from the pubis injury, Alex returned in a 1–0 win over Esporte Clube Novo Hamburgo on 18 March 2006. After the match, he was voted the man of the match by the club's official website. In the second round of Libertadores, he played as a starter in a 2–1 win over Nacional. Since then, Alex has established himself as a starter and key player under coach Abel Braga. In the semi-final of Libertadores in the second leg after a 0–0 draw in the first leg, Alex scored and helped the club, ending a long-awaited place in the final of the Libertadores against São Paulo. The club won the title 4–3 on aggregate. Because of the club's winning the Copa Libertadores, the club participated in the FIFA Club World Cup. Alex suffered an injury, but eventually recovered and played an important role in the final as Internacional beat Barcelona 1–0. After the tournament, he was linked with a move to Russian club CSKA Moscow after being recommended by Paulo Paixão, but the move never happened. The next season, Alex suffered an injury to his muscles of both hips, resulting him out for two months. He recovered from the injury and was an important member of the team as he led the club winning the Recopa Sudamericana after beating Pachuca 5–2 on aggregate, which he scored on the penalty in the second leg. In the summer transfer of 2007, he was linked with an 8 million move to German side Wolfsburg, but it never happened. Among those interested was Barcelona, but they signed someone instead. Once again in December, Alex suffered a pubis injury caused by an inguinal hernia. In his final season, he chose the number 10 shirt. Manager Braga began to put Alex at the center of the field. In the Copa Sudamericana, he become a top scorer with 13 goals, along with Nilmar, and was voted the best player in the tournament. In the final of Copa Sudamericana Finals against Estudiantes, Alex scored in the penalty, giving the only goal in the game in the first-leg. In the second-leg, the club won the Copa Sudamericana again after a 1–1 draw. On 6 July 2008, Alex scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Coritiba. In the summer transfer of 2008, he was in the transfer spotlight when he was linked with a move to Spartak Moscow worth 14 million.