Giovane Élber

Brazilian striker who starred for Bayern Munich and won the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League.

Giovane Élber de Souza (born 23 July 1972), commonly known as Giovane Élber, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Quick Facts

Full name: Élber de Souza
Born: 23 July 1972
Birthplace: Londrina, Brazil
Height: 1.82 m / 6 ft
Position: Striker
Total caps: 389
Total goals: 205

Lore & Background

A prolific goalscorer in various clubs, Élber's career was mostly spent in Germany, where he represented most notably Bayern Munich (six full seasons), scoring a total of 133 league goals in 260 matches for three clubs. Born in Londrina, Paraná, Élber is a youth product of Londrina. At the age of 18, he signed for AC Milan in 1990, going almost unnoticed during his one-year spell. He then moved to Switzerland's Grasshoppers, initially on loan.

After more than 50 official goals for Grasshoppers, he signed with VfB Stuttgart in 1994. In the 1996–97 season, he netted 20 official goals for Stuttgart, forming the 'magic triangle' with Krassimir Balakov and Fredi Bobic. He moved to Bayern Munich the following summer, where he was instrumental in winning four leagues, the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, and the 2001 Intercontinental Cup. He then spent most of the 2003–04 campaign with Lyon, helping them to the Ligue 1 title.

After a severe fibula and tibia injury, he made a comeback with Borussia Mönchengladbach in January 2005. In January 2006, he returned to Brazil with Cruzeiro, retiring on 9 September after injuries and the loss of his father.

Reader's Guide

Élber is a retired striker known for his time at Bayern Munich. He scored 133 Bundesliga goals across three German clubs. He won the Torjägerkanone award for 2002–03 with 21 goals. After retirement, he returned to Bayern as a scout and later as an ambassador. He also works as a pundit for German television station Das Erste.

Did You Know?

Élber scored in both legs of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid.
He won the DFB-Pokal with both Stuttgart (1996–97) and Bayern Munich (1997–98, 1999–2000, 2002–03).
At the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, Élber scored four goals in six matches.
He is mostly referred to as Giovane Élber, a German variation of his Italian nickname 'il giovane Élber' ('the young Élber').