 Pereira as manager ofSporting CP B in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | João Pedro da Silva Esmail Pereira[1] | ||
| Birth name | João Pedro da Silva Pereira[2] | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-02-25)25 February 1984 (age 41)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Alanyaspor (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–1994 | Domingos Sávio | ||
| 1994–2003 | Benfica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2005 | Benfica B | 7 | (0) |
| 2003–2006 | Benfica | 58 | (4) |
| 2006 | →Gil Vicente (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Gil Vicente | 25 | (1) |
| 2007–2009 | Braga | 67 | (2) |
| 2010–2012 | Sporting CP | 61 | (3) |
| 2012–2015 | Valencia | 55 | (0) |
| 2015 | Hannover 96 | 5 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Sporting CP | 28 | (0) |
| 2017–2021 | Trabzonspor | 106 | (3) |
| 2021 | Sporting CP | 5 | (0) |
| Total | 431 | (13) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000 | Portugal U15 | 7 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | Portugal U16 | 7 | (0) |
| 2002 | Portugal U18 | 5 | (1) |
| 2002–2003 | Portugal U19 | 15 | (1) |
| 2004–2007 | Portugal U21 | 28 | (1) |
| 2009 | Portugal B | 1 | (0) |
| 2010–2014 | Portugal | 40 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024 | Sporting CP B | ||
| 2024 | Sporting CP | ||
| 2025 | Sporting CP B | ||
| 2025– | Alanyaspor | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
João Pedro da Silva Esmail Pereira (born 25 February 1984) is a Portuguese professionalmanager and formerfootballer who played as aright-back. He is the manager ofSüper Lig clubAlanyaspor.
An attacking player, he was also known for his fiery temperament that led to altercations with adversaries andreferees numerous times.[3] In his country, he represented bothBenfica andSporting CP, winning the2004–05 Primeira Liga with the former. He also spent two and a half seasons in Spain withValencia and three and a half in Turkey withTrabzonspor, winning the2019–20 Turkish Cup before returning to Sporting in February 2021, where he againwon the domestic league, eventually amassingPrimeira Liga totals of 233 matches and nine goals. Internationally, he representedPortugal atEuro 2012 and the2014 World Cup.
After retiring in 2022, Pereira began his coaching career at Sporting'sreserves, before taking charge of the first team in November 2024. He left his position one month later.
Pereira was born inLisbon, being raised in the troubled neighbourhood of Casal Ventoso. He later enrolled at theCasa Pia institution, where he achieved honour student status.[4][5]
A product of localBenfica's youth system,[6] Pereira first appeared with its first team on 17 August 2003 in a 0–0 away draw againstBoavista,[7] and finished hisdebut season with 25Primeira Liga appearances, mostly as amidfielder.[8]
Pereira was part of the Benfica squad thatwon the 2005 championship, starting often, until a fallout with coachRonald Koeman relegated him to the bench and later to theB side.[9][6] He was sold toGil Vicente – also in the top flight – in the summer of 2006, after a previous loan to the same club.[10]
In2007–08, fully reconverted into a right-back, Pereira joinedBraga, as another player in the position,Luís Filipe, went the other way.[11]
An undisputed starter from the beginning, he scored his first goal for theMinho side on 22 February 2009, a 2–1last-minute winner atNaval.[12] He also collected a total of 17yellow cards and twored in his first two seasons.[8]
On 22 December 2009, Pereira moved toSporting CP for a fee of €3 million;[13] at the time, Braga led the league alongside Benfica with 12 points in advance to his new club,[14] with theLions eventuallyfinishing fourth.[15]
Pereira again featured regularly for Sporting in the2010–11 campaign, both as a defender and a midfielder,[16][17] as his team ranked in third position.[18] On 30 April 2011, he scored in a 2–1 home victory overPortimonense but was also sent off midway through the second half (after teammateAndré Santos) for repeatedly and severely insultingrefereeDuarte Gomes.[19]
On 24 May 2012, Pereira signed withValencia in Spain for €3.6 million, penning a 3+1 contract.[20] He made his official debut on 19 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 away draw againstReal Madrid.[21]
Pereira was a starter in his first two years with theChe but, after the arrival of managerNuno Espírito Santo for2014–15, was relegated to third-choice right-back.[22][23]
In the January 2015 transfer window, Pereira signed forBundesliga clubHannover 96 until the end of the season.[24] He made his league debut on 7 February, playing the second half of a 2–1 away loss toHamburger SV.[25]
On 13 July 2015, Pereira returned to Sporting on a two-year deal with a €45 million buyout clause, as a replacement forSouthampton-boundCédric Soares.[26] He made his debut on 9 August, featuring the full 90 minutes as they beat Benfica1–0 to lift theSupertaça Cândido de Oliveira at theEstádio Algarve.[27] Thirteen days later he received his third red card for the club – all direct – for conceding apenalty in a 1–1 home draw againstPaços de Ferreira.[28]
In December 2016, Pereira was coveted byTrabzonspor, who were told to pay at least €1.5 million for his signature.[29] Early in the new year, he cancelled his contract that was due to expire in the summer[30] and joined theSüper Lig club.[31]
Pereira played four matches in the2019–20 Turkish Cup, including the entire 2–0 final win overAlanyaspor.[32] On 25 January 2021, he left theŞenol Güneş Stadium as afree agent.[33]
On 1 February 2021, shortly before his 37th birthday, Pereira returned to Sporting on a short-term deal. It was agreed that at its conclusion he would remain at the club as a coach.[34]
