Artur (footballer, Born 1996)

José Artur de Lima Junior (born 11 March 1996), commonly known simply as Artur, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo as a midfielder. Previously, he played in his native Brazil for São Paulo.

While with the São Paulo U20s, Artur won the Copa do Brasil Sub-20 twice and the 2016 U-20 Copa Libertadores. He appeared sparingly for the São Paulo senior team before departing the club, first on loan and then permanently to the Columbus Crew in the United States.

Club career

São Paulo

Artur came through the youth ranks at Bahia, Juventus-SC, and São Paulo before breaking into the São Paulo first team in 2016. He made his senior debut for the Tricolor on 19 June 2016, part of a 2–2 draw with Flamengo, and his performance was rated highly by the Brazilian press. However, Artur rarely made it off the bench during the rest of the Série A season, making just four total appearances, all of which were in the Campeonato Brasileiro.

Columbus Crew

After impressing against Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew SC in a preseason match, Artur signed on loan with the American side on 13 February 2017. He made his debut for the club on 4 March, a substitute appearance as part of a 1–1, season-opening draw with the Chicago Fire. Although Artur had initially appeared to be a depth signing for the Crew, sitting behind Wil Trapp, Mohammed Abu, and Tony Tchani on the depth chart, he quickly forced his way into the Columbus starting lineup. Artur missed time early in the year after undergoing surgery on his left wrist, but still would end up starting 24 times during the regular season. In the 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs, Artur appeared three times; on 31 October, in the first leg of the conference semifinals against New York City FC, he tallied his first career goal in the 58th minute of a 4–1 Crew victory. Artur finished the season with a goal and three assists in 28 total appearances. Artur and the Crew drew 0–0 with Toronto FC in the first leg of the conference final, but lost 1–0 in the second leg, with Artur missing the game due to suspension for yellow card accumulation.

Following the season, reports from Brazil claimed that São Paulo wanted Artur to return to Brazil upon the expiry of his loan; although Columbus had an option to buy's Artur's rights, he was reportedly being offered a salary raise in order to entice him to return to the Tricolor. Columbus officially picked up Artur's MLS contract option in early December, while still trying to complete a deal with São Paulo. The transfer was confirmed on 6 December 2017, with Columbus paying $1.5 million for 50 percent of Artur's rights; while São Paulo retained the remaining 50 percent. He made his second debut for Columbus on 3 March 2018 in a 2–0 victory over defending MLS Cup champions Toronto FC. Artur finished the regular season with two assists in 32 appearances, helping Columbus finish 5th in the Eastern Conference. He played every minute of the Crew's three playoff games, reaching the Conference Semifinals where they lost 3–1 on aggregate to the New York Red Bulls.

Artur was a key player for Columbus again in 2019, appearing in 30 MLS games plus both U.S. Open Cup games. It was a disappointing season for the Crew as a team, missing out on the playoffs after finishing 10th in the East.

On 18 October 2020 Artur scored his first regular season goal, helping Columbus to a 3–1 win over NYCFC. In a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Artur appeared in 22 of a possible 23 regular season games, scoring 2 goals and recording 4 assists to help the Crew to a 3rd place finish in the Eastern Conference. He started all 4 of the Crew's playoff games. On 6 December Artur scored to give Columbus a 1–0 win over the New England Revolution and advance to MLS Cup 2020. In the final, Artur played 87 minutes and helped the Crew to a 3–0 win over the Seattle Sounders, winning Columbus's second ever MLS Cup.

During the 2020 offseason, Artur had sports hernia surgery to combat the lingering issue that he had since his arrival to Columbus. He appeared in 6 of the fist 7 MLS matches and all 4 CONCACAF Champions League matches, but with Artur still playing through pain, the team decided to shut him down to rest. On August 2, 2021, two months after his last appearance, the club announced that Artur had undergone a second hernia surgery, ending his season. Columbus struggled without Artur, finishing 9th in the conference and missing out on the playoffs. The Crew did manage to win the 2021 Campeones Cup, defeating Cruz Azul 2–0.

Artur started the first 13 MLS games of the 2022 season for Columbus before missing 2 months due to a hairline fracture in his leg. He returned to the pitch on 3 August, coming off the bench in a 2–1 loss to CF Montréal. Artur ended the season with 24 appearances as the Crew finished 8th in the Conference, 1 spot and 2 points behind the final playoff spot.

Houston Dynamo

On 22 November 2022, Artur was traded to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for $300,000 in General Allocation Money. He made his Dynamo debut in the opening match of the season, playing 90 minutes in a 2–1 loss to FC Cincinnati on 25 February 2023.

Personal life

Artur's brother, Norberto, is a fellow professional footballer who plays as a right back. In September 2022, Artur became a United States citizen.

Career statistics

Honours

Columbus Crew
*MLS Cup: 2020
*Campeones Cup: 2021

References

External links

Columbus profile
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Artur
Living people
1996 births
People from Brumado
Brazilian men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
São Paulo FC players
Columbus Crew players
Houston Dynamo FC players
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
Major League Soccer players
Brazilian expatriate men's footballers
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Footballers from Bahia