Man United’s Alex Telles on how clash of heads left him with a scar

Simon Lloyd

‘The scar is now part of my identity, a reminder of my story for the rest of my life.’

Manchester United full-back Alex Telles has revealed how a sickening collision with an opponent which required surgery left him with a scar on his head.

Prior to joining United from Porto in 2020, Telles began his professional career in his native Brazil, progressing through the youth ranks at Juventude before joining Gremio while still a teenager.

How did Telles get his scar?

In 2013, when Telles was still just 19, he played for Gremio against Internacional in a Porto Alegre derby game. While contesting a high ball with Internacional’s Gabriel, a clash of heads between the pair left Telles with a broken nose and cheekbone.

Telles later underwent surgery to have metal plates inserted into his face as a result of the injuries.

Asked about the story behind his scar during an interview with Inside United, Telles said: “It was from football, when I was playing for Gremio.

“It was the Gre-Nal derby, [Manchester United teammate] Fred was playing for Inter at the time, we were rivals.

“It was a high ball and I clashed heads with an Internacional player.

“I ended up with a depressed facial fracture here at the front [points].”

Telles suffered similar injury to Raul Jimenez

Telles was asked about the injury shortly after Wolves’ Raul Jimienez had suffered a fractured skull in a head collision with David Luiz in a Premier League game with Arsenal in November 2020.

“It was a very similar injury to the one Wolverhampton’s Jimenez suffered this week,” he explained at the time. “It was a very similar situation.

“I ended up fracturing this part at the front and my nose. It was a very difficult and complicated moment for me, but I also learnt a lot whilst I was out.

“I had to have an operation on my head to reconstruct the skull bone. The scar is now part of my identity, a reminder of my story for the rest of my life.”

Telles made a full recovery from his injury in three months. He later earned a move to Europe with Turkish giants Galatasaray. After a season spent on loan at Inter Milan in 2015/16, he spent four years in Portugal with Porto.