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Willian-Corinthians-Sao-Paulo photo by SOCCER DIGITAL 

Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Willian

Willian Borges da Silva is a Brazil International who was born in 1988 in Ribeirao Pires, Brazil. His primary position is the Right Wing and he has also played in various roles, the attacking midfield wing and even sometimes as the left winger. 

He currently plies his trade at Arsenal FC. He has won the UEFA Europa League twice, once with Shakhtar, the Premier League twice as well as the FA Cup with Chelsea. He is a left footed player who stands at 1.75m. As for his stats, his total count stands at 103 goals and 136 assists out of 609 matches in his club career.

Willian had started his career at Corinthians playing in all the junior teams. During his time at the club, he wore the number 10 before joining Shakhtar Donetsk in August 2007 for a fee of €14 million. In his six years at the club, he won honours including four Ukrainian Premier League titles and the UEFA Cup (now, the Europa League) in 2009. 

In 2013, he briefly signed for Anzhi Makhachkala where he was injured for the majority of the seasons, before Anzhi had to transfer list their whole squad due to financial restructurings. He joined Chelsea for £30 million the following season, and won the Premier League and League Cup in his second season in England. He also won the UEL again with Chelsea. In 2020, Willian moved to a fellow London club, Arsenal FC, where he got three assists in his debut against Newcastle.

These are the Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Willian

1. He made his debut for Brazil in 2011 and has represented his country twice in FIFA World Cups

Willian in 2018 world cup photo by Ekaterina Laut

Willian made his debut for Brazil in 2011 and has since represented his country at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2015 Copa América, the Copa América Centenario, and the 2019 Copa América, a tournament Brazil won on home soil.

2. He has won honors including four Ukrainian Premier League titles and the UEFA Cups

Willian started his career at Corinthians, before joining Shakhtar Donetsk in August 2007 for a fee of €14 million. In his six years at the club, he won honours including four Ukrainian Premier League titles and the UEFA Cup in 2009. In 2013, he briefly signed for Anzhi Makhachkala before joining Chelsea for £30 million, winning the Premier League and League Cup in his second season in England.

3. Willian started playing for the Corinthians as his first team

Corinthians team profiled before the match against Juventude, photo by SOCCER DIGITAL

Willian started playing for the Corinthians first team, where he wore the number 10. He made five league appearances during his first season with the senior side as Corinthians finished mid-table. 

His breakthrough came with Corinthians in the following campaign, featuring in 11 league matches, scoring twice, and made 29 appearances in all competitions for the club. Although they were 13th when Willian was sold,[4] they ended up finishing 17th in the Série A and were relegated for the first time in club history.

4. He has been known for his quick feet, acceleration, and explosive style of play

Willian has been fast, agile, and technically gifted player. He has been known for his quick feet, acceleration, and explosive style of play, which allows him to dribble past opponents at speed whilst keeping close control of the ball.

Willian has a typical Brazilian style, he has also been known to pull off feints and tricks, such as the elastico, in order to confuse and beat defenders.He primarily plays as a winger,and his high stamina, vision and creativity. This enables him to link-up play between the deeper midfielders and the forwards, and create goalscoring chances.

5. His play style is very similar to that of his Chelsea successor, Mason Mount

Willian photo by Aleksandr Osipov

During the 2015–16 season, while at Chelsea, he showed his prowess at direct free-kicks, with almost all his goals coming from set pieces. He improved the statistics of his attacking game, which led many to call him Chelsea’s top performer of the season. His play style is very similar to that of his Chelsea successor, Mason Mount.

6. Willian has been a member under-20 Brazil team

As a member of the under-20 Brazil team, Willian made his debut in the 2007 South American Youth Championship against Chile in 2007, which Brazil went on to win. In 2007, he was also selected for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Spain.

7. He was named as 23-man list for the Copa América Centenario

nternational Friendly Austria – Brazil November 18, 2014: Willian photo by Ailura

 In 2016, he was named by Brazil manager Dunga among the 23-man list for the Copa América Centenario to be held in the United States. Also 2018 he was named in Tite’s final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

8. Willian made his debut for Arsenal club against Fulham

In 2020, Willian signed for Premier League club Arsenal on a three-year contract. Willian made his debut for the club against Fulham, recording two assists,as Arsenal won 3–0.

In 2021, Willian registered an assist in a 3–1 win over Leicester City in the Premier League, which was his first goal/assist contribution in the league for Arsenal since November 2020. Willian scored his only goal for Arsenal in a 3–1 home league win over West Bromwich Albion, sealing the Baggies’ relegation to the EFL Championship.

9. He scored the winning goal on his 300th Chelsea appearance

Chelsea 2 Spurs 0 Capital One Cup winners 2015 photo by (Chelsea Debs) London

In 2019, Willian became Chelsea’s new number 10 for 2019–20 season, taking over from Eden Hazard. He scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 home league win over Brighton & Hove Albion on 28 September. In the next fixture, Willian scored the winning goal on his 300th Chelsea appearance, a 2–1 away win against Lille in the Champions League.He scored a double to beat Tottenham 2–0 away from home on 22 December.

10. Willian is called the black diamond for his remarkable way of playing and achievements in football

He is Brazilian who is gifted football. He has been considered to be one of the best wingers of his generation. Willian is called the black diamond for his remarkable way of playing and achievements in football. He established himself at Corinthians, before joining Shakhtar Donetsk in August 2007.