| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Miguel da Rocha Fonte | ||
| Date of birth | 22 December 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Penafiel, Portugal | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Southampton | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993–1994 | Penafiel | ||
| 1994–1997 | Sporting CP | ||
| 1997–2000 | Sacavenense | ||
| 2000–2002 | Sporting CP | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2004 | Sporting B | 59 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Felgueiras | 28 | (1) |
| 2005 | Vitória Setúbal | 15 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Benfica | 0 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Paços Ferreira (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | → Estrela Amadora (loan) | 25 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | → Crystal Palace (loan) | 22 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Crystal Palace | 60 | (5) |
| 2010– | Southampton | 71 | (7) |
| National team | |||
| 2006 | Portugal U21 | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:00, 18 September 2011 (GMT). † Appearances (Goals). |
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José Miguel da Rocha Fonte (born 22 December 1983 in Penafiel) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Southampton in the Football League Championship, as a central defender.
After playing for a host of teams in his country, he spent the vast majority of his career in England, where he represented Crystal Palace and Southampton.
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Fonte finished his football formation (after already having played there from ages 10–13) at Sporting Clube de Portugal,[1] but only appeared with the reserve side as a senior, in the third division. In 2004, he signed with Sport Comércio e Salgueiros but the club was in several financial difficulties and ended shortly after. As a result, he terminated his contract and transferred to F.C. Felgueiras, in the second level.
In the 2005 off-season, Fonte made his top flight debut with Vitória de Setúbal, where his performances attracted the eye of national powerhouse Sport Lisboa e Benfica, who signed him in January 2006,[1] immediately loaning him out to fellow first-division side F.C. Paços de Ferreira; he finished the season with 26 league appearances and one goal, as both Paços and Setúbal managed to maintain its division status.
Fonte spent the 2006–07 season on loan to C.F. Estrela da Amadora, still in the top division,[2] only missing five league games as the Lisbon-based club finished in ninth position.
In 2007, Fonte moved on loan to Crystal Palace in England,[3] being introduced in the side's starting XI after a run of injuries. The move was made permanent at the end of the season, as Palace finished fifth and qualified to the promotion playoffs.[4]
Fonte continued to feature regularly with the London-based club in the following Football League Championship seasons, inclusively appearing as a makeshift striker when required.
Fonte signed for Southampton on 9 January 2010, for a fee believed to be around the reion of £1.2 million, signing a three-and-a-half year contract.[5] He made his debut one week later, alongside two other recent signings, Jon Otsemobor and Danny Seaborne, in a 1–1 draw at Millwall.[6] His first goal for the Saints came on 28 August 2010, in a 4–0 away win against Bristol Rovers.[7]
After scoring six league goals and help Southampton gain promotion to the second level, Fonte was named in the League One Team of the Year for the 2010–11 season. He was also voted Southampton's Player of Year, achieving 64% of the overall vote, with Adam Lallana coming second with 18% and Dan Harding finishing third (7%).[8]
On December 29 2011, he signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2015. Southampton were top of the table when he signed, with Fonte having played in every league game.[9]
| Club | Season | League | Cup1 | League Cup2 | Europe | Other3 | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sporting B | 2002–03 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||||||
| 2003–04 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 0 | |||||||
| Felgueiras | 2004–05 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | |||||||
| Vitória Setúbal | 2005–06 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |||||||
| Paços Ferreira | 2005–06 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |||||||
| Estrela Amadora | 2006–07 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |||||||
| Crystal Palace | 2007–08 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| 2008–09 | 38 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 4 | |
| 2009–10 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| Total | 84 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 6 | |
| Southampton | 2009–10 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 2010–11 | 41 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 7 | |
| 2011–12 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Total | 82 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 91 | 7 | |
| Career total | 304 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 313 | 16 | |
Statistics accurate as of match played 1 May 2011
1. Includes Taça de Portugal and FA Cup.
2. Includes Taça da Liga and League Cup.
3. Includes other competitive competitions, including Football League Trophy.
Fonte's younger brother, Rui, is also a footballer. A forward, the two shared teams at Sporting (youth) and Crystal Palace.[11]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rickie Lambert |
Southampton F.C. player of the season 2010–11 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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