Lucas João

Lucas Eduardo dos Santos João (born 4 September 1993), known as Lucas João, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Reading.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Dos Santos and the second or paternal family name is João.
Lucas João
Personal information
Full name Lucas Eduardo dos Santos João[1]
Date of birth (1993-09-04) 4 September 1993[2]
Place of birth Lisbon, Portugal
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Playing position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Reading
Number 31
Youth career
2007–2011 Beira Mar Almada
2011–2012 Nacional
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2015 Nacional 46 (6)
2012–2013 → Mirandela (loan) 27 (12)
2015–2019 Sheffield Wednesday 112 (26)
2017 → Blackburn Rovers (loan) 13 (3)
2019– Reading 18 (5)
National team‡
2012 Portugal U20 2 (0)
2013 Portugal U21 3 (2)
2016– Portugal U23 1 (0)
2015– Portugal 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:40, 2 January 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 March 2016

Club career

Nacional

Born in Lisbon of Angolan descent,[3] Lucas João started playing football with amateurs Beira Mar Atlético Clube Almada. In 2011 he joined C.D. Nacional, where he spent his last year as a junior.[4]

Lucas João made his senior debut with lowly SC Mirandela, on loan.[5] He returned to the Madeirans for the 2013–14 season, making his Primeira Liga debut on 15 September 2013 against F.C. Arouca after coming on as a 78th-minute substitute, in a 0–1 home loss.[6]

Lucas João scored his first goal(s) in the top flight on 11 January 2015, his brace helping defeat Boavista F.C. 2–1 at home.[7] He netted a further six – seven overall – during the campaign, as his team finished in seventh position.

Sheffield Wednesday

On 31 July 2015, Lucas João joined former teammate Marco Matias at English club Sheffield Wednesday, signing a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[8][9] He made his debut in the Football League Championship on 8 August, replacing Atdhe Nuhiu for the last 13 minutes of a 2–0 win against Bristol City at Hillsborough.[10] Three days later he scored his first goal, in a 4–1 victory over Mansfield Town in the League Cup, also at home.[11]

On 27 October 2015, Lucas João was one of three players on target as Wednesday defeated Arsenal 3–0 at home to reach the fifth round of the League Cup.[12] On 30 January 2017, he joined fellow league team Blackburn Rovers on loan until the end of the season.[13]

Reading

On 6 August 2019, Lucas João joined Reading on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee three days after scoring against them at the service of Sheffield Wednesday.[14] The first goal for his new club came on his second Championship appearance, but in a 1–2 away loss to Hull City.[15]

International career

Lucas João won five caps for Portugal at youth level, including three for the under-21s. He was first called up to the full side on 6 November 2015, with manager Fernando Santos picking him ahead of friendlies against Russia and Luxembourg,[16] making his debut in the former match by featuring 18 minutes in the 0–1 loss in Krasnodar.[17]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 29 December 2019[18][19]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Nacional 2012–13 000000——00
2013–14 1600031——191
2014–15 306413010—387
Total 466416110—578
Mirandela (loan) 2012–13 271210———2812
Sheffield Wednesday 2015–16 4062042—2[lower-alpha 1]0488
2016–17 1001011——121
2017–18 3093010——349
2018–19 31101000——3210
2019–20 110000——11
Total 112267063—2012729
Blackburn Rovers (loan) 2016–17 133————133
Reading 2019–20 1750000——175
Total 1750000——175
Career Total 21552111124102022857
  1. Appearances in Championship play-offs

International
As of match played 17 November 2015[20]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Portugal 201520
Total20

References
  1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Reading" (PDF). English Football League. p. 59. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  2. "Lucas Joao". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  3. Gouveia, Ricardo (28 March 2017). "Traquinas da margem sul sempre a crescer" [Dennis the Menace of the South bank always growing] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  4. "Oito reforços na apresentação" [Eight signings in presentation]. Record (in Portuguese). 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  5. "Explodir em Mirandela" [Exploding in Mirandela]. Record (in Portuguese). 5 December 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  6. "Nacional-Arouca, 0–1: No jogo do silêncio surpresa veio no fim" [Nacional-Arouca, 0–1: Surprise came in the end in game of silence]. Record (in Portuguese). 15 September 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  7. "Nacional-Boavista, 2–1: Assistências de luxo na noite de Lucas" [Nacional-Boavista, 2–1: Deluxe assists in Lucas night]. Record (in Portuguese). 11 January 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  8. "Owls sign coveted striker Lucas Joao". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  9. "Lucas Joao: Sheffield Wednesday sign Portugal Under-21 striker". BBC Sport. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  10. "Sheffield Wednesday 2–0 Bristol City". BBC Sport. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  11. "Sheffield Wednesday 4–1 Mansfield Town". BBC Sport. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  12. Reddy, Luke (27 October 2015). "Sheffield Wednesday 3–0 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  13. "Rovers swoop for Owls striker". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  14. "Lucas João seals permanent move to Reading". Reading F.C. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  15. "Hull City 2–1 Reading". BBC Sport. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  16. "Portugal gives Ronaldo a rest, calls up newcomers for games". USA Today. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  17. "Rússia vence Portugal em Krasnodar" [Russia beat Portugal in Krasnodar] (in Portuguese). UEFA. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  18. "Lucas João". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  19. "Lucas João". Worldfootball. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  20. "Lucas João". European Football. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
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