| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aílton José Almeida | ||
| Date of birth | 20 August 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Hematita, Itabira, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | APOEL | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2004 | Atlético Mineiro | 0 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Örgryte | 63 | (26) |
| 2007–2010 | Copenhagen | 93 | (21) |
| 2010– | APOEL | 37 | (8) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 October 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Aílton José Almeida (Portuguese pronunciation: [a.ˈiwtõⁿ]; born 20 August 1984 in Hematita, Santa Maria de Itabira, Minas Gerais), simply known as Aílton, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for APOEL in the Cypriot First Division.
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He came to F.C. Copenhagen from Swedish Örgryte IS on 1 January 2007 for 22 million Danish kroner,[1] which is the transfer record for a Danish club. Both F.C. Copenhagen and Brøndby IF struggled for Almeida's signature,[2] but after some hesitation from Brøndby IF, he ended up at F.C. Copenhagen.[3]
Scoring in his only second game for F.C. Copenhagen against Brøndby IF in one of the New Firm matches, he was considered a new star and a start of a new era for the club, which for many years had suffered from the lack of goals from the strikers, however, he did not manage to follow up his performance, and was subsequently placed on the bench as a substitute. On 15 April 2007, Ailton scored on a bicycle kick in F. C. Copenhagens 4–2 win over OB,[4] which led to many people thinking he's breakthrough finally was about to come, but yet again, and had to see himself become a substitute.
After the winter break in the 2007–08 season Aílton got a chance in the Danish Cup quarterfinals, where F.C. Copenhagen was to face Næstved BK. He scored a goal in the beginning of the second half following an assist from his countryman José Júnior.
In the beginning of the 2008–09 season he has been playing regularly, becoming an important member of the starting line-up and the attacking play, however, he still has trouble finding the net. He however started against FC. Midtjylland on 16. November 2008 and scored two goals. And he scored again against Man City in a European match home at Parken.
With one game left of the 2008–09 season he has scored 11 goals in the league and four goals in the cup, being influential in securing the cup and the league titles.
Language problems:
After playing 3 years in Sweden, Ailton Almeida had become somewhat fluent in the Swedish language, which is fairly similar to the Danish language. As a result of this his first ever interview with Danish television was made in Danish. Ailton Almeida accidentally said that he was looking forward to be playing for the biggest club in Sweden.
On 28 July 2010, Ailton signed a three-year contract with APOEL. He made his debut on 5 August 2010 against FK Jablonec for the UEFA Europa League 3rd qualifying round. He scored his first goal with APOEL on 26 August 2010 against Getafe CF for the UEFA Europa League play-off round, in a match which ended 1–1 after extra time. Ailton had a very good first season with APOEL. He played in all championship matches and scored important goals, helping his new club to win the 2010–11 Cypriot First Division. So, after the three championship titles which he won with F.C. Copenhagen, he won his fourth consecutive championship title, this time with APOEL. He was voted by Cyprus Football Association as the player of the season (MVP) 2010–11 in the Cypriot First Division.
He started 2011-12 season in fine form, scoring 4 goals in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds that helped APOEL to qualify for the UEFA Champions League Group stage. In the first group stage match against Zenit Saint Petersburg on 13 September 2011, he scored the winner on 75 minutes as his side came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory. On 19 October 2011, he scored the equaliser on 19 minutes as APOEL snatched a 1-1 draw at FC Porto. He followed up that success by scoring from the spot in his side's 2-1 victory over FC Porto in the reverse encounter in Nicosia, taking his season tally to three in the group phase and seven overall in the competition.
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