Gonçalo Inácio

Gonçalo Bernardo Inácio (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɡõˈsalu iˈnasju]; born 25 August 2001) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Portugal national team.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Bernardo and the second or paternal family name is Inácio.
Gonçalo Inácio
Inácio with Sporting CP in 2021
Personal information
Full name Gonçalo Bernardo Inácio[1]
Date of birth (2001-08-25) 25 August 2001[1]
Place of birth Almada, Portugal[1]
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Sporting CP
Number 25
Youth career
2010–2012 Almada
2012–2020 Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Sporting CP 89 (6)
International career‡
2017 Portugal U17 1 (0)
2019 Portugal U18 8 (0)
2019 Portugal U19 3 (0)
2019 Portugal U20 1 (0)
2021–2022 Portugal U21 6 (1)
2023– Portugal 4 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:29, 8 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:39, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

Early life

Inácio was born in Almada, Setúbal District and raised in Seixal, a municipality located 34.2 km (21.3 mi) away. Growing up, he would play football wherever he could on the streets or in his house, and regularly attended Sporting CP matches with his father.[2]

Despite not having a particular idol, Inácio looked to emulate Jérémy Mathieu.[2]

Club career

Inácio began his career at local Almada, before moving to Sporting's academy. Prior to this, he had several trials with crosstown rivals Benfica, but ultimately decided not to join them when his father's car broke down on two occasions when he was being taken to training.[3] On 13 January 2018, he signed his first professional contract at the age of 16.[4]

Inácio had his first call-up to the first team on 6 July 2020, remaining unused in a goalless draw at Moreirense in the Primeira Liga;[5] he would initially struggle to be integrated, due to being reserved by nature, but managed to succeed with the help of manager Rúben Amorim and his teammates Nuno Mendes, Eduardo Quaresma and Tiago Tomás, whom he had befriended during his time in the youth sides.[2] He made his debut in a 2–0 away win against Portimonense on 4 October, as a 62nd-minute substitute for Zouhair Feddal.[6]

On 20 March 2021, Inácio scored his first goal, heading home from close range in the 1–0 home victory over Vitória de Guimarães.[7] On 23 January, he provided the assist for Pedro Porro in a 1–0 defeat of Braga to help his club win the Taça da Liga; his performance in the match impressed Amorim, with the player eventually surpassing Luís Neto in the pecking order.[8] He played 20 times in the domestic league for the eventual champions, ending a 19-year drought.[9]

Inácio was named defender of the month for December 2021.[10] The following 29 January, his second-half header helped his team come from behind to defeat Benfica 2–1 in the league cup final.[11] On 1 April, he agreed to an extension until 2026.[12]

International career

Inácio represented Portugal at under-17, under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels, for a total of 19 caps.[13] He was called up to the senior side by Fernando Santos on 26 August 2021, for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and the Republic of Ireland and a friendly with Qatar.[14] Four days later, however, he was dropped from the squad after picking up an injury on his left thigh.[15]

On 12 November 2021, Inácio made his under-21 debut, playing the entire 1–0 win in Cyprus in the 2023 UEFA European Championship qualifying stage.[16] He scored his first goal in the reverse fixture four days later, in a 6–0 rout in Faro.[17]

In October 2022, Inácio was named in a preliminary 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[18] His first appearance took place on 23 March 2023, when he played the entire 4–0 victory over Liechtenstein in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers which was the first game in charge of new manager Roberto Martínez.[19] On 11 September, still during that stage, he scored his first and second goals in a 9–0 home defeat of Luxembourg, Portugal's biggest win in international history.[20]

Style of play

Inácio is predominantly deployed as a central defender, but can also play as a right-back. He is noted for his anticipation, composure, decisions, positioning, tackling and passing ability, including long-range passes which enables him to break down attacks and subsequently play the ball out or start offensive plays from the back, as well as for his acceleration, agility and pace.[21][22][23]

Personal life

Inácio was a Sporting fan since he was a child, and his brother Rodrigo was born with a disability. The former considered himself a shy person who did not feel comfortable posting about himself on social media; his favourite hobbies were playing street football and the PlayStation alone or with friends.[2][24]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 26 October 2023[25]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sporting CP 2020–21 Primeira Liga 20121300 0—252
2021–22 Primeira Liga 28450417[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]0455
2022–23 Primeira Liga 331106212[lower-alpha 3]1—524
2023–24 Primeira Liga 8010003[lower-alpha 4]0—120
Total 896911332211013411
Career total 896911332211013411
  1. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
  3. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
  4. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 16 October 2023[26]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Portugal 202342
Total42
Portugal score listed first, score column indicates score after each Inácio goal.
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition[26]
1.11 September 2023Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal Luxembourg1–09–0UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
2.4–0

