwich City, he made his league debut and scored in a 3-1 victory. On January 1, 2014, he assisted on Chelsea’s second goal in a 3-0 victory over Southampton. Willian scored in Chelsea’s 2-0 away victory over Liverpool on April 27, 2014.
2014–15 season
On September 27, Willian scored the opening goal of the new Premier League campaign in a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa. He scored his first Champions League goal for the team on November 25 against Schalke 04 in a group stage encounter in Gelsenkirchen.
On January 28, 2015, he took the free kick in the extra period of a League Cup semifinal match against Liverpool that was headed in by Branislav Ivanovi to advance Chelsea to the championship. Willian was chosen to start on March 1 at Wembley Stadium in the 2015 League Cup Final between Chelsea and Tottenham, a game that Chelsea won 2-0 to claim the cup for the sixth time.
Willian played in 36 of Chelsea’s 38 league games during the 2014–15 season, which saw the team win its sixth league championship.
2015–16 season
Willian opened the scoring on September 16 as Chelsea overcame Maccabi Tel Aviv in the team’s opening match of the Champions League group stage. Willian scored directly from a free kick. He continued to score from free kicks in the team’s following three games, including a 2-1 Champions League defeat against Porto and Premier League losses to Newcastle United and Southampton. Willian became the leading free-kick scorer in Europe for the season on November 4 when he scored Chelsea’s fifth free-kick of the year to defeat Dynamo Kyiv 2-1. Twenty days later, in a 4-0 victory against Maccabi, he scored his sixth free-kick of the campaign.
In Chelsea’s last group game against Porto on December 9, Willian scored his fifth Champions League goal of the year to secure the team’s qualification for the knockout stage as group champions. Chelsea won 2-0. His inclusion in UEFA’s top XI players of the Champions League group stage came after that.
Willian was voted Chelsea’s Players’ and Fans’ Player of the Year for the 2015–16 season on May 13.
2016–17 season
Willian penned a brand-new four-year contract on July 12. He opened the scoring in a 3-0 victory over newly promoted Burnley on August 27, 2016.
Willian scored twice as Chelsea defeated rival Tottenham 4-2 in the FA Cup semi-final on April 22, 2017, at Wembley Stadium.
2017–18 season
Willian made his 200th appearance for Chelsea on November 22 at the Baku National Stadium, when the Blues defeated Qaraba 4-0 with Willian scoring twice and winning two penalties. The victory ensured the team’s advancement to the Champions League knockout rounds. Willian’s first Premier League goal of the campaign was scored in his subsequent outing, which helped Chelsea earn a point against Liverpool at Anfield in a 1-1 draw.
2018–19 season
On September 15, Willian scored his first goal of the year to cap a 4-1 comeback victory over Cardiff City at home. Willian came on as a substitute. He had just won a penalty, which Eden Hazard converted to complete his hat trick. On January 27, Willian scored twice in his 550th club game as part of a 3-0 FA Cup victory at home over Sheffield Wednesday. His first goal for Chelsea was his 50th overall.
2019–20 season
Willian replaced Eden Hazard as Chelsea’s number 10 for the 2019–20 season in August 2019. On September 28, he netted his first goal of the year in a 2-0 home league victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. On his 300th Chelsea appearance, Willian scored the game-winning goal in the following match, a 2-1 away victory against Lille in the Champions League. On December 22, he scored twice to defeat Tottenham 2-0 away from home.
On July 1, 2020, Willian scored twice in a 2-3 league loss against West Ham United. Willian accomplished this feat by being the first player to score a Premier League goal every month of the year. In Chelsea’s subsequent league game, a 3-0 victory against Watford, Willian scored from the penalty spot for the third time in a row, giving him nine league goals overall—his greatest league total while wearing a Chelsea jersey.
Willian posted an open message about leaving the club on Twitter on August 9.
Arsenal
Willian signed a three-year contract with Premier League team Arsenal on August 14, 2020. Willian made his club debut against Fulham on September 12 and contributed two assists as Arsenal defeated Fulham 3-0. Willian scored a goal and added an assist in a 3-1 victory over Leicester City on February 28, 2021, marking his first league goal or assist for Arsenal since November 2020. In a 3-1 home league victory over West Bromwich Albion on May 9, Willian scored his sole goal for Arsenal, ensuring the Baggies’ relegation to the EFL Championship.
On August 30, 2021, Arsenal announced that Willian had left the club by mutual consent and that he would be returning to his childhood club, Corinthians. Just one year earlier, Willian had departed the club, describing it as “the worst time that he had lived as a professional”.
Return to Corinthians
Corinthians confirmed on August 30, 2021, that Willian had signed a contract to return to the team through December 20, 2023. Midway through August 2022, after complaining about virtual threats throughout his final months with the club, he canceled his contract.
Fulham
Willian signed a one-year contract with Fulham on September 1, 2022. In a 3-2 victory over Leeds United on the road, Willian scored his first goal for Fulham on October 23. His second goal, which was the first in Fulham’s historic 2-1 victory against their West London rivals on January 12, 2023, against his former side Chelsea, also marked the first time since April 1966 that Fulham had won four straight top-flight games.
Following a VAR review, Willian was shown a red card on March 19, 2023, during the FA Cup quarterfinal matchup against Manchester United, for using his hand to block a shot by Jadon Sancho. Fulham manager Marco Silva received a red card for arguing with the referee during the VAR review. And when Willian was shown a red card by official Chris Kavanagh, Aleksandar Mitrovi shoved Kavanagh, which led to Mitrovi being sent a red card as well. Although Fulham had a 1-0 lead before the red cards, they would ultimately lose 3-1 and be eliminated.
