Giovane Élber


Élber de Souza, commonly known as Giovane Élber, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
A prolific goalscorer in various clubs, Élber's career was mostly spent in Germany, where he represented most notably Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich], scoring a total of 133 league goals in 260 matches for three clubs.

Club career

Born in Londrina, Paraná, Élber is a youth product of Londrina.

AC Milan

At the age of 18, he signed for AC Milan in 1990, Élber went almost unnoticed during his one-year spell with the Serie A side.

Grasshoppers

Subsequently, he moved to Switzerland Grasshoppers, initially on loan. He immediately started showing displays of offensive talent at his new club, namely in a 1992–93 UEFA Cup tie against Sporting CP where, after a 1–2 home loss, he was influential in the club's 4–3 aggregate win, scoring twice.

VfB Stuttgart

After more than 50 official goals for Grasshoppers, Élber signed with VfB Stuttgart of Germany in the 1994 summer. He scored in his Bundesliga debut, a 2–1 home win against Hamburger SV, and finished his debut season with eight goals, which would be the only campaign he netted in single digits for the following seven years.
In the 1996–97 season, Élber netted 20 official goals for Stuttgart, 17 in the league, and three in the cup, including both against Energie Cottbus in the final. At Stuttgart, he formed the so-called magic triangle with Krassimir Balakov and Fredi Bobic.

Bayern Munich

The following summer, he moved to fellow league team Bayern Munich where, save for one year, he was always crowned the club's top scorer ; additionally, he was instrumental in the conquest of four leagues, the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League, scoring in both legs in the semi-finals against Real Madrid, and the 2001 Intercontinental Cup, whilst winning the Torjägerkanone award for 2002–03 with 21 goals; the Bavarians won the double.
At the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors went to extra time, when Samuel Kuffour scored the only goal for Bayern. Immediately before, Élber brought down Clemente Rodríguez in an act that went unseen by referee Kim Milton Nielsen. Élber said in 2025 that his action was a foul and that the goal would have been disallowed by the video assistant referee if it had happened that year.

Lyon

31-year-old Élber then spent the vast majority of the 2003–04 campaign in France with Lyon, replacing compatriot Sonny Anderson who had left for Spain. In the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, he scored against his former club Bayern Munich to win 2–1 in Germany. Later on, he scored in a 2–2 draw against Porto in the quarter-finals; however, Lyon were eliminated from the competition after losing 4–2 on aggregate.
Eventually, he helped the club to the third of its seven consecutive Ligue 1 accolades, but then suffered a severe fibula and tibia injury which put him out of action for more than one year.

Borussia Mönchengladbach

He made his comeback to professional football in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach, whom he joined in January 2005.

Cruzeiro

In January 2006, after nearly 15 years of absence, Élber returned to his country, finishing his career at Cruzeiro. After an emotional announcement, he retired from the club three months before the end of 2006 [Campeonato Brasileiro Série A|the season] on 9 September, after injuries and the loss of his father.

International career

At the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, Élber scored four in six matches as the under-20s lost to hosts Portugal, on penalties.
Due to stiff competition, Élber could not translate his club form to the Brazil national team. In his first year of international play, 1998, he scored six goals in as many games, but would only collect nine more caps in the following three years.

Post-playing career

After announcing his retirement, he then returned to Bayern, where he began working for the club as a scout, searching in his country for young talents. As of 2025, he was an ambassador for the club.
Élber works as a pundit for German television station Das Erste. He provided expert analysis during the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and reappeared in this capacity during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

He is mostly referred to as Giovane Élber, which is a German variation of his Italian nickname il giovane Élber.

Career statistics

Club

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
18 February 1998Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States3–04–01998 Gold Cup
28 February 1998Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States4–04–01998 Gold Cup
314 October 1998Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, United States2–05–1Friendly
414 October 1998Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, United States4–15–1Friendly
514 October 1998Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, United States5–15–1Friendly
618 November 1998Estádio Castelão, Fortaleza, Brazil1–05–1Friendly
723 May 2000Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales1–03–0Friendly

Honours

Grasshoppers
Stuttgart
Bayern Munich
Lyon
Cruzeiro
Individual