Felipe Augusto Santana (; born 17 March 1986), known as Felipe Santana, is a Brazilian former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
.
Club career
Figueirense
Having started his football career at
Figueirense since 1996 and progressed through the club's youth system, Santana made his professional football debut for Figueirense, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 win against
Paraná on 24 September 2006. On 18 November 2006, he made his second appearance of the season, in a 2–0 win against
Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; ), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo n ...
. At the end of the 2006 season, Santana made two appearances in all competitions.
At the start of the 2007 season, Santana began to establish himself in the first team place, playing in the centre–back position. On 3 July 2007, he scored his first goal of his professional career, in a 2–1 win over
Cruzeiro. Two weeks later on 14 July 2007, Santana scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 win over
Paraná. Twelve days later on 26 July 2007, he scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw against
Corinthians. Santana helped the club keep four consecutive clean sheets between 4 October 2007 and 21 October 2007. At the end of the 2007 season, he went on to make thirty–six appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
In the opening game of the 2008 season, Santana scored a brace, in a 5–5 draw against
Portuguesa, in what turned out to be his only appearance of the season.
Borussia Dortmund
On 16 May 2008, Santana joined
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
club
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
, with a fee in the region of €2,000,000 and signed a five-year deal. Upon joining the club, Borussia Dortmund's sports manager
Michael Zorc
Michael Zorc (born 25 August 1962) is a German former footballer who played as a central midfielder.
Nicknamed "Susi" in his early days because of his long hair, he spent his entire career with Borussia Dortmund, appearing in 572 competitive mat ...
said about the match: "It doesn't cost one, but also not three million euros. He's a player like
Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen, Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association foo ...
's
Naldo Naldo may refer to:
* Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues (born 1982), Brazilian football defender
* Edinaldo Gomes Pereira (born 1988), Brazilian football defender
* Marinaldo dos Santos Oliveira (born 1990), commonly known as Naldo, Brazilian footballer
...
. Maybe even a little more aggressive."
Having appeared in the substitute bench in the first two months of the 2008–09 season, Santana made his debut for the club, starting a match and played 67 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–0 loss against
Udinese
Udinese Calcio (; "Udinese Football") is a professional football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sport ...
in the first leg of the UEFA Cup first round. However, Borussia Dortmund were eliminated from the tournament after losing on penalties in the return despite coming back from 2–0 down to equalise. Three days later after making his debut for the club, he made his league debut against
Hoffenheim on 21 September 2008 and scored his first goal in a 4–1 loss. This was followed up by scoring his second goal for Borussia Dortmund, in a 3–0 win over
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
. After missing the next six matches due to injury, Santana returned to the starting line–up against
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a German professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The club currently plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German footb ...
on 15 November 2008 and scored his third goal for the club, in a 4–0 win. Following this, he regained his first team place, forming a centre–back partnership with
Neven Subotić
Neven Subotić (Serbian Cyrillic: Heвeн Cубoтић, ; born 10 December 1988) is a former professional association football, footballer who played as a centre-back.
Subotić made his professional debut in 2007 for 1. FSV Mainz 05. In the fo ...
for the rest of the 2008–09 season. Santana then helped Borussia Dortmund keep four consecutive clean sheets between 18 April 2009 and 9 May 2009. During which, he scored his fourth goal for the club, in a 4–0 win against
Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher Sport-Club Mühlburg-Phönix e. V., better known as Karlsruher SC, is a Football in Germany, German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of Germa ...
. In his first season at Borussia Dortmund, Santana made twenty-three appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2009–10 season, Santana continued to regain his first team place, forming a centre–back partnership with Subotić. In a match against
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...
on 12 September 2009, he was at fault when his mistakes led
Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller (; born 13 September 1989) is a German professional Association football, footballer who plays for club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder or a second striker. Widely regarded as one o ...
scoring Bayern Munich's fourth goal of the game, as the club lost 5–1 on 12 September 2009. As a result, Santana was dropped to the substitute bench between 19 September 2009 and 31 October 2009, though he started two times for Borussia Dortmund. He returned to the starting line–up against
Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen, Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association foo ...
on 8 November 2009 and helped Borussia Dortmund draw 1–1. Following this, Santana found himself in and out of the starting line–up, competing in a centre–back position with
Mats Hummels
Mats Julian Hummels (; born 16 December 1988) is a German former professional Association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. Known for his well-timed tackles, accurate long passes from the back, aerial ability and strength, he is r ...
and Subotić throughout the 2009–10 season. At times, he rotated into the starting line–up when either of Hummels and Subotić were absent from the squad. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Santana went on to make twenty–seven appearances in all competitions.
