João Moutinho

This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Santos and the second or paternal family name is Moutinho.
João Moutinho

Moutinho playing for Monaco in 2014
Personal information
Full nameJoão Filipe Iria Santos Moutinho
Date of birth8 September 1986
Place of birthPortimão, Portugal
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Club information
Current team
Monaco
Number8
Youth career
1996–2000Portimonense
2000–2004Sporting CP
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2003–2004Sporting B30(1)
2005–2010Sporting CP163(21)
2010–2013Porto83(4)
2013–Monaco63(3)
National team‡
2003Portugal U1715(0)
2004Portugal U185(0)
2004Portugal U194(1)
2005–2007Portugal U2117(2)
2005–Portugal77(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:41, 20 April 2015 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:45, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

João Filipe Iria Santos Moutinho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒwɐ̃w fɨˈlip iˈɾi.ɐ ˈsɐ̃tuʒ mo(w)ˈtĩɲu]; born 8 September 1986) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for AS Monaco FC in Ligue 1 and the Portuguese national team. Mainly a central midfielder he can also operate as a defensive or attacking midfielder, and on either flank.

He started his professional career with Sporting, moving in 2010 to Porto and winning 12 major titles between the two clubs combined. Four years later, he transferred to Monaco for €25 million.

Moutinho represented the Portuguese national team at two European Championships and the 2014 World Cup.

Club career

Sporting

Moutinho was born in Portimão, Algarve. After showing great promise as a boy playing for hometown club Portimonense SC, he signed with Sporting Clube de Portugal when he turned 13 to continue his football education.

During the 2004–05 pre-season, at only 17 years old, Moutinho was called by manager José Peseiro to the main squad, where he played some games and displayed some talent early on. After that, however, he returned to the junior team coached by Paulo Bento and featuring players such as Miguel Veloso and Nani, helping it win the national title that season although he was also regularly training with the first side setup.

In the beginning of 2005, Moutinho was called up for a game in the Portuguese Cup, eventually playing 20 minutes against F.C. Pampilhosa, and made his league debut on 23 January, staying in the entire 3–0 win at Gil Vicente FC and donning the #28 jersey previously worn by Cristiano Ronaldo. Based on extremely consistent displays, he wasted no time in establishing himself as a regular as he quickly grew into a polished performer, able to play in any position across a flat midfield or in a diamond formation; his box-to-box dynamism and tremendous determination quickly made him a firm fan favourite, as he rarely missed a game since becoming a first-choice player.

Moutinho's performances in the closing stages of the campaign, especially in the UEFA Cup with Man of the Match displays against Feyenoord and Newcastle United that helped the Lions reach the final of the competition, made him an automatic starter for Sporting despite his young age; he contributed with 15 league games as Sporting finished second and, during the summer, he penned a one-year extension with the club.[1]

In his first full season, Moutinho's further progress and exceptional consistency (he was the only player to play every minute of every match in the domestic league) was one of the brightest spots in Sporting's runner-up final place. Incidentally, he scored his team's final goal of the campaign, a 1–0 win over S.C. Braga to ensure a return to UEFA Champions League football for the Lisbon club.

Moutinho on the ball for Sporting in 2007

In 2006–07, following the departure of veteran Ricardo Sá Pinto, Moutinho was made vice-captain at just 19 years of age. The following season, after Custódio and Ricardo also left, he would be named captain, the second youngest in the history of the club's professional football, behind Sporting's first captain and associate founder, Francisco Stromp.

That season, with Leandro Romagnoli (an attacking midfielder) also in the starting eleven, Moutinho, more often than not, moved from his natural "behind-the-forwards" midfield role to the right flank, where he still managed to deliver impressive performances. During this season, he further established himself as somewhat of a club symbol, earning plaudits as one of the league's top players.

