 Santos with theColumbus Crew in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pedro Miguel Martins Santos[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1988-04-22)22 April 1988 (age 37)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal[1] | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger,full-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Loudoun United | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–1997 | Sporting CP | ||
| 1997–2000 | ADCEO | ||
| 2000–2002 | Sporting CP | ||
| 2002–2007 | Casa Pia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2010 | Casa Pia | 39 | (25) |
| 2010–2012 | Leixões | 41 | (5) |
| 2012–2013 | Vitória Setúbal | 28 | (4) |
| 2013–2017 | Braga | 76 | (18) |
| 2013 | →Astra Giurgiu (loan) | 2 | (1) |
| 2014 | →Rio Ave (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2017–2022 | Columbus Crew | 155 | (23) |
| 2023–2024 | D.C. United | 51 | (4) |
| 2025– | Loudoun United | 20 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2007 | Portugal U19 | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:45, 26 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
Pedro Miguel Martins Santos (born 22 April 1988) is a Portuguese professionalfootballer who plays as awinger orfull-back forUSL Championship clubLoudoun United.
After starting out atCasa Pia, he went on to amassPrimeira Liga totals of 118 matches with 22 goals at the service ofVitória de Setúbal,Rio Ave andBraga. He representedLeixões in theLiga de Honra, and also competed professionally in Romania withAstra Giurgiu and the United States withColumbus Crew andD.C. United.
Santos representedPortugal atunder-19 level.
Born inLisbon, Santos played youth football with three clubs, includingCasa Pia A.C. from ages 13 to 19. He spent his first seasons as a senior in the lower leagues, scoring a career-best 17 goals in2009–10 to help the team promote to thethird division.[2]
Subsequently, Santos moved to the professionals after signing withLeixões S.C. from theLiga de Honra. In hissecond year at theEstádio do Mar, he started in 23 of his 27 appearances (four goals) and the side finished in 11th position.
In the summer of 2012, Santos joinedVitória de Setúbal, making his debut in thePrimeira Liga on 19 August of that year by coming as a 68th-minutesubstitute in a 2–2 away draw againstC.D. Nacional, where he won apenalty and was alsobooked.[3][4] His first goal in the league arrived on 4 November, when he played 79 minutes and helped the hosts defeatSporting CP 2–1.[5]
Santos moved toS.C. Braga also in the top tier in June 2013.[6] Before the end of thetransfer window he was loaned to Romanian clubFC Astra Giurgiu, and scored to cap a 4–0 win atFC Oţelul Galaţi on his 15 September debut after coming on at half time forGabriel Enache.[7] Having made just three more appearances in all competitions, his loan was terminated in December.[8]
On 8 January 2014, Santos was loaned again toRio Ave F.C. in Braga's league until the end of the season alongside teammateStanislav Kritsyuk.[9] He played 22 total games for the team fromVila do Conde, and scored once to conclude a 3–1 away defeat ofS.C. Covilhã on 26 January to qualify forthe semi-finals of theTaça da Liga;[10] he started the final defeat toS.L. Benfica[11] and theloss to the same opponent in theTaça de Portugal decider too.[12]
After returning to his parent club, Santos helped to consecutive fourth-place finishes and scored a total of 12 goals in the process.[13][14] On 22 May 2016, he replacedJosué for the last minutes of regulation time in thenational cup final (2–2 draw), and converted hispenalty shootout attempt in a4–2 victory at theEstádio Nacional.[15]
On 7 August 2017, the 29-year-old Santos signed forColumbus Crew as adesignated player, for a club record $2.3 million.[16][17] He made hisMajor League Soccer debut 12 days later, playing 28 minutes in a 1–1 away draw againstOrlando City SC.[18][19] He finished hisfirst season with twoassists in 14 matches, with the Crew being eliminated in theEastern Conference Finals byToronto FC.[20][21]
Santos scored his first goal for the team on 24 March 2018, concluding a 3–1 home victory overD.C. United.[22] It was his only ofthe campaign, and he wassent off on 5 May in a goalless draw atSeattle Sounders FC for a kick toAlex Roldan's face.[21][23] The Crew would go on to make the playoffs, ultimately losing to theNew York Red Bulls in the Conference semi-finals 3–1 on aggregate.[24]
Asked about his performance throughout the year, Santos replied: "Individually, it was not a poor season but I expect to score more goals. I always work for the team and I give my best for the team, to help my teammates. I think I had a good season but I was expecting to score more goals, for sure."[24]
During the2019 season, Santos recorded best professional figures of 11 goals from 33 games,[25] while playing both as a winger and stepping in as anattacking midfielder for the injured playmakerFederico Higuaín, who had suffered ananterior cruciate ligament injury.[26] On 28 July, he scored twice in a 3–2 away defeat of the New York Red Bulls.[27] However, his side would struggle mightily due to injuries across their entire roster and would miss out on the playoffs.[28]
