Lucas João

Lucas Eduardo dos Santos João (born 4 September 1993), known as Lucas João, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port and the Angola national team.

In this Portuguese name, 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]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Shanghai Port
Number 18
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)
2019–2023 Reading 116 (42)
2023– Shanghai Port 5 (3)
International career‡
2013 Portugal U20 2 (0)
2013 Portugal U21 3 (2)
2016 Portugal U23 1 (0)
2015 Portugal 2 (0)
2022– Angola 4 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:54, 27 August 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:05, 30 July 2023 (UTC)

After starting out at Nacional, he went on to spend the vast majority of his career in the English Championship, with Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn Rovers and Reading.

Lucas João made his full debut for Portugal in 2015, before changing his allegiance to Angola in 2022.

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 signed with 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 to 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, agreeing to 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.[10] He scored his first goal three days later, in a 4–1 victory over Mansfield Town in the League Cup, also at Hillsborough.[11]

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

Reading

Lucas João joined Reading on 6 August 2019, 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 2–1 away loss to Hull City.[15]

On 5 September 2020, Lucas João scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 win against Colchester United in the EFL Cup.[16] He ended the league season as the fifth highest goalscorer with 19, as the Royals missed the playoffs by one place.[17]

On 17 May 2023, after refusing to travel with the squad for their last away fixture of the campaign after relegation was confirmed,[18] Reading announced that Lucas João would leave the Madejski Stadium at the end of his contract.[19]

Shanghai Port

Lucas João signed for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port F.C. on 28 July 2023.[20]

International career

Portugal

Lucas João won five caps for Portugal at youth level, including three for the under-21s.[21][22][23] 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.[24] He made his debut in the former match, featuring 18 minutes in the 1–0 loss in Krasnodar.[25]

Angola

In March 2022, Lucas João was selected by Angola for friendlies with Guinea Bissau and Equatorial Guinea to be held later that month.[26][27]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 12 August 2023[28][29]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Nacional 2012–13 Primeira Liga 000000——00
2013–14 Primeira Liga 1600031——191
2014–15 Primeira Liga 306413010—387
Total 46641611000578
Mirandela (loan) 2012–13 Segunda Divisão 271210———2812
Sheffield Wednesday 2015–16 Championship 4062042—2[lower-alpha 1]0488
2016–17 Championship 1001011——121
2017–18 Championship 3093010——349
2018–19 Championship 31101000——3210
2019–20 Championship 110000——11
Total 112267063002012729
Blackburn Rovers (loan) 2016–17 Championship 133————133
Reading 2019–20 Championship 1960000——196
2020–21 Championship 39190013——4022
2021–22 Championship 24100000——2410
2022–23 Championship 3472000——367
Total 116422013000011945
Shanghai Port 2023 Chinese Super League 3200———32
Career Total 31287141137102034295
  1. Appearances in Championship play-offs

International
As of match played 17 June 2023[30]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Portugal 201520
Angola 202241
Total61
Scores and results list Angola's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lucas João goal.
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetititon
1.27 March 2023Estádio 11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola Ghana1–01–12023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification[30]

Honours

Individual

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. "Reading 3–1 Colchester United". BBC Sport. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  17. "Ivan Toney wins the Sky Bet Championship Golden Boot award". English Football League. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  18. Howson, Dom (9 May 2023). "Noel Hunt hits out at former Sheffield Wednesday striker Lucas Joao after Reading no-show". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  19. "New deals offered as contracts come to their conclusion". Reading F.C. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  20. "官宣·安哥拉中锋卢卡斯·若昂正式加盟上海海港足球..." (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  21. "Sub-20: Hugo Guedes e Lucas João estreiam-se na convocatória" [Under-20: Hugo Guedes and Lucas João selected for the first time]. Record (in Portuguese). 12 March 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  22. Ruela, João (14 August 2013). "Ivan Cavaleiro arrasa Suíça com "hat-trick"" [Ivan Cavaleiro crushes Switzerland with hat-trick]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  23. "Portugal-Polónia, 6–1" [Portugal-Poland, 6–1]. Record (in Portuguese). 10 September 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  24. "Portugal gives Ronaldo a rest, calls up newcomers for games". USA Today. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  25. "Rússia vence Portugal em Krasnodar" [Russia beat Portugal in Krasnodar] (in Portuguese). UEFA. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  26. "Seleção angolana realiza dois particulares em solo português" [Angolan national team to hold two friendlies on Portuguese soil]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 15 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  27. "Junior and Yiadom on WC brink; Joao receives Angola call". Reading F.C. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  28. "Lucas João". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  29. "Lucas João". Worldfootball. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  30. Lucas João at National-Football-Teams.com
  31. Earnshaw, James (11 March 2022). "Reading FC's Lucas Joao wins Championship Player of the Month". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
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