Jonathan Cícero Moreira (born 27 February 1986), sometimes known as just Jonathan, is a Brazilian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He also holds

Italian citizenship Italian nationality law is the law of Italy governing the acquisition, transmission and loss of Italian citizenship. Like many continental European countries it is largely based on ''jus sanguinis''. It also incorporates many elements that are ...

. During his Italian career, he was ironically nicknamed ''Divino Jonathan'' (Italian for “Divine Jonathan”).

Club career

Cruzeiro

Jonathan made his professional debut in the Campeonato Brasileiro for Cruzeiro against

Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football ...

in a 6–2 away defeat on 19 December 2004. He scored his first goal as professionist against

Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-auth ...

in a 3–0 away win on 25 August 2007.

Santos

In December 2010, Jonathan signed with

Santos Santos may refer to: People *Santos (surname) *Santos (DJ) (born 1971), Italian DJ *Santos Benavides (1823–1891), Confederate general in the American Civil War *Santos Balmori Picazo (1899–1992), Spanish-Mexican painter * Santos (footballer, ...

for €2 million (with Cruzeiro retained 50% registration rights). Santos paid €1.2 million to acquire 30% while Santos's investment partner Terceira Estrela Investimentos S/A (TEISA) acquired 20% for €800,000. He signed a 4-year contract with €15 million release clause. He won Campeonato Paulista and Copa Libertadores with Santos.

Inter Milan

On 13 July 2011, it was announced that Jonathan would leave Santos to train with

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...

giants

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter i ...

, pending the finalization of the transfer. Two days later, on 15 July, he officially became an Inter player, signing a four-year contract. Jonathan made his Inter debut on 11 September 2011 in week two of

2011–12 Serie A The 2011–12 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM after its headline sponsors) was the 110th season of top-tier Italian football, the 80th in a round-robin tournament, and the second since its organization under a league committee separate from ...

, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–3 away loss to

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for it ...

. Three days later Jonathan made his Champions League debut, playing the entire match on Matchday 1 against Turkish side

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...

in a 0–1 loss at the

San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums ...

Loan to Parma

In January 2012, Moreira moved to Parma on loan until the end of the season where he established himself as the team's regular right wing-back. He debuted with the club on 28 January, coming on as a substitute at half time in place of

Brandão Brandão (), in English sometimes ''Brandao'' (without the obligatory tilde), is a Portuguese language surname or given name and a place name. It may refer to: Places * Bueno Brandão, Brazil * Caldas Brandão, Brazil * Milton Brandão, Brazil ...

in a 1–1 draw against Catania. He scored his first goal with Parma on 11 April 2012 in a 2–0 win at

Stadio Ennio Tardini Stadio Ennio Tardini, commonly referred to as just Il Tardini, is a football stadium in Parma, Italy, located near the centre of Parma, between the town centre and the city walls. It is the home of Parma Calcio 1913. The stadium was built in 1 ...

against newly promoted

Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is ...

. He helped Parma to finish the season in 8th place.

Return to Inter

After playing for Parma in the final round, Moreira returned to Milan and was included in the 20-men squad to Indonesia and playing in both exhibition matches. In the playoffs for the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

, he played the two legs against

Hajduk Split Hrvatski nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split () or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979 ...

. On 17 April, Moreira scored his first goal for the Nerazzurri in the second leg of the

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity ...

's semi-final in

against

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

. The match ended 2–3 for the visitors with Jonathan scoring Inter's first goal after a back heel assist by

Tommaso Rocchi Tommaso Rocchi (; born 19 September 1977) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as striker. He spent a large part of his career with Lazio and is the club's sixth highest goalscorer of all time, three behind Bruno Giordano. A ...

. On 21 April, Jonathan assisted Tommaso Rocchi for the only goal of the match against

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

, which was scored in 82nd minute, salvaging the club's hopes for qualifying for Europe. At the end of the season, Inter finished

2012–13 Serie A The 2012–13 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 111th season of top-tier Italian football, the 81st in a round-robin tournament, and the 3rd since its organization under a league committee separate from Serie B. ...

in a disappointing 9th place, which meant they failed to qualify for either

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

for the first time since 1999-2000. For this disappointing position, Stramaccioni was sacked and replaced by

Walter Mazzarri Walter Mazzarri (; born 1 October 1961) is an Italian former footballer and head coach, most recently in charge of Serie A club Cagliari. After a 14-year playing career with Italian clubs including Reggiana and Empoli, Mazzarri coached several ...