Pereira was first called to thePortugal senior team in October 2010, following the appointment of new coachPaulo Bento. He made his debut in aUEFA Euro 2012qualifier againstDenmark, and also started in the following match – in the same competition – inIceland, with the national side winning both games 3–1.[35][36]
On 19 May 2014, Pereira was named in the final 23-man squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup.[37] In the first game, againstGermany, he committed apenalty onMario Götze that resulted in the first goal scored byThomas Müller, in an eventual 4–0 loss.[38]
Pereira started working as a manager on 8 July 2022, being appointed at Sporting's under-23 side.[39] Two years later, he switched to thesenior reserve team inLiga 3.[40]
On 11 November 2024, Pereira was officially presented as head coach of the main squad on a contract until June 2027, followingRuben Amorim's departure forManchester United.[41][42] In his first match in charge on 22 November, he led them to a 6–0 home win overAmarante in thefourth round of theTaça de Portugal;[43] this was followed, however, by four consecutive losses, toArsenal (5–1) andClub Brugge (2–1) in theleague phase of theUEFA Champions League andSanta Clara (1–0) andMoreirense (2–1) in the main domestic tournament, becoming the first Sporting manager to lose four of the first five games.[44][45][46][47]
Pereira was dismissed on 25 December 2024.[48] Two weeks later, he was readmitted at Sporting B.[49]
On 22 March 2025, Pereira returned to Turkey and its top division by signing a deal with Alanyaspor until June 2026.[50]
In June 2018, Pereira marriedfashion entrepreneur Natacha Esmail. One of the two wedding ceremonies was held according toHindu tradition, due to the bride's origins.[51][52]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Benfica B | 2001–02[53] | Segunda Divisão | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2005–06[53] | Segunda Divisão | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||||
| Benfica | 2003–04[53] | Primeira Liga | 25 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 6[a] | 0 | — | 34 | 5 | ||
| 2004–05[53] | Primeira Liga | 27 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 8[b] | 1 | 1[c] | 0 | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06[53] | Primeira Liga | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[d] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 58 | 4 | 8 | 2 | — | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 85 | 7 | |||
| Gil Vicente (loan) | 2005–06[53] | Primeira Liga | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Gil Vicente | 2006–07[53] | Liga de Honra | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 25 | 1 | |||
| Total | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 39 | 1 | |||||
| Braga | 2007–08[53] | Primeira Liga | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8[a] | 0 | — | 38 | 0 | |
| 2008–09[53] | Primeira Liga | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12[e] | 0 | — | 41 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10[53] | Primeira Liga | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | — | 16 | 1 | ||
| Total | 67 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | — | 96 | 2 | |||
| Sporting CP | 2009–10[53] | Primeira Liga | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11[53] | Primeira Liga | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10[a] | 0 | — | 41 | 3 | ||
| 2011–12[53] | Primeira Liga | 25 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 13[a] | 0 | — | 48 | 1 | ||
| Total | 61 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 23 | 0 | — | 105 | 6 | |||
| Valencia | 2012–13[54] | La Liga | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 0 | — | 37 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14[54] | La Liga | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 11[a] | 0 | — | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15[54] | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 55 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | — | 75 | 0 | ||||
| Hannover 96 | 2014–15[54] | Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Sporting CP | 2015–16[54] | Primeira Liga | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7[f] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| 2016–17[54] | Primeira Liga | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Total | 28 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 0 | ||
| Trabzonspor | 2016–17[54] | Süper Lig | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18[54] | Süper Lig | 31 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 33 | 2 | ||||
| 2018–19[54] | Süper Lig | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20[54] | Süper Lig | 28 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 6[a] | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21[54] | Süper Lig | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 106 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 3 | ||
| Sporting CP | 2020–21[54] | Primeira Liga | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 431 | 13 | 44 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 93 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 583 | 19 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal[55] | 2010 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | 0 | |
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||
| Sporting CP B | 1 July 2024 | 11 November 2024 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 13 | −1 | 036.36 |
| Sporting CP | 11 November 2024 | 25 December 2024 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 037.50 |
| Sporting CP B | 9 January 2025 | 22 March 2025 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 033.33 |
| Alanyaspor | 22 March 2025 | Present | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 031.82 |
| Total | 50 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 61 | 57 | +4 | 034.00 | ||
Benfica
Braga
Sporting CP
Trabzonspor
Portugal squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
