Diego Alves · Biography

Diego Alves Carreira made his first-team debut for Atlético Mineiro in the 2005 Campeonato Mineiro, in a 4-1 win over URT. He was born on 24 June 1985 in Rio de Janeiro and holds both Brazilian and Italian citizenship. He was a goalkeeper, standing 1.87 metres. He spent most of his career in the Spanish league, with Almería and Valencia, and at Flamengo, where he won two Copa Libertadores titles.

Youth years in Ribeirão Preto and Belo Horizonte

He came through the youth ranks at Botafogo of Ribeirão Preto between 2001 and 2003. In 2004 he joined Atlético Mineiro's academy. In 2005, the same year as his debut, he played for Brazil at the South American U-20 Championship in Colombia and at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands. By then he had a place in the senior squad. The Belo Horizonte club played in Série B in 2006, won it and returned to the top flight. In 2007 he added the Campeonato Mineiro, his second title as a professional.

Four seasons at Almería

On 24 July 2007 he signed for UD Almería, newly promoted to the Spanish top flight. He made his league debut on 1 December 2007 against Sevilla and was the first-choice goalkeeper for four seasons, playing 123 league matches. At Almería he began to make his name as a penalty specialist: in the 2009-10 season he saved one from Cristiano Ronaldo. In the summer of 2008 he was part of the Olympic squad that won bronze at the Beijing Games, as Renan's backup, and did not play in the tournament. Almería were relegated in 2011.

Six years at Valencia

In January 2011 Valencia agreed to sign him for around three million euros, and they presented him on 4 June that year. His first competitive game for the club came on 13 September 2011, a 0-0 draw away to Genk in the Champions League group stage. On 9 May 2015 he saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo. That made it 16 saves from 37 attempts, which equalled Andoni Zubizarreta's record for the most penalties saved in La Liga. Two weeks later, on 23 May, he suffered a serious injury to his right knee and did not play again until 13 February 2016. On 25 September 2016, in a 2-1 away win over Leganés, he moved past Zubizarreta. He left Valencia in July 2017.

Ten caps for Brazil

Mano Menezes gave him his senior debut on 10 November 2011 in a friendly against Gabon, which Brazil won 2-0. Four days later he played again, this time against Egypt. He won 10 caps between 2011 and 2017. He was named for the 2015 Copa América, but the knee injury he suffered that May forced him out. A year later he made the 23-man squad for the 2016 Copa América Centenario. Tite recalled him in June 2017 for a match against Australia.

Flamengo and two Libertadores titles

Valencia announced his transfer to Flamengo on 16 July 2017, and he made his debut on 30 July against Corinthians (1-1). In 2019 he played 62 matches as the club won the Campeonato Carioca, the Brasileirão and the Copa Libertadores. In 2020 COVID-19 and a shoulder injury cost him playing time, and for spells Hugo Souza took his place in goal. Even so, the team added another Brasileirão, the Carioca, the Supercopa do Brasil and the Recopa Sudamericana. In 2021 they won another Supercopa and another Carioca. In 2022 he played only eight competitive games, in the year Flamengo won the Copa do Brasil and their second Libertadores with him in the squad. He said goodbye to the club on 12 November 2022, on the final day of the Brasileirão, in a 2-1 defeat to Avaí.

Celta spell and retirement

On 8 February 2023 he returned to Spain and signed for Celta Vigo until the end of the season, as cover for the injured Agustín Marchesín. A knee injury prevented him from making his debut, and in April 2023 he terminated his contract without playing a single minute. In a social media post that thanked above all Atlético Mineiro and Flamengo, he announced his retirement from professional football on 21 January 2025.