Lucas Joao

Lucas Eduardo dos Santos Joao (born 4 September 1993), known as Lucas Joao, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Championship club Reading.

After starting out at Nacional, he went on to spend the vast majority of his career in the English Championship, with Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn Rovers and Reading.

Lucas Joao made his full debut for Portugal in 2015.

Club Career

Nacional

Born in Lisbon of Angolan descent, Lucas Joao started playing football with amateurs Beira Mar Atletico Clube Almada. In 2011 he signed with C.D. Nacional, where he spent his last year as a junior.

Lucas Joao made his senior debut with lowly SC Mirandela, on loan. He returned to the Madeirans for the 2013–14 season, making his Primeira Liga debut on 15 September 2013 against F.C. Arouca after coming on as a 78th-minute substitute, in a 0–1 home loss.

Lucas Joao scored his first goal(s) in the top flight on 11 January 2015, his brace helping defeat Boavista F.C. 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 Joao joined former teammate Marco Matias at English club Sheffield Wednesday, agreeing to a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut in the Football League Championship on 8 August, replacing Atdhe Nuhiu for the last 13 minutes of a 2–0 win against Bristol City. He scored his first goal three days later, in a 4–1 victory over Mansfield Town in the League Cup, also at Hillsborough.

Lucas Joao was one of three players on target on 27 October 2015 as Wednesday defeated Arsenal 3–0 at home to reach the fifth round of the League Cup. On 30 January 2017, he moved to fellow league team Blackburn Rovers on loan until the end of the season.

Reading

On 6 August 2019, Lucas Joao joined Reading on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee three days after