Ilson Pereira Dias Júnior, commonly known as Ilsinho, is a Brazilian right midfielder who currently plays for the Philadelphia Union. Ilsinho originally started his career as a right back, but during his time at Shakhtar Donetsk he was used as a winger, where he showed off his skill and speed.
Club career
Ilsinho began his career in 2006 with Palmeiras before switching to São Paulo later in the same year to replace Cicinho, who had moved to Real Madrid. On 29 July, it was announced that Ilsinho had completed a €10 million transfer to Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, signing a four-year contract with the club until 29 July 2011. During his time in Donetsk, he became known for his dribbling skills and vision of the field. He scored the opening goal in a Champions League match against Spanish club FC Barcelona. On 9 May, Ilsinho scored a game-winning goal against Dynamo Kyiv, which won a place for Shakhtar in the final of the UEFA Cup. He contributed a great performance to the team and helped them win their first-ever UEFA Cup. He returned to Brazil after the success of the UEFA Cup win against Werder Bremen. In August 2010 Ilsinho re-signed for his old club São Paulo, taking the number 77. The Court of Arbitration for Sport later awarded Donetsk eligible to receive compensation from Ilsinho for breach of contract for about €3.6 million. In September 2011 Ilsinho moved from São Paulo to Internacional RS. Ilsinho rejoined Shakhtar in January 2012 on a three and a half year contract, accepting a much lower salary than his previous one with the club. He was assigned the number 77. His first appearance came in a 1–1 draw against Dnipro on 4 March 2012 coming on as a 64th-minute substitute for Alex Teixeira. His first start since returning to the club came in a 2–1 victory over Illichivets. He netted his first goal of his second spell with Shakhtar in a 4–0 win over Chornomorets Odesa He finished the season with 1 goal from 9 appearances, 7 of which came in the league. The 2012–13 season started well with Ilsinho coming on as a substitute in the 2–0 Super Cup victory over Metalurh Donetsk. He scored a goal in his first two league matches, the first of which came in a 6–0 victory over Arsenal Kyiv, with the second coming against Hoverla in a 3–1 win. He scored a goal in a 2–0 win against Metalist Kharkiv on 7 October. On 19 October he netted the equalising goal in a 2–1 victory against Illichivets. He left Shakhtar Donetsk upon the completion of his contract on 30 June 2015. On February 24, 2016, the Philadelphia Union announced they had signed Ilsinho on a two-year deal.
International career
On 8 March 2007, Ilsinho was called up to the Brazilian squadfor the first time for two friendlies against Chile and Ghana. He made his international debut against Ghana on 27 March 2007 as the starting right back. Ilsinho was also part of Brazil's squad for the 2008 Summer Olympics in which the team earned a Bronze medal after reaching third place. He made his debut as a substitute in Brazil 5–0 victory over New Zealand and later started in the 3–0 win over China.
