Alex Telles
Full name: Alex Nicolao Telles
Date of birth: 15 December 1992
Place of birth: Caxias do Sul, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Height: 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Nationality: Brazilian
Spouse: Priscila Minuzzo
Salary: 6.5 lakhs EUR (2014)

Alex Nicolao Telles (born 15 December 1992) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Porto and the Brazil national team.

Telles is highly rated in Brazil and was rewarded with a place in the 2013 Brasileirão Team of the Year.

Club career
Juventude and Grêmio
Telles was born in Caxias do Sul, a city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. At the age of eight, he began playing football with the neighbouring kids and was later enrolled to a youth academy of Esporte Clube Juventude.

Telles began his professional career with Juventude, making his debut on 24 January 2011 against São José-PA. He scored his first goal on 20 August in a 1–1 home draw against Cruzeiro.

In December, Telles was transferred to Grêmio after a partnership was established with Juventude. He made his Grêmio debut on 3 February 2013 against Internacional. On 26 May, Telles made his Série A debut, starting in a 2–0 home win against Náutico.

Galatasaray
On 22 January 2014, after long negotiations, Telles completed a move to Turkish club Galatasaray for €6 million, signing a contract that will keep him with the club until 2018. He made his debut two weeks later, starting in a 3–0 win against Tokatspor for the campaign's Turkish Cup, and made his maiden Süper Lig debut in a 3–0 home victory against Eskişehirspor on 8 February 2014. Telles made his first assist for the club against Antalyaspor in a 2–2 away game on 17 February. He also scored his first goal for Galatasaray against Akhisar Belediyespor on 8 March in a 6–1 home win.

In August 2015, there were rumours

Loan to Inter Milan
On 31 August 2015, Galatasaray agreed to let Telles join Italian club Internazionale of Serie A on a one-year loan for a €1.3 million fee, in addition to €250,000 if Inter qualify for the group stage of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League. The deal included a buyout option for €8.5 million, letting Internazionale make the move permanent when the loan deal is finished. Telles reunited with Internazionale manager Roberto Mancini in Italy, who previously coached him at Galatasaray.

He made his debut for the club on 13 September in the 2015–16 Serie A matchday 3 against city rivals Milan, playing the entirety of the match as Inter won 1–0.

Porto
On 12 July 2016, Portuguese side FC Porto announced the signing of Alex Telles for a €6.5 million fee. According to a Galatasaray press release, the Istanbul club reserved a further 10% of any added value in a future transfer deal. The following day, after signing a five-year contract, he stated: "I ambition titles, I ambition a very beautiful story. I have recently commented with my relatives that I do not want to come here in passing, I want to leave a legacy." On 12 August, in a 3–1 away win against Rio Ave, he marked his league debut and first competitive match with a poor performance and subsequent expulsion. Despite the rough start, Telles gradually cemented himself in the team's starting eleven, scoring his first goal when facing rivals Boavista in a 3–1 home victory at Estádio do Dragão.

International career
Telles also has an Italian passport, making him in the past eligible to represent Italy national team. In October 2016, Telles said that he would "welcome" a call-up from "Azzurri", adding that his great grandparents are Italian and he feels Italian. In March 2019, however, he received his first call-up to the Brazil national team. He made his debut for Brazil on 23 March 2019 in a friendly against Panama, as a starter.

Style of play
Telles is an offensive full-back and is described as a skilled, quick and playmaking defender.