At the start of the 2010–11 season, Santana found himself placed on the substitute bench, as
Mats Hummels
Mats Julian Hummels (; born 16 December 1988) is a German former professional Association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. Known for his well-timed tackles, accurate long passes from the back, aerial ability and strength, he is r ...
and Subotić were continued to be Borussia Dortmund's first choice centre–backs by Manager
Jürgen Klopp
Jürgen Norbert Klopp (; born 16 June 1967) is a German football executive and former Manager (association football), manager and Football player, player. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Klopp has been ...
. On 22 September 2010, he made his first appearance of the season against
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute, in a 5–0 win. As a result, Santana found his playing time, mostly coming from the substitute bench. He made his first start of the season, starting the whole game, in a 0–0 draw against
rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
, Schalke 04 on 4 February 2011. Santana later made four more starts for the club later in the
2010–11 season. His contributions to the club saw them win the league for the first time since 2002 after they beat
Nürnberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the largest city in Franconia, the second-largest city in the German state of Bavaria, and its 544,414 (2023) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany. ...
2–0 on 30 April 2011. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he went on to make thirteen appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Santana said in an interview that he wanted to leave Borussia Dortmund and doesn't want to stay at the club to be on the substitute bench. But Borussia Dortmund's sport manager Zorc said the player will not be leaving the club. At the start of the 2011–12 season, Santana formed a centre–back partnership with Hummels against rivals, Schalke 04 in the
DFL-Supercup
The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup or ''German Super Cup'' is a one-off association football, football match in Germany that features the winners of the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal. The competition is run by the Deutsche Fußball Liga (E ...
and played 120 minutes in a 0–0 draw, as Borussia Dortmund lost 4–3 in the penalty shootout. He then started with Hummels in the first two league matches against
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), or HSV (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its Association football, football department. Though the current HSV was founde ...
and Hoffenheim. However, Santana suffered ankle injury that saw him recovered, but saw him placed on the substitute bench, with Hummels and Subotić continued to be the club's first choice centre–backs. He made his UEFA Champions League debut against
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
on 1 November 2011 and came on as an 86th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 win. Three weeks later on 23 November 2011, Santana made his first UEFA Champions League start, in a 2–1 loss against
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. Three days later on 26 November 2011, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against rivals, Schalke 04. Following Subotić's injury, Santana started in the next five matches by the end of the year until he suffered an injury during a match against
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg (), is a Football in Germany, German professional football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions ...
on 17 December 2011 and was substituted in the 71st minute, as Borussia Dortmund won 4–1. After the match, it was announced that Santana was out for one month with the injury. After returning from injury, Santana continued to remain on the substitute bench, as he continuously found it hard to dispatch Hummels and Subotić, as well as, another injury. Despite this, Santana's contributions at the club win a double:
the league
''The League'' is an American television sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football l ...
, and
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...
. At the end of the 2011–12 season, he went on to make seventeen appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Following this, Santana had his contract extended with Borussia Dortmund, keeping him until 2014.
Prior to signing a new contract ahead of the 2012–13 season, Santana said that he had thought about leaving Borussia Dortmund, due to continuously being on the substitute bench. Santana was linked a move to
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the B ...
, but his advisor Volker Struth denied the move from happening. At the start of the 2012–13 season, he continued to be placed on the substitute bench.