In 2008–09, after an aborted deal with Premier League's Everton,[2][3] Moutinho was again ever present, only missing three league matches (almost 50 presences overall) as Sporting finished once again runner-up; he also had the dubious distinction of netting his side's only goal in the Champions League round-of-16 clash against FC Bayern Munich, a 1–12 aggregate loss.[4]

Porto

Moutinho training with Porto in 2011

On 3 July 2010, Moutinho signed a five-year contract with Sporting rivals F.C. Porto, with the transfer price reaching €11 million (€1M being paid for 50% of the rights to central defender Nuno André Coelho); additionally, Sporting would receive 25% of any added value (Portuguese: mais valia) occurring during that time frame, provided it surpassed the previous value.[5][6] Sporting Chairman José Eduardo Bettencourt described Moutinho's conduct as deplorable and called him a "rotten apple", adding: "The deal was done because Sporting wanted it, because it did not want a rotten apple in its orchard, and it did not want someone who was not an example, nor dignified the flag of the club."[7] Soon after, Porto sold 37.5% of the player's economic rights to a third party, Mamers BV, for €4,125,000.[8]

Moutinho was an ever-present figure for Porto in his first season. He appeared in 50 official games as the northerners won the league and, even though he did not score in league competition, he netted twice in the campaign's Portuguese Cup, most notably in a 3–1 away win against S.L. Benfica, with his team overcoming the 0–2 home loss in the first leg to reach the final,[9] in which the player also appeared, against Vitória de Guimarães (6–2); he added another 90 minutes in the Europa League final, as the club won the treble.

On 3 August 2011, Porto partnered with Soccer Invest Fund to buy back 37.5% of Moutinho's economic rights. The private investment fund acquired 15% after the overall transactions, while Porto recouped 22.5% for €4 million;[10] the residual 15% was acquired by Porto in 2013, for €3.3 million.[11]

Moutinho scored a rare goal on 19 February 2013, helping his team to a 1–0 home win over Málaga CF for the season's Champions League round-of-16, netting from close range after an Alex Sandro cross (eventual 1–2 aggregate loss).[12] He played 43 contests during the campaign all competitions comprised (five goals, 3.515 minutes of action), as both team and player won their third consecutive league championship.

Monaco

On 24 May 2013, it was announced that Moutinho had joined French side AS Monaco FC alongside teammate James Rodríguez for a combined fee believed to be around €70 million (€25 million for Moutinho).[13] He made his official debut for his new club on 1 September, starting and setting up both goals in a 2–1 win at Olympique de Marseille which put Monaco to the top of Ligue 1.[14]

Moutinho was first-choice in his debut campaign, as the principality team finished runners-up straight out of Ligue 2. His only goal was an equaliser in a 1–1 away draw to Stade de Reims, on 29 September.[15]

On 16 September 2014, in Monaco's first Champions League match since 2005, Moutinho scored the only goal in a home defeat to Bayer 04 Leverkusen.[16]

International career

Moutinho in action against Croatia in 2013

A full Portugal international at the age of 18, Moutinho made his debut on 17 August 2005 in a 2–0 home friendly win against Egypt in Ponta Delgada.[17] Ever since the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he became a regular call-up.

On 31 May 2008, Moutinho registered his first goal for the national team in a 2–0 friendly victory over Georgia at Estádio do Fontelo in Viseu.[18] He was picked for the squad-of-23 for UEFA Euro 2008 and, in the opening game, assisted on a goal by Raul Meireles in a 2–0 victory against Turkey.[19]

He also played in two UEFA European Under-21 Championships, scoring against Germany in the 2006 edition, played on home soil,[20] as the Portuguese exited in the group stage on both occasions; additionally, although not part of the provisional 24-player list for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa,[21][22] he was named in a backup list of six players.[23]

Moutinho played all the games and minutes at the Euro 2012 tournament. In the semifinals against Spain, he missed his penalty shootout attempt, in an eventual 2–4 loss (0–0 after 120 minutes).[24]

Moutinho was selected by former Sporting boss Bento for the 2014 World Cup,[25] making his debut in the tournament on 16 June in a 0–4 group stage defeat to Germany.[26]

João Moutinho: International Goals
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 31 May 2008 Estádio do Fontelo, Viseu, Portugal  Georgia 1–0 2–0 Friendly
2 7 October 2011 Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal  Iceland 4–2 5–3 Euro 2012 qualifying

