_(cropped).jpg) Virgínia in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | João Manuel Neves Virgínia[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1999-10-10)10 October 1999 (age 26) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Faro, Portugal | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Sporting CP | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Benfica | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Arsenal | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Everton | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2025 | Everton | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | →Reading (loan) | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | →Sporting CP (loan) | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | →Cambuur (loan) | 17 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Sporting CP | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Portugal U16 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Portugal U17 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Portugal U18 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Portugal U19 | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Portugal U20 | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | Portugal U21 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:55, 6 November 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
João Manuel Neves Virgínia (born 10 October 1999) is a Portuguese professionalfootballer who plays as agoalkeeper forPrimeira Liga clubSporting CP.
Born inFaro on theAlgarve, Virgínia began his youth career atS.L. Benfica. In August 2015, he agreed a transfer toArsenal amidst interest fromManchester United, effective from his 16th birthday in October.[3] In August 2018, he signed a three-year deal atEverton.[4]
On 11 July 2019, Virgínia joinedReading on a season-long loan deal.[5] Everton recalled him early due to a lack of playing time, on 5 January 2020.[6]
Virgínia played his first professional game for Everton on 16 September 2020, in a 3–0 home win in theEFL Cup match againstLeague Two sideSalford City.[7] Days later, he extended his contract to June 2024.[8] On 13 March 2021, he made hisPremier League debut as a substitute for the injuredJordan Pickford in a 1–2 home defeat toBurnley.[9] Eight days later, he made hisFA Cup debut, starting in a 0–2quarter-final defeat toManchester City atGoodison Park.[10]
On 25 August 2021, Virgínia returned toLisbon, joiningSporting CP on a season-long loan.[11] Kept aside in thePrimeira Liga byAntonio Adán, he made his debut on 15 October in the third round of theTaça de Portugal in a 4–0 win atC.F. Os Belenenses.[12] He made his European debut on 7 December in the final game of theUEFA Champions League group stage, a 4–2 loss atAFC Ajax that saw both teams through to the last 16.[13] His sole league appearance was on the final day, playing the first 79 minutes of a 4–0 final day win overC.D. Santa Clara at theEstádio José Alvalade before being replaced byAndré Paulo; Sporting declined the option to make his transfer permanent for €5 million.[14]
On 8 July 2022, Virgínia joinedSC Cambuur of the DutchEredivisie on a season-long loan.[15] He made his debut on 6 August as the season began with a 2–0 loss at home to newly promotedExcelsior Rotterdam.[16] He was sent off on 11 January 2023 in the second round of theKNVB Cup, a 1–0 loss at amateurTweede Divisie teamDe Treffers; defenderDoke Schmidt ended the game in goal as no substitutions remained. The card was rescinded, the third time in four occasions that one given by referee Joey Kooij was overturned.[17]
On 20 May 2025, Everton announced the departure of Virgínia at the expiry of his contract in June.[18] On 25 July, he returned to Sporting CP on a free transfer and a three-year deal.[19]
Across all age groups, Virgínia earned 29caps for Portugal at youth level, starting with a 1–0 win for theunder-16s over the Netherlands inVila Real de Santo António on 14 February 2015. On 12 November 2016, having just turned 17, he made hisunder-20 debut in a 1–1 friendly draw withMorocco inRabat.[20]
Virgínia represented theunder-19 team that won the2018 UEFA European Championship in Finland, defeatingItaly 4–3 in the final.[21] He also played in a group-stage elimination for theunder-20 team in Poland at the2019 FIFA World Cup.[22]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Everton U23 | 2018–19[24] | — | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Everton | 2018–19 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Reading (loan) | 2019–20 | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| Sporting CP (loan) | 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Cambuur (loan) | 2022–23 | Eredivisie | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| Sporting CP | 2025–26 | Primeira Liga | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Career total | 23 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 0 | ||
Everton U23s
Sporting CP
Individual
