| Welington | |
| Fullname: | Welington Damascena Santos |
| Birth Date: | 19 February 2001 |
| Birth Place: | São Paulo, Brazil |
| Height: | 1.70 m[1] |
| Position: | Left-back |
| Currentclub: | São Paulo |
| Clubnumber: | 6 |
| Youthyears1: | –2020 |
| Youthclubs1: | São Paulo |
| Years1: | 2020– |
| Clubs1: | São Paulo |
| Caps1: | 125 |
| Goals1: | 2 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam1: | Brazil U23 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 07:21, 17 October 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 24 September 2023 |
Welington Damascena Santos (born 19 February 2001), known as Welington, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for São Paulo.
Welington played 26 matches for São Paulo under-15s, 37 matches in the under-17s and 107 matches in the under-20s. He won several trophies such as the 2018 Copa do Brasil U20 and the 2019 Copinha.[2] In the latter, he was part of the squad who shaved his head in honour of a fan of the club who had brain cancer.[3]
He was named in the professional team for the first time in December 2019 for the last match of the Brazilian Championship against CSA.[4] São Paulo won 2–1, but Welington did not make his debut.[5]
Turning professional in 2020, he made his debut on 8 March 2020, in a 1–0 defeat to Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto in the Campeonato Paulista.[6] He came on in the second half in place of Everton and suffered a fall in a head collision, but he remained on the field until the end of the match and was later taken to hospital.[7]
On 14 April, he scored his first goal as a professional in a 3–2 victory over Guarani in the Campeonato Paulista.[8] He was part of the Paulista winning squad on 23 May which won 2–0 against Palmeiras but was an unused substitute.[9] On 3 June, Welington renewed his contract until 31 December 2024.[10]
On 27 March, he scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory over Corinthians in the semi-finals of the Campeonato Paulista, helping São Paulo reach their second consecutive final.[11] On 3 April, Welington was a starter in the final, but ended up being beaten 4–0 by Palmeiras.[12]
Previously wearing the number 34 shirt, he started using the number six shirt after Reinaldo's departure.[13] After an injury suffered against Botafogo-SP in the Campeonato Paulista, he was injured again more seriously on 13 March in a match against Água Santa,[14] where he underwent ligament surgery on his left ankle.[15] After four months, he returned to training on the field for the first time in June.[16] On 19 August, Welington played his hundredth match for the club in the goalless draw with Botafogo.[17] [18]
On 4 February, he was part of the winning squad for the Supercopa Rei final against Palmeiras which ended 4–2 on penalties, after a goalless draw in normal time.[19]
On 26 July 2024, Welington signed a pre-contract with Premier League side Southampton and will join following the expiry of his contract with São Paulo in January 2025.[20]
| Club | Season | League | State league | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| São Paulo | 2020 | Série A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Série A | 16 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | Série A | 32 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 1 | ||
| 2023 | Série A | 16 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Série A | 22 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 87 | 0 | 38 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 164 | 2 | |||
2019