Place of birth Porto, Portugal Number 6 Height 1.79 m Parents Joao Mario Eduardo | Playing position 2002–2004 Porto Weight 72 kg Siblings Wilson Eduardo | |
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Full name João Mário Naval da Costa Eduardo Date of birth (1993-01-19) 19 January 1993 (age 24) Current teams Inter Milan (#6 / Midfielder), Portugal national football team (#16 / Midfielder) Similar William Carvalho, Adrien Silva, Rui Patrício, Éver Banega, Gabriel Barbosa Profiles | ||
João Mário Naval da Costa Eduardo ([ˈʒwɐ̃w̃ ˈmaɾju]; born 19 January 1993) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Italian club Internazionale and the Portugal national team as a midfielder.
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He started out at Sporting in whose youth system he grew, being loaned to Vitória de Setúbal in 2014 and subsequently returning to be an important part of the squads that won major trophies, including the 2015 Portuguese Cup.
João Mário made his senior debut for Portugal in 2014. He appeared for the nation at Euro 2016, winning the tournament.
Sporting
Following a brief youth spell with local FC Porto in his hometown, João Mário moved to Sporting Clube de Portugal in 2004 at the age of 11, going on to complete his formation with the Lisbon club. On 14 December 2011 he was called for a UEFA Europa League group stage game away against S.S. Lazio, alongside youth graduates Betinho, Ricardo Esgaio, Tiago Ilori and João Carlos, as the Lions had already secured the first place in its group: he entered the pitch in the 76th minute of the 0–2 away loss, after replacing Oguchi Onyewu.
João Mário's first full season as a senior was 2012–13, as he appeared in 31 games (30 as a starter) for Sporting B in the Segunda Liga, with the team finishing in fourth position. On 8 January 2014 he was loaned to Vitória F.C. for the remainder of the campaign, starting in all but one Primeira Liga games he appeared in and being voted the league's best young player for January and February.
On 31 May 2015, again with Sporting's main squad, João Mário started in the final of the Taça de Portugal against S.C. Braga, but was substituted in the first half due to the dismissal of defender Cédric Soares, in order to bring on Miguel Lopes; Sporting eventually won in a penalty shootout.
Internazionale
On 27 August 2016, João Mário signed with Internazionale for €40 million plus €5 million in bonuses. His maiden appearance in Serie A occurred on 11 September when he played the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 success at Delfino Pescara 1936, and his first goal for the team opened a loss by the same score at home to Cagliari Calcio on 16 October.
International career
João Mário gained 77 caps for Portugal at youth level, including eight for the under-21s. He made his full international debut on 11 October 2014, replacing Cristiano Ronaldo for the final 14 minutes of the friendly against France in Paris: soon after coming on he was fouled by Paul Pogba for a penalty converted by Ricardo Quaresma, in an eventual 1–2 loss.
João Mário represented Portugal at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2015, netting the only goal of their opening group win over England as the tournament ended with a runner-up finish. He was selected by the full side for their UEFA Euro 2016 campaign, starting in the first game, a 1–1 draw to Iceland in Saint-Étienne.
Personal life
João Mário's older brother, Wilson, is also a footballer. He too graduated from Sporting's youth academy.