Honours

Sporting CP

Individual

References
  1. "Gonçalo Inácio" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  2. Almeida, Isaura (27 May 2021). ""Já não consigo ir passear o cão à rua sem se juntar uma multidão"" ["I can no longer walk the dog without gathering a crowd"]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  3. "Inácio e as duas avarias que o 'tiraram'... do Benfica: "Também não gostava de estar lá"" [Inacio and the two breakdowns that 'took him' ... from Benfica: "I didn't like to be there either"]. Record (in Portuguese). 9 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  4. Ferreira, André (13 January 2018). "Gonçalo Inácio assinou contrato profissional" [Gonçalo Inácio signed a professional contract]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  5. "Muitas novidades no onze do Sporting para o jogo com o Moreirense" [Many new faces in Sporting's XI for the game with Moreirense]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 6 July 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  6. "Inácio com estreia impetuosa" [Inácio with fiery debut]. Record (in Portuguese). 6 October 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  7. Andrade, David (20 March 2021). "Sporting subiu mais um degrau" [Sporting further up the ladder]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  8. Pereira Fernandes, Carlos (4 February 2021). "Gonçalo Inácio convence Rúben Amorim e espreita nova oportunidade" [Gonçalo Inácio convinces Rúben Amorim and waits for new chance] (in Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  9. Kundert, Tom (11 May 2021). "10 reasons why Sporting are Champions of Portugal". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  10. "Gonçalo Inácio foi o melhor jogador jovem em novembro" [Gonçalo Inácio was the best young player in November]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 December 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  11. Ribeiro, Patrick (29 January 2022). "Sporting defend their Taça da Liga title in second-half turnaround versus Benfica". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  12. "Gonçalo Inácio é Leão até 2026" [Gonçalo Inácio a Lion until 2026] (in Portuguese). Sporting CP. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  13. "Gonçalo Inácio dispensado da seleção devido a problemas físicos" [Gonçalo Inácio released by the national team due to physical problems]. Expresso (in Portuguese). 30 August 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  14. Aleixo, Mário (26 August 2021). "Otávio e Gonçalo Inácio convocados por Fernando Santos" [Otávio and Gonçalo Inácio called by Fernando Santos] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  15. "Seleção: Gonçalo Inácio dispensado por lesão" [National team: Gonçalo Inácio released due to injury] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  16. "Portugal embalado pela magia de Vitinha e a eficácia de Ramos" [Portugal propelled by Vitinha magic and Ramos efficiency]. Público (in Portuguese). 12 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  17. "Portugal goleia Chipre e lidera corrida ao Euro sub-21" [Portugal rout Cyprus and lead under-21 Euro race] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  18. "A lista de pré-convocados da Seleção para o Mundial'2022: conheça todos os nomes" [The pre-selected for the 2022 World Cup: know all the names]. Record (in Portuguese). 23 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  19. Marshall, Matthew (23 March 2023). "Ronaldo at the double as Portugal beat Liechtenstein 4–0 in the Euro 2024 qualifiers". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  20. Lemos, Pedro (11 September 2023). "Portugal 9–0 Luxemburgo (crónica)" [Portugal 9–0 Luxembourg (report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  21. "Inteligência Artificial coloca Gonçalo Inácio entre os melhores jovens centrais da Europa" [Artificial Intelligence puts Gonçalo Inácio amongst Europe's best young stoppers]. Record (in Portuguese). 18 February 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  22. Lewis, Arnold (18 August 2022). "Goncalo Inacio: Nicknamed 'The Portuguese Boss' – He's the next big defensive transfer target for elite clubs". Foot The Ball. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  23. Baioneta, Rui (19 July 2023). "Sporting-Genk: Análise individual e jogadores em destaque" [Sporting-Genk: Individual analysis and highlighted players]. A Bola (in Portuguese). Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  24. "ADN de Leão | Episódio 48: Gonçalo Inácio" [Lion DNA | Episode 48: Gonçalo Inácio] (in Portuguese). YouTube. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  25. Gonçalo Inácio at Soccerway
  26. "Gonçalo Inácio". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  27. Ribeiro, Patrick (23 January 2021). "Sporting battle their way to League Cup glory with victory over Braga". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  28. "Sporting CP win Supertaça with victory over SC Braga". Sporting CP. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
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