Willian re-signed a one-year contract with Fulham in July 2023, keeping him at the team through the 2023–24 Premier League season.
Willian International career
On January 7, 2007, Willian made his South American Youth Championship debut for the under-20 Brazil team against Chile. Brazil went on to win the tournament. He was also chosen for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007, but Brazil was defeated by Spain in the quarterfinals.
In a friendly game against Gabon on November 10, 2011, Willian made his senior team debut for Brazil. He scored his first goal for his country on November 16, 2013, in a 5-0 victory over Honduras in Miami, Florida
Willian was chosen on May 7th to be a part of the 23-man team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He replaced his Chelsea colleague Oscar in the second half of extra time of Brazil’s round of 16 encounter against Chile in Belo Horizonte. He took a penalty in the shootout but missed the target, advancing Brazil nonetheless.
At the 2015 Copa América, Willian assisted Roberto Firmino with his game-winning goal as Brazil defeated Venezuela 2-1 in Santiago to advance as group winners.
He was included in the 23-man list for the Copa América Centenario, which will take place in the United States, on May 5, 2016, according to Brazil manager Dunga.
He was included in Tite’s final 23-man roster for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia in May of that year.
He was unexpectedly called up on June 7th for the 2019 Copa América to fill in for the injured Neymar.
Willian Style of play
Willian is a skilled, quick, and technically gifted player who is recognized for his explosive style of play, quick feet, and acceleration. These attributes allow him to dribble past opponents quickly while maintaining close control of the ball, which is typical of Brazilian play. In attempt to fool and outwit defenders, he has also been known to perform the elastico and other feints and trickery. His great stamina, vision, and inventiveness allow him to link play between the deeper midfielders and the strikers and create goal-scoring opportunities. He primarily plays as a winger.
He demonstrated his skill at direct free-kicks during the 2015–16 season while playing for Chelsea, with practically all of his goals coming from set pieces. He increased his attacking game’s stats, earning him the title of Chelsea’s top performance for the year.
Willian Personal life
Vanessa Martins is married to Willian, an Afro-Brazilian. Manuella and Valentina are their identical twin children. needs non-primary source] Willian is a devoted Christian, like many football players from Brazil.
Willian’s name appeared in the Panama Papers in April of 2016.
Dona Zezé, Willian’s mother, passed away on October 13, 2016, at the age of 57. Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, teammates who also scored goals during the match against Premier League winners Leicester City, honored Willian and his mother with their tributes. Antonio Conte, Willian’s manager, and his teammates all made a victory-related dedication to Willian and his family.
Willian and David Luiz, a teammate, bought Babbo, an Italian restaurant in London’s Mayfair, in 2018.
Who is Willian?
Willian Borges da Silva, also known as Willian, was born to Maria and Severino da Silva in Ribeiro Pires, Brazil on August 9, 1988. While his father worked as a car parts salesman, his mother was a housekeeper.
He was raised in a typical household and strove to improve his financial situation by playing the drums. While he was growing up, Willian played various samba beats with the Brazilian drums. Since then, he has declared, “If I wasn’t a Chelsea star, I’d still be playing samba beats on my drums in Brazil.”
Willian admits with a smile that he was a lousy student and that he did not finish his education. So awful that I would ask my mother to complete my schoolwork. My decision to pursue football as a career was motivated by the realization that I wasn’t cut out for academics. He became seriously interested in football after seeing the 1998 World Cup in the hopes of one day becoming a Zinedine Zidane or a Ronaldo de Lima.
Willian began his football career with Corinthians before moving on to Shaktar Donetskt in August 2007 for a 14 million Euro transfer fee. He played with the Brazilian team for six years, putting on fantastic performances and taking home trophies including the Ukrainian Premier League.
In 2013, Anzhi Makhachkala called, and he briefly joined before making his expensive move to the English Premier League with Chelsea for 30 million Pounds. Willian won both the Premier League and the League Cup during his second year in England.
Willian made his debut for Brazil in 2011, and since then, he has played for his nation at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2015 Copa America, the Copa America Centenario, and the 2019 Copa America, which Brazil won on home soil.
Vanessa Martins and Willian are wed. Valentina and Manuella Da Silva, the couple’s two daughters, were born after their 2011 wedding in So Paulo, State of So Paulo, Brazil.
How many houses and cars does Willian have?
Willian has several homes in Brazil and one in London, England, where he lives while working in England. He owns various expensive car brands, including a Bentley and a BMW, among others.
How much does Willian make per year?
He currently earns US$6 million annually through his contract with English football team Fulham.
What investments does Willian have?
The Brazilian football player has invested in some real estate and other businesses throughout his career.
How many Endorsement deals does Willian have?
Willian has agreements with several businesses to promote their brands. These agreements, particularly those with Xbox, Nike, and Puma, are noteworthy.
How many Philanthropy works has Willian supported?
The Fulham footballer gives back to society by participating in certain humanitarian endeavors off the field. In order to combat the poverty in his native Brazil, he is a fervent supporter of the Gerando Falcoes charity effort.
How many businesses does Willian own?
Willian and David Luiz, another native of Brazil, jointly manage Babbo, an Italian eatery.