Santana made his first appearance of the season, starting the whole game, in a 3–0 win against
FC Oberneuland
FC Oberneuland Bremen von 1948 is a Football in Germany, German association football club from the Oberneuland quarter of Bremen, founded on 13 April 1948 in the local inn ''Zum Dorfkrug'' as ''Fußball-Club Oberneuland von 1948''. In addition to ...
in the first round of the DFB–Pokal. As part of Klopp's rotation plan, he was given an opportunity to get more playing time, making a number of starts in the absence of first choice centre–backs, Hummels and Subotić, However, this left Santana unsatisfied with the role, due to his hopes of playing in the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
in his homeland country, Brazil. He scored his first Bundesliga goal in three years, in a 5–0 win over Werder Bremen on 19 January 2013. The second half of the season saw Santana receiving a handful of first team opportunities and formed a centre–back partnership with either Hummels and Subotić. On 3 March 2013, he scored the first UEFA Champions League goal in a 3–0 victory over
Shakhtar Donetsk
Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk () is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club that was based in the city of Donetsk until 2014 when, due to the War in Donbas (2014–2022), War in Donbas, the club was forced to move to Lvi ...
in the second leg of the last 16 with a header directly from a corner to advance to the next round. After the match, Manager Klopp praised Santana's performance. A month later on 9 April 2013, he scored a goal in the last minute against
Málaga
Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
on 9 April 2013 to win the tie with Borussia Dortmund progressing to the semi-finals. They went on to reach the final of the UEFA Champions League to face Bayern Munich, but lost 2–1. After the match, Santana said the club should not have been disappointed with their progression, but he stated his desire to leave the club in order to get first team football. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Santana went on to make thirty–one appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
Since leaving Borussia Dortmund, Santana has been critical of
Jürgen Klopp
Jürgen Norbert Klopp (; born 16 June 1967) is a German football executive and former Manager (association football), manager and Football player, player. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Klopp has been ...
, describing him as "stupid". In response, the club's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke expressed anger towards him, calling him unprofessional. Despite being critical towards Klopp, Santana described leaving Dortmund for Schalke as a "hard decision", due to the
rivalry
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
between two clubs.
Schalke 04

On 28 May 2013,
FC Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as Schalke 04 (), and abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional sports club from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its football team, ...
confirmed that Felipe Santana had signed a contract with them until 30 June 2016, with the transfer fee was reported by media as €1,000,000 at the time.
Upon joining the club, he was assigned the number 5 shirt, previously worn by
Marcelo Bordon.
Schalke 04 were monitoring Santana's situation three months before making a move.
He made his debut for the club, playing the whole game, in a 4–0 loss against
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian language, Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth-largest city in the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony, on the river Aller (Germany), Aller east of Hanover and west of Berlin.
Wolfsburg is famous as the locat ...
on 17 August 2013. In a match against
PAOK
PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...
in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League play–off round, Santana started the whole game and helped Schalke 04 beat the opposition team 3–2 to advance to the group stage. Since joining the club, he found himself in and out of the first team, competing a place in the centre–back position. Santana then helped Schalke 04 keep three consecutive clean sheets between 15 December 2013 and 26 January 2014. This was followed up when he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win over Wolfsburg on 1 February 2014. However, Santana suffered a torn muscle fibre while training and this sidelined him out a month. He didn't make his return to the first team against Eintracht Frankfurt on 11 April 2014, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute, in a 2–0 win. However, in a match against
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...
on 3 May 2014, Santana was sent–off for a second bookable offence, as Schalke 04 won 2–0 to qualify for the UEFA Champions League
next season. At the end of the 2013–14 season, he went on to make twenty–six appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
At the start of the 2014–15 season, Santana's first appearance of the season came on 18 August 2014 against
Dynamo Dresden
Sportgemeinschaft Dynamo Dresden e.V., commonly known as SG Dynamo Dresden or Dynamo Dresden, is a German association football club based in Dresden, Saxony.Grüne, Hardy (2001). Enzyklopädie des deutschen Ligafußballs 7. Vereinslexikon. Kasse ...
in the first round of the DFB–Pokal and set up Schalke 04's first goal of the game, as the club lost 2–1. However, during a 1–1 draw against
Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...
on 30 August 2014, he suffered a tore his muscle bundle in the 81st minute and was substituted as a result. After the match, it was announced that Santana would be sidelined for weeks. It wasn't until on 22 November 2014 when he made his return to the starting line–up against Wolfsburg and helped Schalke 04 win 3–2. However, his return was short–lived when Santana suffered a thigh injury that kept him out for weeks. But he made his return to the first team, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 2–1 win against
SC Paderborn on 17 December 2014. By the time Santana was loaned out for the rest of the 2014–15 season, he went on to make six appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Santana was linked with a move to
Köln
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
and agreed with a move. However, the move failed after he failed a medical and stayed at Schalke 04 without making an appearance. Following this, Santana was told by the club's management that he can leave Schalke 04, as they have no future for him.