Honours

Club

Sporting
Porto

Country

Individual

Statistics

Club

As of 18 April 2015
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sporting CP 2004–05[28] Primeira Liga 15020—9[lower-alpha 2]0—260
2005–06[28] Primeira Liga 34451—4[lower-alpha 3]0—435
2006–07[28] Primeira Liga 29463—6[lower-alpha 4]0—417
2007–08[28] Primeira Liga 305617012[lower-alpha 4]11[lower-alpha 5]0567
2008–09[28] Primeira Liga 27320508[lower-alpha 4]11[lower-alpha 5]0434
2009–10[28] Primeira Liga 285424014[lower-alpha 6]2—509
Total 162212571605342025832
Porto 2010–11[28] Primeira Liga 270523017[lower-alpha 6]01[lower-alpha 7]0532
2010–11[28] Primeira Liga 29310408[lower-alpha 8]02[lower-alpha 9]0443
2012–13[28] Primeira Liga 27120528[lower-alpha 4]21[lower-alpha 10]0435
Total 834821223324014010
AS Monaco 2013–14[29] Ligue 1 3113000——341
2014–15[29] Ligue 1 32230209[lower-alpha 4]1—463
Total 633602091—804
Career total 308283993029576047847
  1. ↑ Includes Taça de Portugal, DFB-Pokal and Copa del Rey matches.
  2. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Cup
  3. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Appearances in Portuguese Super Cup
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Super Cup
  8. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League
  9. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Super Cup and Portuguese Supercup
  10. ↑ Appearances in Portuguese Supercup

International

As of 7 September 2014[30]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Portugal 200530
200620
200760
2008111
200930
201050
2011101
2012140
2013110
201470
Total722

References

  1. ↑ Sporting get more of João Moutinho; UEFA.com, 10 June 2005
  2. ↑ Everton bid for Moutinho rejected; BBC Sport, 27 July 2008
  3. ↑ Fulham sign Johnson from Everton ; BBC Sport, 7 August 2008
  4. ↑ B Munich 7–1 Sporting (agg 12–1); BBC Sport, 10 March 2009
  5. ↑ Moutinho swaps Sporting for Porto; UEFA.com, 5 July 2010
  6. ↑ "Comunicado João Moutinho" [João Moutinho announcement] (PDF) (in Portuguese). FC Porto. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  7. ↑ Bettencourt: «Maçã podre que iria contaminar o grupo» (Bettencourt: "Rotten apple that would contaminate the group"); Record, 5 July 2010 (Portuguese)
  8. ↑ "Report and consolidated accounts 2009/2010" (PDF). FC Porto. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  9. ↑ Benfica have no answer to Porto brilliance; PortuGOAL, 20 April 2011
  10. ↑ "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF) (in Portuguese). FC Porto. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  11. ↑ "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF) (in Portuguese). FC Porto. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  12. ↑ "Moutinho earns Porto the edge". UEFA.com. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "Monaco pay €70 million for Porto pair". Goal.com. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "Riviere confirms Monaco win". Sky Sports. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "Reims 1–1 Monaco". Goal.com. 29 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  16. ↑ McGee, Nicholas (16 September 2014). "Monaco 1–0 Bayer Leverkusen: Moutinho marks winning return for Monaco". Goal.com. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  17. ↑ "Postiga on target for Portugal". UEFA.com. 18 August 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  18. ↑ Portugal 2–0 Georgia: Ronaldo below par; ESPN Soccernet, 31 May 2008
  19. ↑ Portugal 2–0 Turkey; BBC Sport, 7 June 2008
  20. ↑ Moutinho misery for Germany; UEFA.com, 28 May 2006
  21. ↑ "Convocados revelados" [Squad revealed] (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  22. ↑ "Pepe in Portugal squad". FIFA.com. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  23. ↑ Release list of up to 30 players; FIFA.com
  24. ↑ "Spain survive test of nerve to reach final". UEFA.com. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  25. ↑ "Portugal World Cup 2014 squad". The Daily Telegraph. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  26. ↑ "Muller-inspired Germany thrash ten-man Portugal". FIFA.com. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  27. ↑ "Kelvin eleito atleta jovem do ano" [Kelvin voted young athlete of the year] (in Portuguese). A Bola. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 28.6 28.7 28.8 "Foradejogo profile". Foradejogo. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Soccerway profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  30. ↑ "João Moutinho". European Football. Retrieved 16 September 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to João Moutinho.