Willian arrives to be a technical reference and one of the most experienced players at Grêmio, coached by Mano Menezes. He was developed at Corinthians, where he excelled before being transferred to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2007.
In his long career, Willian played in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and was champion of the 2019 Copa América in Brazil. In England, he became the South American with the most appearances in the world's top football league, with 327 matches.
This European club was his gateway
During his five years at the Ukrainian club, Willian showed such value that he attracted interest from Russian club Anzhi, while also catching the attention of the Premier League. From there, he moved to Chelsea in 2013, playing for the Blues for seven seasons, where he made history by becoming a two-time Premier League champion and winning the Europa League in 2019.
He moved to rivals Arsenal in 2020, with Corinthians featuring again in his career the following year. In August 2022, he returned to the Premier League to play for Fulham, helping Marco Silva's team to their best league campaign in 10 years.
From the London club, he played for Olympiacos in Greece, before briefly returning to the Cottagers. Now Willian returns to Brazil to try and help Grêmio climb out of an uncomfortable 13th place in the Brasileirão, three points from the relegation zone.
