ÃÂlber de Souza (born 23 July 1972), commonly known as Giovane ÃÂlber, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
A prolific goalscorer in various clubs, ÃÂlber'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, ÃÂlber is a youth product of Londrina.
At the age of 18, he signed for AC Milan in 1990, ÃÂlber went almost unnoticed during his one-year spell with the Serie A side.
Subsequently, he moved to Switzerland Grasshoppers, initially on loan. He immediately started showing displays of offensive talent at his new club, namely in a 1992âÂÂ93 UEFA Cup tie against Sporting CP where, after a 1âÂÂ2 home loss, he was influential in the club's 4âÂÂ3 aggregate win, scoring twice.
After more than 50 official goals for Grasshoppers, ÃÂlber signed with VfB Stuttgart of Germany in the 1994 summer. He scored in his Bundesliga debut, a 2âÂÂ1 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 1996âÂÂ97 season, ÃÂlber netted 20 official goals for Stuttgart, 17 in the league, and three in the cup, including both against Energie Cottbus in the final (2âÂÂ0 win). At Stuttgart, he formed the so-called magic triangle (German: Magisches Dreieck) with Krassimir Balakov and Fredi Bobic.
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 (Carsten Jancker prevented that honour); additionally, he was instrumental in the conquest of four leagues, the 2000âÂÂ01 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 2002âÂÂ03 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, ÃÂlber brought down Clemente RodrÃÂguez in an act that went unseen by referee Kim Milton Nielsen. ÃÂlber 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.
31-year-old ÃÂlber then spent the vast majority of the 2003âÂÂ04 campaign (played four matches with Bayern) in France with Lyon, replacing compatriot Sonny Anderson who had left for Spain. In the 2003âÂÂ04 UEFA Champions League, he scored against his former club Bayern Munich to win 2âÂÂ1 in Germany. Later on, he scored in a 2âÂÂ2 draw against Porto in the quarter-finals; however, Lyon were eliminated from the competition after losing 4âÂÂ2 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.
He made his comeback to professional football in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach, whom he joined in January 2005.
In January 2006, after nearly 15 years of absence, ÃÂlber returned to his country, finishing his career at Cruzeiro. After an emotional announcement, he retired from the club three months before the end of the season on 9 September, after injuries and the loss of his father.
At the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, ÃÂlber scored four in six matches as the under-20s lost to hosts Portugal, on penalties.
Due to stiff competition, ÃÂlber 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.
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.
ÃÂlber 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.
He is mostly referred to as Giovane ÃÂlber, which is a German variation of his Italian nickname il giovane ÃÂlber ("the young ÃÂlber").
Grasshoppers
Stuttgart
Bayern Munich
Lyon
Cruzeiro
Individual