João Mário (Bissau-Guinean footballer)

João Mário Nunes Fernandes (born 11 October 1993) is a Bissau-Guinean professional footballer who plays for Portuguese club Académica de Coimbra as a forward.

João Mário
Personal information
Full name João Mário Nunes Fernandes[1]
Date of birth (1993-10-11) 11 October 1993[1]
Place of birth Bissau, Guinea-Bissau[1]
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Académica
Number 7
Youth career
2010–2011 Étoile Lusitana
2012 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Benfica B 30 (2)
2013–2014 Atlético 37 (8)
2014–2017 Chaves 48 (2)
2017–2020 Académico Viseu 70 (4)
2020– Académica 8 (1)
National team‡
2011– Guinea-Bissau 10 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 8 November 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 8 October 2020

Club career

Born in Bissau, João Mário moved to Portugal to complete his development in late 2011, joining S.L. Benfica. On 11 August 2012 he made his debut as a professional, appearing as a late substitute for the reserve team in a 2–2 home draw against S.C. Braga B in the Segunda Liga.[2] 16 days later, in the same competition, he scored his first goal, contributing to a 6–0 home rout of C.F. Os Belenenses after a free kick by Miguel Rosa hit the bar and bounced back to him.[3]

In the following years, João Mário continued competing in the Portuguese second level, representing Atlético Clube de Portugal[4] and G.D. Chaves.[5] He netted once[6] from 21 matches in the 2015–16 season, as the latter club returned to the Primeira Liga after an absence of 17 years.[7]

João Mário's first match in the Portuguese top division took place on 20 August 2016, and he scored in the 1–1 draw with C.D. Tondela at the Estádio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira.[8] He only appeared in a further eight games during the campaign, in an escape from relegation.

Subsequently, João Mário returned to the second tier, agreeing to a contract at Académico de Viseu F.C. as a free agent.[9] He scored two goals in the side's semi-final run in the 2019–20 Taça de Portugal, including in a 1–1 home draw against FC Porto in the first leg of that stage.[10][11]

International career

João Mário earned his first cap for Guinea-Bissau before his 18th birthday, in a friendly in Equatorial Guinea. He scored his first goal for his country on 13 November 2019, in a 3–0 defeat of Eswatini in his hometown for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.[12]

International goals
As of 13 November 2019 (Guinea-Bissau score listed first, score column indicates score after each João Mário goal)[13]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.13 November 2019Estádio 24 de Setembro, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau Eswatini3–03–02021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

References
  1. "João Mário" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  2. "Benfica B-Sp. Braga B, 2–2: André Gomes dá empate nos descontos" [Benfica B-Sp. Braga B, 2–2: André Gomes for the draw in injury time]. Record (in Portuguese). 11 August 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  3. "Benfica B-Belenenses: Goleada na Luz (6–0)" [Benfica B-Belenenses: Routing at the Luz (6–0)]. Record (in Portuguese). 27 August 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  4. "Atlético CP: João Mário (ex-Benfica B) é reforço" [Atlético CP: João Mário (ex-Benfica B) is an addition] (in Portuguese). Agente Desportivo. 13 August 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  5. "Chaves contrata João Mário, Hugo Santos, João Reis e Paulo Monteiro" [Chaves hire João Mário, Hugo Santos, João Reis and Paulo Monteiro] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  6. "Chaves-Aves, 2–1: Triunfo caseiro com dez" [Chaves-Aves, 2–1: Home win with ten]. Record (in Portuguese). 2 December 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  7. Figueiredo, João Tiago (9 May 2016). "Um ano à espera da festa: «Somos toda uma região!»" [One year waiting for the party: «We are an entire region!»] (in Portuguese). TVI 24. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  8. "Desp. Chaves cede empate em casa com o Tondela" [Desp. Chaves allow home draw with Tondela]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 20 August 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  9. "João Mário já assinou" [João Mário has already signed]. Record (in Portuguese). 12 July 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  10. "Taça: Académico Viseu-Desp. Chaves, 1–0 (crónica)" [Cup: Académico Viseu-Desp. Chaves, 1–0 (match report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  11. Roseiro, Bruno (4 February 2020). "FC Porto empata em Viseu antes do clássico (1–1) e deixa meias da Taça de Portugal em aberto – como aconteceu" [FC Porto draw in Viseu before the classic (1–1) and leave Portuguese Cup semis up for grabs – how it happened]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  12. "Jaquité suplente utilizado na vitória da Guiné-Bissau" [Jaquité used substitute in Guinea-Bissau win]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 14 November 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  13. "João Mário – Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
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