Zeca (footballer, born 1994)

Born in Paranavaí, Paraná, Zeca joined Santos' youth setup in 2006, aged 11.[2] In 2007, Zeca joined the youth setup of América-SP.[3] He returned to Santos in 2009 at the age of 15.[3] On 19 February 2014 he renewed his link with Peixe until 2018.[4]

On 9 March 2014 Zeca made his first-team debut, coming on as a late substitute for fellow youth graduate Emerson Palmieri in a 4–1 home win over Oeste in a Campeonato Paulista match.[5][6] He made his Série A debut on 11 May, playing the entire second half in a 2–0 away win against Figueirense.[7][6] Zeca ended his first season with the first team with 15 Série A matches, as Santos finished 9th in the table. He also made 2 appearances in the Copa do Brasil, helping Santos reach the semifinals, along with 1 appearance in the Campeonato Paulista.[6]

At the start of the 2015 campaign, Zeca was rarely used by managers Enderson Moreira and Marcelo Fernandes, playing just 4 times across all competitions under them.[8] He was nearly loaned to the Columbus Crew of MLS in July, but newly appointed manager Dorival Júnior convinced Zeca to stay, giving him a chance in the first team.[9][10][11] Zeca ended the season with 22 appearances and 4 assists in Série A play, helping the Peixe finish 7th.[12][8] He made 10 appearances in the Copa do Brasil as Santos reached the final, where they lost to Palmeiras 4–3 on penalties.[8] Zeca made 3 appearances in the 2015 Campeonato Paulista to help Santos win their 21st state league title.[8]

Zeca in action for Santos in 2016

On 31 March 2016 Zeca scored his first professional goal, netting his team's first in a 4–1 Paulistão home routing of Ferroviária.[13][14] His first goal in the Brasileirão came on 12 June, the first of a 2–0 win at Santa Cruz.[15][14] In Série A play, Zeca scored 3 goals from 31 appearances as Santos finished runners-up, 9 points off first place Palmeiras.[14][16] In the 2016 Campeonato Paulista, he made 18 appearances and scored 1 goal to help the Peixe defend their title.[14] His strong performances during the tournament saw him named to the Paulistão Team of the Year.[17] He also made 4 Copa do Brasil appearances during the season.[14]

On 18 November 2016, after establishing himself as an undisputed starter, Zeca extended his contract until December 2020.[18][10]

He made his Copa Libertadores debut on 9 March 2017, starting in a 1–1 away draw against Sporting Cristal.[19][20] In April Zeca had surgery on his left meniscus, causing him to miss over a month.[21][22] On 28 May, in his 3rd game back from injury, he was subbed off early in the second half of a 1–0 loss to Cruzeiro due to swelling in his left knee and pain in his left calf.[21][22][23] On 3 August he returned after missing 2 months, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 win over Flamengo.[20] Zeca ended the 2017 season with 14 appearances and 1 assist in Brasileirão play to help Santos finish 3rd. He made 11 appearances in the Campeonato Paulista and 6 in Copa Libertadores, helping the Peixe reach the quarterfinals in both competitions.[20]

On 26 October 2017, after altercations with Santos supporters at São Paulo–Congonhas Airport and threatening graffiti was painted on the walls of the Vila Belmiro,[24] Zeca took a legal action against Santos by alleging a delay of payments.[25] He would not make another appearance for Santos during the 2017 season. Despite being granted the right to represent another club on 1 December, Santos appealed to stop the departure of the player on a free transfer.[26]

On 23 April 2018, Zeca signed with Sport Club Internacional as part of a swap deal that saw Eduardo Sasha's loan to Santos made permanent. Zeca signed a contract with Internacional until 30 June 2022, with Santos maintaining 50% of his rights and Internacional keeping 50% of Sasha's rights.[27][28][29] On 12 May, Zeca made his Internacional debut, starting as a central midfielder in a 0–0 draw against bitter rivals Grêmio.[30] During his first season in Porto Alegre, Zeca made 19 appearances and had 1 assist to help Internacional finish 3rd in the Série A table.[30]

During the 2019 season, Zeca played in 20 Série A matches as Internacional finished 7th in the standings. In the Campeonato Gaúcho, he made 9 appearances to help Inter reach the final, where they fell to Grêmio in a penalty shoot-out. In the Copa Libertadores, Zeca made 6 appearances as Inter reached the quarterfinals. He appeared in 2 of Internacional's Copa do Brasil matches, helping them reach the final, where they lost to Athletico Paranaense 3–1 on aggregate.[31]

On 15 January 2020, Zeca was loaned to Série A club Bahia for the 2020 season as part of a deal that saw fellow full-back Moisés go on loan in the opposite direction.[32][33] He made his Bahia debut on 19 February, coming off the bench in a 2–0 win over CSA in a Copa do Nordeste match.[34] On 16 November he scored his first goal for Bahia to give Tricolor a 2–1 win against Coritiba in a Série A match.[34] Zeca ended the season with 1 goal from 11 Série A matches as Bahia finished 14th in the table. In the Campeonato Baiano, Zeca made 5 appearances to help Bahia reach the final, where they won their 49th state league title after defeating Alagoinhas Atlético Clube on penalties. He made 2 appearances in the Copa do Nordeste as Tricolor reached the final, where they lost to Ceará 4–1 on aggregate.[34]

On 9 March 2021, Zeca reached an agreement with Internacional to have his contract terminated.[35]

On 9 March 2021, Zeca signed with Série B side Vasco da Gama on a contract running through the 2021 season plus a team option for 2022[36][37] Zeca made his Vasco debut on 18 March, playing the full match in a 1–1 draw against Caldense in a Copa do Brasil match.[38] He scored his first goal for the club on 27 March in a 2–2 draw with Madureira in a Campeonato Carioca match.[38] Zeca made 29 appearances and had 3 assists in Série B play as Vasco finished 10th.[39] He made 11 appearances, scored 1 goal, and had 1 assist in the Campeonato Carioca, helping Vasco win the Taça Rio.[40] He also made 6 appearances in the Copa da Brasil as Vasco da Gama reached the round of 16.[40]

On 6 December 2021, Vasco da Gama declined Zeca's contract option for 2022.[41]

On 10 February 2022, Zeca signed with Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo.[42] He made his Dynamo debut on 5 March, coming off the bench in a 1–0 loss at Sporting Kansas City.[43] He ended the regular season with 20 appearances, 12 starts, and 1 assist as the Dynamo finished 13th in the Western Conference, missing out on the playoffs.[43] He also made an appearance in the Open Cup.[1] Following the season, Houston declined Zeca's contract option.[44]

On 10 May 2023, a Public Ministry of Goiás spreadsheet and text messages obtained by O Globo suggested that Colorado Rapids player Max Alves had connected Zeca with an organization in 2022 that would later be investigated in the 2023 Brazilian football match-fixing scandal by prosecutors in Goiás state, Brazil.[45][46] According to the O Globo report, on 8 October 2022 Zeca was supposed to take part in match fixing in a Dynamo match against LA Galaxy for the organization.[45][46] Zeca did not play in the match,[47] and was not named in the official Goiás investigation.[46]

On 20 January 2023, Zeca signed with Série B side Esporte Clube Vitória.[48][49] He made his debut for Vitória on 21 January, scoring a goal in a 1–1 draw against Santa Cruz in a Copa do Nordeste match.[50]