Alex Raphael Meschini (born 25 March 1982), simply known as Alex, is a Brazilian football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current assistant manager of Corinthians. Early career Alex was born in Cornélio Procópio, Paraná. His family are Italian descents when his grandmother on his father side came to Brazil. By the time he was one year old, his family had relocated to Itambé, and relocated again to Santa Amélia when he was seven. He has two brothers, who work in banking and agronomy respectively. At Santa Amélia, Alex spent much of his childhood playing football; he played for Atlético Pirassunungense at age nine. His family once again relocated to Campinas, São Paulo. When he was sixteen, he signed for Primavera (where he was signed by his cousin). He went on a trial to his future club Corinthians, only to be rejected. He was determined not to give up his football career. Football career Guarani Alex joined Guarani in 2000 and played his first match in a youth match against Capivari. Upon joining Guarani, he recalled "We did not have enough to eat and ended up at a club partner of Guarani in disrepair." In 2003, he made his debut in the first team match against União Barbarense. At Guarani, he quickly became a team regular, spent two seasons at 54 games and scored 7 goals. He also played left wing and was the main corner taker and as well, free kicks. Internacional Alex joined Internacional from Guarani on 11 March 2004 for a fee of 450,000 euro, signing a four-year deal. Shortly after his move, he said, "It is an honour to play at a club with four Brazilian bonds and the largest crowd of the Rio Grande". However, in August, his debut was delayed after suffering an ankle injury, resulting in being out for three months. Between 2004 and 2005, he was unable to establish himself in the first team. The following season, Alex was in hospital due to injury, and by the end of the season, the club won the title of Campeonato Gaúcho. In February, he suffered an injury to his right knee, keeping him out for four months. During a match in Libertadores Cup, he suffered an injury on his pubis. While in the first team, he played in the positions of left midfielder and second striker. After recovering