Lucas Eduardo dos Santos João (born 4 September 1993), known as Lucas João, is a professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
forward for Turkish club
Ümraniyespor
Ümraniyespor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in Ümraniye, Istanbul.
The club has played in red-and-white kits since its formation in 1938.
Stadium
Currently the team plays at the 3,513-capacity Ümraniye Belediyesi � ...
and the
Angola national team.
After starting out at
Nacional
Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to:
Airlines
* Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002
* Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961
Bank
* Banco Nacional, a ...
, he went on to spend the vast majority of his career in the English
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
, with
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
,
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
and
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
.
Lucas João made his full debut for
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in 2015, before
changing his allegiance to
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
in 2022.
Club career
Nacional
Born in
Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
of Angolan descent, Lucas João started playing football with amateurs Beira Mar Atlético Clube Almada. In 2011 he signed with
Nacional
Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to:
Airlines
* Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002
* Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961
Bank
* Banco Nacional, a ...
, where he spent his last year as a junior.
Lucas João made his senior debut with lowly
Mirandela
Mirandela (), officially the City of Mirandela (), is a city and a municipality in northeastern Portugal. The city itself is contained by the Mirandela parish, which had a population of 11,397. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 21,38 ...
, on loan. He returned to the
Madeira
Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
ns for the
2013–14 season, making his
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...
debut on 15 September 2013 against
Arouca after coming on as a 78th-minute
substitute, in a 0–1 home loss.
Lucas João scored his first goal(s) in the top flight on 11 January 2015, his brace helping to defeat
Boavista 2–1 at home. 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
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
, agreeing to a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut in the
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
on 8 August, replacing
Atdhe Nuhiu for the last 13 minutes of a 2–0 win against
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
. He scored his first goal three days later, in a
4–1 victory over
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system.
The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
in the
League Cup, also at
Hillsborough.
Lucas João was one of three players on target on 27 October 2015 as Wednesday defeated
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
3–0 at home to reach the fifth round of the League Cup. On 30 January 2017, he moved to fellow second-tier team
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
on loan until the end of
the season.
Reading
Lucas João joined
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
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. The first goal for his new club came on his second Championship appearance, but in a 2–1 away loss to
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...
.
On 5 September 2020, Lucas João scored a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
in a 3–1 win against
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
in the
EFL Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
. He ended the
league season as the fifth highest goalscorer with 19, as the Royals missed the
playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
by one place.
On 17 May 2023, after refusing to travel with the squad for their last away fixture of
the campaign after relegation was confirmed, Reading announced that Lucas João would leave the
Madejski Stadium
The Madejski Stadium (), currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Reading, Berkshire, England. It is the home of Reading Football Club, who play in EFL League One. It also provides the ...
at the end of his contract.
Later career
Lucas João signed for
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...
club
Shanghai Port on 28 July 2023. In February 2024, having been
crowned champion,
he moved to the
Qatar Stars League
The Qatar Stars League (; abbreviated as QSL), known as Ooredoo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation wi ...
with
Umm Salal
Umm Salal (; also spelled Umm Slal) is a municipalities of Qatar, municipality in the State of Qatar.
Historic landmarks such as the Barzan Tower are located in Umm Salal.The municipal headquarters is located in Umm Salal Ali, about 10 km ...
on a short-term contract.
On 9 September 2024, Lucas João joined
Persian Gulf Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro League (, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Premier League (, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is a professional association football league in Iran and the highest level of the Iranian football league s ...
champions
Persepolis
Persepolis (; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and ...
on a one-year deal.
International career
Portugal
Lucas João won five
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
for
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
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
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. He made his debut in the former match, featuring 18 minutes in the 1–0 loss in
Krasnodar
Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...
.
Angola
In March 2022, Lucas João was selected by
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
for friendlies with
Guinea Bissau
Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to its north and Guinea to its southeast.
Guinea-Bissau was once part of the kin ...
and
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...
to be held later that month.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Angola's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lucas João goal.''
Honours
Shanghai Port
*
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...
:
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
[
Individual
* EFL Championship Player of the Month: February 2022]
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joao, Lucas
1993 births
Living people
Portuguese sportspeople of Angolan descent
21st-century Portuguese sportsmen
21st-century Angolan sportsmen
Portuguese men's footballers
Angolan men's footballers
Footballers from Lisbon
Men's association football forwards
Primeira Liga players
Segunda Divisão players
C.D. Nacional players
SC Mirandela players
English Football League players
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
Reading F.C. players
Chinese Super League players
Shanghai Port F.C. players
Qatar Stars League players
Umm Salal SC players
Persian Gulf Pro League players
Persepolis F.C. players
TFF 1. Lig players
Ümraniyespor footballers
Portugal men's youth international footballers
Portugal men's under-21 international footballers
Portugal men's international footballers
Angola men's international footballers
Dual internationalists (men's football)
Portuguese expatriate men's footballers
Angolan expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in China
Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar
Expatriate men's footballers in Iran
Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey
Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in England
Angolan expatriate sportspeople in England
Angolan expatriate sportspeople in China
Angolan expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
Angolan expatriate sportspeople in Iran
Angolan expatriate sportspeople in Turkey