Olympiacos (loan)
It was announced on 30 January 2015 that Santana left Schalke 04 to sign for
Super League Greece
The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...
side
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
on loan for the rest of the 2014–15 season. It was previously hinted that he could be leaving the club with a suitable offer.
He made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win over
Atromitos on 4 February 2015. This was followed up by helping Olympiacos keeping two clean sheets in the next two league matches against
PAOK
PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...
and
Ergotelis. However, Santana found himself placed on the substitute bench for the rest of the 2014–15 season. Despite this, his appearances for Olympiacos saw the club win the league. Having made eight appearances in all competitions, he returned to his parent club after Olympiacos did not opt to sign him on a permanent basis.
Kuban Krasnodar
On 11 January 2016, Santana signed a contract with the
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League (RPL; , ''Rossiyskaya premyer-liga''; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is a professional association football league in Russia and the highest level of the Russian football league system. It was establis ...
side
FC Kuban Krasnodar.
The contract was due to expire in the summer of 2018.
Upon joining Kuban Krasnodar, Santana revealed that
Ari and
Kevin Kurányi played a role when they persuaded him to play in Russia.
Santana made his Kuban Krasnodar debut on 5 March 2016, in a 1–0 loss against
Rubin Kazan
FC Rubin Kazan (; ) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the Russian Premier League. Founded in 1958, Rubin played its first-ever top flight season in 2003. It has remained there through the 2021–2 ...
. Having played in the centre–back position, he began to play in the defensive midfield position. However, Santana was unable to help the club survive relegation in the
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League (RPL; , ''Rossiyskaya premyer-liga''; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is a professional association football league in Russia and the highest level of the Russian football league system. It was establis ...
. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he went on to make twelve appearances in all competitions. Following this, Santana left Kuban Krasnodar in the summer after his contract expired. He acknowledged his struggle to settle in Russia, having to fail to understood the language.
Atlético Mineiro
On 21 December 2016, Brazilian club
Atlético Mineiro
Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to:
Sports Teams Athletico
*Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy
*Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...
confirmed the signing of Santana for two seasons. He was previously linked with a move to
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...
side
Braga
Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...
but the move was broken down. Santana also went on trial at his former club, Figueirense.
He made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against
Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; ), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo n ...
in the opening game of the season. Santana has been involved in a number of first team matches for the next two months, playing in the centre–back position. He scored his first goal for Atlético Mineiro, in a 2–2 draw against
Sport Recife on 22 June 2017. However, Santana was plagued with injuries that affected his season. At the end of the 2017 season, he went on to make fourteen appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2018 season, Santana said he's prepared to face new competitions in the defence. However, his contract was mutually rescinded on 25 April 2018. During his one year and four months at the club, Santana made 29 appearances and scored one goal.
Chapecoense
On 10 July 2020, it was announced that
Chapecoense signed Santana until on 30 December 2020, ending his two years spell as a free agent.
Having not appeared in the first team for the next three months, he made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 3–1 win against
Sampaio Corrêa on 20 November 2020. His involvement in the first team since December saw Chapecoense promoted to the Série A after a 2–1 win against Figueirense on 12 January 2021. At the end of the 2020 season, Santana went on to make nine appearances in all competitions.
Following this, he reflected on winning the promotion to Série A, saying: "I opted for Chapecoense, for the affection shown, first, and for the time they would give me. I didn't know that we would achieve goals as we did. Not only access, but the Santa Catarina title, too. When I signed with Chapecoense, they were very bad in Santa Catarina, in the sticking zone, and a rebirth of eighth started, playing against the first and becoming champion. It gave us fuel to start the Brazilian on the right foot. I played two games, but in the first one I didn't know how I would react, since I had not played for two years, only training very hard. Everything went well, then the defender came back, respecting the hierarchy, I went back to the bench and, when the injury came, I started to have a sequence that only put me on the launch pad. And the more games I received, the more I improved. I hope to continue this." After weeks of speculation over his future at the club, Santana signed a contract extension with Chapecoense for another season.