, where Jonathan secured a more regular place at starting lineup. On 18 August 2013, in the opening match of the 2013–14 season, against

Cittadella Cittadella ( vec, Sitadeła) is a medieval walled city in the province of Padua, northern Italy, founded in the 13th century as a military outpost of Padua. The surrounding wall has been restored and is in circumference with a diameter of around ...

in third round of

, Jonathan scored his first goal of the season after he beat goalkeeper

Raffaele Di Gennaro Raffaele Di Gennaro (born 3 October 1993) is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Gubbio. Club career Inter Milan Di Gennaro was the starting goalkeeper for Inter Milan U19, who ended up winning the NextGen Series and th ...

with a header, following a cross from

Fredy Guarín Fredy Alejandro Guarín Vásquez (born 30 June 1986) is a Colombian former professional footballer. A versatile player, he was comfortable as a central, defensive or right midfielder. He started his career with Envigado, then had a short spell ...

. Inter won the match 4–0. In first match of the new season in

, Jonathan assisted the first goal of

Yuto Nagatomo is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a full back for Japanese club FC Tokyo and the Japan national team. A graduate from the Meiji University, Nagatomo started his professional career with FC Tokyo in 2007, quickly establishin ...

in a 2–0 win over against

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of t ...

, helping the team to make a fine start. In second match on 1 September, Jonathan made his second assist of the season by providing the pass for

Rodrigo Palacio Rodrigo Sebastián Palacio Alcalde (; born 5 February 1982) is a Argentine basketball player and former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is the son of José Ramón Palacio, a historic player of Club Olimpo during the 1980s. ...

opening goal of the 3–0 away win against Catania. On 26 September, Jonathan scored his first league goal with Inter in a 2–1 win at San Siro against

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...

, giving his team the advantage in the 83rd minute after a powerful shot from inside the box. One month later, Jonathan scored the opener in a 4–2 win over newly promoted

Hellas Verona Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as Hellas Verona or simply Verona, is a professional Italian football club based in Verona, Italy, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won the Serie A Championship in 1984–85. Hi ...

, that was ruled out as an own-goal. Jonathan scored for the second time in Serie A, netting the equalizer in a 1–1 away draw against

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

on 24 November. Jonathan continued his fine form, supplying his third assist of the season in a 3–3 draw against

at the San Siro, assisting Rodrigo Palacio in the 44th minute of the match.

Fluminense / Athletico Paranaense

On 14 September 2015, Jonathan returned to Brazil and signed for

Fluminense Fluminense Football Club (), known as Fluminense, is a Brazilian sports club best known for its professional football team that competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the first tier of Brazilian football and the Campeonato Carioca, t ...

until the end of the following year. On 22 December 2016, he moved to

Atlético Paranaense Club Athletico Paranaense (commonly known as Athletico and formerly known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded on March 26, 1924. The team ...

International career

Jonathan has represented Brazil at under-17 level, playing in

2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship, was the tenth edition of FIFA U-17 World Championship. It was held in the cities of Helsinki, Tampere, Lahti and Turku in Finland between 13 and 30 August 2003. Players born after 1 January 1986 could particip ...

. Brazil reach in final where Jonathan played full 90 minutes and helped ''Seleção'' beat

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

in a 1–0 win. Jonathan has never been capped at senior level for Brazil, which leaves the door open for either a Brazilian or Italian call-up.

Career statistics

Honours

Club

Cruzeiro *

Campeonato Mineiro Campeonato Mineiro is the state football league of the state of Minas Gerais and is controlled by the Minas Gerais Football Federation FMF (Federação Mineira de Futebol). The history of Campeonato Mineiro can be divided into two parts: befo ...

: 2006, 2008, 2009 Santos *

Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the FPF, the league is contested between 16 clubs and ty ...

: 2011 *

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

: 2011 Athletico Paranaense *

Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, named as ''Copa Sudamericana'' (; pt, Copa Sul-Americana ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club competition in South American fo ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

* J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil ( en, Brazil Cup) is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça d ...

International

;Brazil *Copa dos Campeões do Mundo Sub-17: 2002 *

FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fédératio ...

: 2003

Individual

* Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year:

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

* Bola de Prata: 2009 * Troféu Telê Santa (Best Right Back): 2008, 2009

References

External links

* *
centralbrasileiro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreira, Jonathan 1986 births Living people Brazilian footballers Brazil youth international footballers Brazilian expatriate footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Cruzeiro Esporte Clube players Santos FC players Inter Milan players Parma Calcio 1913 players Fluminense FC players Club Athletico Paranaense players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Serie A players Expatriate footballers in Italy Association football defenders Naturalised citizens of Italy