Eduardo Allax Scherpel, sometimes known as just Eduardo (born 2 July 1977) is a Brazilian professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Macaé.
Eduardo Allax played as a goalkeeper and began his career in 1998 with Portuguesa do Rio. He was noted for scoring a header while playing for Bangu over Fluminense, in the final minutes of extra time during the 2002 Campenato Carioca semifinal, however, the goal was controversially invalidated. Eduardo would score again in 2003, this time for Atlético Mineiro. He is one of the most capped goalkeepers for Náutico, playing for the club between 2006 and 2009.
Club career
Eduardo Allax made his senior debut for Portuguesa from Ilha do Governador. After a brief stint at Anápolis in 1998, he moved to Bangu, thanks to his agents and recommended by coach Alfredo Sampaio.
He was one of the top players of the Moça Bonita team during the Torneio Rio-São Paulo and the 2002 Campeonato Carioca. During the semifinals, Bangu and Fluminense were even during the 90 minutes at Maracanã, leading the game to extra time. As a tie would benefit Fluminense, Eduardo went up the field during the final moments of extra time, he would score the game-winning goal after a free kick from Zada. But match official Reinaldo Ribas invalidated the legal goal, claiming a handball foul.
The referee's decision caused many complaints from Bangu players. Eduardo Allax was sent off, there was turmoil and intervention by the military police, and in the end, the Bangu team refused to play the remainder of the match, at the behest of then president, Rubem Lopes. "The referee doesn't even know what his decision was. First he said I scored with my hand, then he went back and scored an attacking foul. There was neither one nor the other. I got knee'd on the back, the ball hit my head and got into the net ", said the goalkeeper, at the time, to a local newspaper.
Atlético Mineiro
On 15 May, Eduardo Allax signed a five-year deal with Atlético Mineiro, joining the Minas Gerais club at the end of the Campeonato Carioca. He was expected to battle for the second-string spot with Edmar, while starter Velloso was recovering from surgery on his left shoulder. Edmar ultimately was named the starter for the first league match.
Eduardo Allax makes his Galo debut on August 25, replacing Edmar during half-time of the 4-0 away win against Palmeiras. He went on to make 28 appearances during the 2002 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.
As Velloso recovers from injury, Eduardo Allax remains at the Belo Horizonte side for the following season as the second-choice keeper, managing six league appearances and keeping a clean sheet against local rivals Cruzeiro in a 0-0 draw. On 23 July, Eduardo scored the game-winning goal as Atlético-MG beat Juventude 2-1. The goal was a header in the final moments of the game, as he went up during a corner kick.
Following another shoulder injury to Velloso, Eduardo took the starting spot for the 2004 season. During the derby against Cruzeiro, in the 2004 Campeonato Mineiro finals, Eduardo got into a brawl with Cruzeiro defender Cris, which got him a 120-day suspension.
In July 2004, Eduardo Allax lost his starting position to new acquisition Danrlei, after struggling to regain form and being criticized by the fans and manager Jair Picerni. He would have another chance as a starter in the 4-0 victory over Paraná, in on 29 July, which would turn out to be his last game for Atlético.
Seeking more playing time in a big club, Eduardo Allax is loaned to Grêmio for the 2005 season, in exchange for right-back George Lucas. Despite being named the first-choice goalkeeper for the year, Eduardo was not accepted by the majority of the fans, who wanted Márcio, the previous year's starter, to take back his place. In May 2005, after only five months, Eduardo resigns from the club due to cricticism from the ultras.
Less than two weeks after leaving Grêmio, Eduardo Allax signs for Brasiliense. He makes his debut on 25 June in a 4-3 away win against Flamengo. Following a string of poor play that culminated with mistakes in two of the three goals suffered in the 2-3 defeat to Corinthians, Eduardo got benched in favour of França on October, staying out of the starting lineup for the next two league games. With the team already relegated, Eduardo was released before the last round of the championship.