Elkeson

Elkeson
Ai Kesen
Elkeson with China in 2019
Personal information
Full name Ai Kesen
Birth name Elkeson de Oliveira Cardoso
Date of birth (1989-07-13) 13 July 1989
Place of birth Coelho Neto, Maranhão, Brazil
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
2001–2009 Vitória
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2011 Vitória 47 (7)
2011–2012 Botafogo 65 (19)
2013–2015 Guangzhou Evergrande 72 (59)
2016–2019 Shanghai SIPG 74 (37)
2019–2021 Guangzhou FC 45 (27)
2022 Grêmio 23 (3)
2023–2024 Chengdu Rongcheng 34 (10)
Total 360 (162)
International career
2019–2024 China 19 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 September 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 April 2024
Elkeson
Chinese艾克森
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinÀi Kèsēn

Elkeson de Oliveira Cardoso, simply Elkeson and spelled in Mandarin as Ai Kesen (Chinese: 艾克森; pinyin: Ài Kèsēn; 13 July 1989), is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in Brazil, he played for the China national team.

Starting out at Vitória, he played mostly as an attacking midfielder and as a winger, but since his final days at Botafogo, he was moved to attack and has played as a striker. Born in Brazil, Elkeson obtained Chinese citizenship in 2019 through naturalization and represents China internationally.