Santos moved back to winger for the2020 season, and scored eight goals and assisted on seven more in 26 matches across all competitions as his teamwon theMLS Cup for the first time since2008, making him the first Portuguese player to earn a medal in the tournament; he missed the final against the Seattle Sounders due to a positiveCOVID-19 diagnosis, however.[29] The day after the victory, his contract option for 2021 was exercised.[30]
On 8 April 2021, Santos converted a penalty in a 4–0 victory overReal Estelí FC in theround of 16 of theCONCACAF Champions League,[31] but injuries to incumbentleft-backMilton Valenzuela forced him to cover that position for the majority ofthe campaign.[32][33] On 29 May, playing in that position, he dished out two assists in a 2–1 win over Toronto.[34]
In July 2021, Santos was fined an undisclosed amount forsimulation against theNew England Revolution.[35] On 29 September, he helped the Crewwin 2–0 againstCruz Azul in theCampeones Cup.[36]
Following the return of Valenzuela, Santos was pushed higher up the pitch, resulting in a one-goal, two-assist performance in a 4–0 victory againstInter Miami CF on 16 October.[37] In December, he signed an extension with an option for 2023.[38]
With Columbus losing their first-choice left-back to a free transfer over the off-season, Santos became the starter,[39][40] with his lone goal coming from afree kick againstD.C. United on 30 April.[41] At the end ofthe season, he was not retained and thus became afree agent.[42]
On 21 November 2022, it was announced that Santos had signed a two-year deal withD.C. United.[43] He scored his first goal with his new club the following 24 June, helping the hosts to defeatFC Cincinnati 3–0.[44]
Santos was not offered a new contract at the end of the2024 campaign.[45]
Santos became a coach in 2024 for youth club Virginia Revolution. For the2025 season, he joinedLoudoun United FC of theUSL Championship as a player on a 25-day contract, while still remaining employed by the Revolution in that managerial role.[46][47]
Santos earned twocaps for thePortugal under-19 team, in as manyfriendlies againstSpain in March 2007.[48]
A versatile player, Santos is capable of playing on either wing, cutting inside from the right or advancing down the line on the left,[49] and has also been deployed as anattacking midfielder and a left-back. He is known for his "magic" left foot, which allows him to deliver a variety of passes and crosses. While playing as a more attack-minded full-back, he is recognized for his positional awareness, work rate and willingness to track back after making overlapping runs.[50][51]
Jacob Myers ofThe Columbus Dispatch described Santos during his time with the Columbus Crew as "one of the Crew’s hardest workers on both sides of the ball," noting that "he covers a lot of ground with a high motor and isn’t afraid to go in for a tackle." However, the former also observed that the latter "has shown a proclivity to dribble into defenders and lose the ball."[52]
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Continental[c] | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Casa Pia | 2008–09 | Terceira Divisão | 14 | 8 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 15 | 8 | |||
| 2009–10 | 25 | 17 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 28 | 17 | |||||
| Total | 39 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 25 | ||
| Leixões | 2010–11 | Liga de Honra | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 4 | ||||
| 2012–13 | Segunda Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 1 | |||
| Total | 41 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 6 | ||
| Vitória Setúbal | 2012–13 | Primeira Liga | 28 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 4 | ||
| Braga | 2013–14 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | 26 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 5 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 0 | – | 41 | 10 | |||
| 2016–17 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 38 | 9 | ||
| 2017–18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 76 | 18 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 114 | 24 | ||
| Astra Giurgiu (loan) | 2013–14 | Liga I | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | ||
| Rio Ave (loan) | 2013–14 | Primeira Liga | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 22 | 1 | ||
| Columbus Crew | 2017 | Major League Soccer | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 1 | ||||
| 2019 | 33 | 11 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 35 | 11 | |||||
| 2020 | 22 | 6 | – | 3 | 2 | – | 1[e] | 0 | 26 | 8 | ||||
| 2021 | 32 | 4 | – | – | 4 | 1 | 1[f] | 0 | 37 | 5 | ||||
| 2022 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 29 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 155 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 174 | 26 | ||
| D.C. United | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 2[g] | 0 | – | 23 | 1 | ||
| 2024 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 1[g] | 0 | – | 31 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 51 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | – | 54 | 4 | ||||
| Career total | 406 | 80 | 32 | 3 | 33 | 7 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 495 | 91 | ||
Casa Pia
Braga
Astra Giurgiu
Columbus Crew
Individual
