 Elkeson with China in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ai Kesen | ||
| Birth name | Elkeson de Oliveira Cardoso[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 July 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Coelho Neto, Maranhão, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2009 | Vitória | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2011 | Vitória | 47 | (7) |
| 2011–2012 | Botafogo | 65 | (19) |
| 2013–2015 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 72 | (59) |
| 2016–2019 | Shanghai SIPG | 74 | (37) |
| 2019–2021 | Guangzhou FC | 45 | (27) |
| 2022 | Grêmio | 23 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Chengdu Rongcheng | 34 | (10) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019– | China | 19 | (5) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 September 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 April 2024 | |||
Elkeson de Oliveira Cardoso, simply Elkeson and also known as Ai Kesen (Chinese: 艾克森; pinyin: Ài Kèsēn; 13 July 1989), is a professional footballer who last played as a forward for Chinese Super League club Chengdu Rongcheng. Born in Brazil, he plays for the China national team.
Starting out at Vitória, he played mostly as an attacking midfielder and as a winger, but since his final days at Botafogo, he was moved to attack and has played as a striker. Born in Brazil, Elkeson obtained Chinese citizenship in 2019 through naturalization and represents China internationally.[2]
- ^ "FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 December 2013. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013.
- ^ "Landmark move sees Elkeson named in China PR squad". The AFC. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.