The Statue of Alex () is a statue of the Brazilian former footballer

Alexsandro de Souza Alexsandro de Souza (born 14 September 1977), commonly known as Alex, is a Brazilian football manager, pundit and former footballer, who played as an attacking midfielder. He is the current head coach of Operário Ferroviário. Alex was a capt ...

situated in front of the

Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium (), known for sponsorship reasons as Ülker Stadium Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Sports Complex (), or simply Ülker Stadium, is a football stadium located in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul Istanbu ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey. It was unveiled in 2012.

Background

(born 1977), commonly known as Alex, played for the Turkish

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

club Fenerbahçe in

between 2004–2012 with the shirt number 10, which was entrusted to him by

Lefter Küçükandonyadis Lefter Küçükandonyadis (, ''Lefteris Antoniadis''; 22 December 1924 – 13 January 2012) was a Turkish professional footballer of Greek descent, who played as a forward. He is often recognized as one of the greatest strikers to play for Fe ...

, former Fenerbahçe footballer in the years 1947–1951 and 1953–1964, and captained the team from 2007 to 2012.

History

Organized and financed by supporter groups of the football club, a full-length sculpture depicting him was installed at

Yoğurtçu Park Yoğurtçu Park (Turkish: Yoğurtçu Parkı) is a park in Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey. The park has been used for demonstrations. Features Features of the park include: * a bust of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk * a statue of Brazilian footballer Al ...

close to

, the home ground of the football team, in

Kadıköy Kadıköy () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district on the Asian side of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 25 km2, and its population is 467,919 (2023). It is a large and populous area in the Asian si ...

district of

, Turkey. After the completion of the statue, the opening ceremony was postponed due to the ongoing court case against the club president and the members of the board of directors. On 15 September 2012 , the statue was unveiled in a ceremony attended by Alex and his family, high officials of the club and supporters. In 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include f ...

, his fans outfitted the statue with a

face mask The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect the ...

and gloves to raise awareness about protections from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Relocation

In February 2024, it was announced that the management of Fenerbahçe decided the relocation of the statue of Alex along with the

statue of Lefter Küçükandonyadis A statue of Lefter Küçükandonyadis is installed Kadıköy's Yoğurtçu Park, in Istanbul, Turkey. The sculpture was unveiled in 2009. See also * 2009 in art * List of public art in Istanbul Following is a list of public artwork that hav ...

and statue of Can Bartu from their original place at the Yoğurtçu Park to the area in front of the stadium, where a bust of Atatürk stands, and a statue of Eda Erdem, the long-year player and captain of the Fenerbahçe Women's Volleyball, was planned to be unveiled on 8 March, the

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

. In April 2024, the statueof Alex was removed from its original place, and put into storage.

References

External links

* {{Public art in Istanbul 2012 establishments in Turkey 2012 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Turkey Buildings and structures completed in 2012 Culture in Istanbul Kadıköy

Alex Alex is a given name. Similar names are Alexander, Alexandra, Alexey or Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Cook (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Forsyth (disambiguation), multiple people * Al ...

Monuments and memorials to sportspeople Outdoor sculptures in Istanbul Sculptures of men in Turkey Statues in Turkey Tourist attractions in Istanbul Statues of sportspeople