Zé Welison

José Welison da Silva (born 11 March 1995), known as Zé Welison, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Fortaleza.

Vitória
Born in São Pedro, Rio Grande do Norte, Zé Welison joined Vitória's youth setup in 2011, from ABC. At the former, he won the Copa do Brasil Sub-20 in 2012, and was promoted to the first team in the 2014 season.

Zé Welison made his senior debut on 23 January 2014, starting and scoring his team's third in a 3–1 Copa do Nordeste away win against Confiança. On 26 February, he renewed his contract until the end of 2018.

Zé Welison was named in the Best XI of the 2014 Campeonato Baiano, and was elected the Best Newcomer of the tournament. He made his Série A debut on 19 April, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 away loss against Internacional.

Zé Welison scored his first goal in the top tier on 27 April 2014, netting his team's second in a 2–2 home draw against Atlético Paranaense. He was a regular starter during his first season, as his side suffered relegation, but subsequently suffered injuries which kept him out for several months of competition.

Atlético Mineiro
On 28 June 2018, Zé Welison joined Atlético Mineiro on loan for the remainder of the season. The following 7 January, he transferred to the club on a permanent basis, signing a five-year contract.

Regularly used during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns, Zé Welison was deemed surplus to requirements at Galo after the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli.

International career
Zé Welison was a part of the Brazil under-20 side that won the 2014 Panda Cup in China. In that year, he also featured for the under-21s in some friendlies.

Honours
Vitória
 * Campeonato Baiano: 2016, 2017
 * Copa do Brasil Sub-20: 2012

Atlético Mineiro
 * Campeonato Mineiro: 2020

Fortaleza
 * Copa do Nordeste: 2022, 2024
 * Campeonato Cearense: 2022, 2023

International
Brazil U20
 * Panda Cup: 2014

Individual

 * Campeonato Baiano Team of The Tournament: 2014
 * Campeonato Baiano Best Newcomer: 2014