Milan Rodrigo Ely is a youth product of Brazilian club,
Grêmio, and joined
Milan in 2012. He spent two years with the youth side before subsequent loan spells with several low tier Italian clubs.
Reggina / Varese (loan) On 24 July 2012, Ely joined
Reggina on a season-long loan. On 16 July 2013, AC Milan confirmed that they had reached an agreement for the season-long loan of Ely to
Varese.
Avellino On 21 July 2014, Ely joined
Avellino on a free transfer.
Return to Milan After impressive performances with Avellino in the 2014–15 season, Milan decided to bring him back to San Siro on 10 June 2015, where he signed new contract which will keep him at the club until 30 June 2019. Despite Ely being a free agent, Milan also paid an unknown party a €8 million fee. He made his first
Serie A game of the
2015–16 season with Milan, in a 2–0 defeat against
Fiorentina, where he received two yellow cards, thus getting sent off.
Alavés On 30 January 2017, Ely joined
La Liga club
Deportivo Alavés on loan for the remainder of the season. He made his debut for the club on 11 March, replacing
Ibai Gómez in a 2–1 away win against
Málaga CF. On 17 April 2017, Ely scored his first goal in the main category, netting his team's second in a 2–1 home win against
Villarreal CF. On 21 July, he signed a permanent four-year deal with the
Basque side.
Nottingham Forest On 2 September 2021, Ely signed a one-year deal with
EFL Championship side
Nottingham Forest as a free transfer. On 31 January 2022, it was announced that Forest and Ely had mutually agreed to terminate his contract at the club, without him having made an appearance.
Almería On 7 March 2022,
free agent Ely signed a three-month contract with
UD Almería back in Spain, with an option for a further two years.
Grêmio On 1 August 2023, Ely agreed to a two-and-a-half-year contract with his first club Grêmio, pending on medical examinations. On 30 January 2026, he terminated his link with the club.
Almería return On 2 February 2026, Ely returned to Almería on a six-month contract. == International career ==