Aílton José Almeida: Record breaker and skill master

When Aílton José Almeida secured a September switch to Russian Premier League side Terek Grozny not many people on this side of the world would have taken note. However, as the fantastic video below demonstrates, fans of Russian football were purring at the thought of the highly talented Brazilian turning out each week in Grozny’s colours.

Firstly Almeida is certainly a record breaker having moved to Danish side F.C. Copenhagen for a record fee for a Danish club, before being purchased by APOEL for a club record fee of €700,000. He broke even more records with his recent transfer switch after APOEL received a record fee for a Cypriot club of €2.2 million, making almost a 300% profit from their initial outlay. Not many footballers can boast breaking records after three successive transfers.

Almeida carved out his initial reputation with Danish side F.C. Copenhagen winning the Danish Superliga three times and the Danish Cup once in the process. Almeida’s first season with the club mostly passed him by however this must be expected with a Brazilian moving to a new European league. He hurdled his initial problems to become a key figure in Copenhagen’s first team once scoring against Manchester City in a UEFA Cup match in 2008. He finished the season with 11 league goals and took his career to the next level by helping Copenhagen reach the knockout phase of the 2009-10 season Europa League.

His career reached dizzying new heights after his summer switch to APOEL in 2010 where he played in every league match in his first season to help APOEL secure the Cypriot First Division and was nominated as the league’s player of the season. The 2011-12 saw APOEL and Almeida break onto the Champions League scene where both had an impressive tournament. Almeida scored 7 goals overall in the competition, including the winner against Zenit and the equaliser against FC Porto.

It was no wonder to see Almeida secure a switch to one of Europe’s fastest growing leagues. Whilst he may not have made a splash the size of Samuel Eto’o or Hulk created his technique and flair will be greatly appreciated and showcased in a league with more exposure. And with Terek Grozny currently (and somewhat surprisingly) sitting second in the league it may only be a matter of time before he graces the European stage once again.

Tomos Llewellyn