Playing style
Santana is known for his strength, agility and aerial ability in defence.
Santana was described in his early 20s by Brazilian
expert
An expert is somebody who has a broad and deep understanding and competence in terms of knowledge, skill and experience through practice and education in a particular field or area of study. Informally, an expert is someone widely recognized ...
s as a "rising star".
His defensive skills and his understanding of the game on the
football pitch
A football pitch or soccer field is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is ty ...
led to comparisons with
defenders
Lilian Thuram
Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien (; born 1 January 1972) is a French author, Philanthropy, philanthropist and former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender. Widely regarded as one of the g ...
,
Lúcio
Lucimar Ferreira da Silva (born 8 May 1978), commonly known as Lúcio, is a Brazilian former professional association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. A tall and physically strong defender who excelled in the air, he is regard ...
,
and
Naldo Naldo may refer to:
* Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues (born 1982), Brazilian football defender
* Edinaldo Gomes Pereira (born 1988), Brazilian football defender
* Marinaldo dos Santos Oliveira (born 1990), commonly known as Naldo, Brazilian footballer
...
.
Atlético Catarinense
Being for a year without a team, in January 2023, Santana signed a contract with Atlético Catarinense.
Personal life
Santana has stated that his mother is the "most important person" and support in his life.
Though born in Brazil, Santana said he has settled in Germany, and applied for a
German passport. In addition to speaking Portuguese, Santana speaks German, having learnt the language during his time in the country.
In November 2009, Santana and his teammate
Lucas Barrios
Lucas Ramón Barrios Cáceres (; born 13 November 1984) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a forward. Barrios is known for his effectiveness in the target area. This earned him his nickname ''La Pantera'', which means ...
were diagnosed with
H1N1 (Swine flu) virus that saw the pair being quickly vaccinated. In April 2014, Santana and his then teammate
Sead Kolašinac were reprimanded and fined by
Jens Keller and manager
Horst Heldt after they were caught attending a nightclub at 3am.
Santana is a motorcycle enthusiastic, saying: "Motorcycling is therapy for me. Out and about for hours, with friends, recently we were in a beautiful corner in the Sauerland. Splendid. This is my world. I can laugh and cry under the helmet."
He also said about representing the
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
national team, but acknowledged that due to the strong competitions in the national team squad, it was unlikely to happen.
His performance at Schalke 04 led Der Westen to question his performance and wondered why Santana would recommend himself to be in the squad for the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
.
Career statistics
Honours
Club
Borussia Dortmund
*
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
:
2010–11,
2011–12
*
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...
:
2011–12
*
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
runner-up:
2012–13
Olympiacos
*
Superleague Greece
The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repl ...
:
2014–15
*
Greek Football Cup
The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...
:
2014–15
Atlético Mineiro
*
Campeonato Mineiro
The Campeonato Mineiro is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. It is run by the Minas Gerais Football Federation (FMF).
The history of Campeonato Mineiro can be divided into two parts: bef ...
:
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
Chapecoense
*
Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (commonly referred to as the Brasileirão Série B, the Série B or the Brazilian Série B to distinguish it from the Italian and the Ecuadorian Serie B), and currently officially called Brasileirão Série B ...
:
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santana, Felipe
Living people
1986 births
Brazilian men's footballers
Men's association football central defenders
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
Campeonato Brasileiro Série B players
Bundesliga players
Super League Greece players
Russian Premier League players
Figueirense FC players
Borussia Dortmund players
FC Schalke 04 players
Olympiacos F.C. players
FC Kuban Krasnodar players
Clube Atlético Mineiro players
Associação Chapecoense de Futebol players
Brazilian expatriate men's footballers
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Expatriate men's footballers in Russia
Footballers from Rio Claro, São Paulo
21st-century Brazilian sportsmen