Manoel de Oliveira da Silva Júnior (born 24 September 1976) 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 lea ...
who plays as a
defensive midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
for
Belo Jardim Futebol Clube.
Club career
Júnior was born in
Paulista,
Pernambuco
Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...
. In his country, he played for modest clubs
Grêmio Esportivo Anápolis and Associação Garanhuense de Atletismo.
In 2002, at the age of 26, Júnior moved abroad and signed with
F.C. Paços de Ferreira from Portugal, making his debut in the
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...
on 25 August in a 3–1 home win against
Varzim SC
Varzim Sport Club () is a Portuguese football club based in Póvoa de Varzim. The club was founded on 25 December 1915, and has played at the Estádio do Varzim Sport Club since its foundation. The club plays in Liga 3, following relegation in ...
(90 minutes played). He suffered relegation at the end of
his second season.
In
2005–06, Júnior scored a career-best nine goals in 33 games to help his team rank in 11th position, back in the top division. In the summer he joined
Ergotelis F.C. in
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, going to play in several
Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
campaigns with the side and eventually reuniting with former Paços teammate
Beto. He was released on 7 May 2012, at nearly 36.
In December 2012, Júnior moved to another club in the country,
second-tier Panetolikos FC. He participated in 29 matches in
his first year, which ended in promotion to the top flight.
Júnior moved to Greek division two side
Athlitiki Enosi Larissa F.C. on 24 July 2014, leaving the following December. After nearly three years of inactivity, he returned to his homeland and signed with amateurs
Belo Jardim Futebol Clube.
References
External links
CBF data
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Junior, Manoel
1976 births
Living people
Footballers from Pernambuco
Brazilian men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Campeonato Brasileiro Série D players
Grêmio Esportivo Anápolis players
Primeira Liga players
Liga Portugal 2 players
F.C. Paços de Ferreira players
Super League Greece players
Football League (Greece) players
Ergotelis F.C. players
Panetolikos F.C. players
Athlitiki Enosi Larissa F.C. players
Brazilian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
People from Paulista