Born inPenafiel, Fonte finished his football education (after already having played there from ages 10 to 13) atSporting CP.[6] He only appeared withSporting CP B as a senior, in thethird division.[7] He joinedSalgueiros in 2004, but the club was in severe financial difficulties and was liquidated shortly after; as a result, he terminated his contract and transferred toFelgueiras ofSegunda Liga.[8]
In the 2005 off-season, Fonte made hisPrimeira Liga debut withVitória de Setúbal, where his performances attracted the eye ofBenfica, who signed him in January 2006[6] and immediately loaned him toPaços de Ferreira in the same league.[9] He finishedthe season with 26 appearances and one goal, in a 2–2 away draw againstPenafiel in which he also scored twice inhis own net;[10] both Paços and Setúbal managed to retain their status.[11]
In July 2007, Fonte moved on loan toCrystal Palace in England,[14] being introduced in the team's starting line-up after a run of injuries. The move was made permanent at the end ofthe campaign, as Palace finished fifth and qualified to the promotion play-offs.[15]
Fonte continued to feature regularly with the Londoners in theChampionship, even appearing as a makeshiftstriker when required.[16][17]
Fonte signed forSouthampton on 9 January 2010 for a fee believed to be around the region of £1.2 million, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.[18] He made his debut one week later alongside two other recent signings,Jon Otsemobor andDanny Seaborne, in a 1–1 draw away toMillwall.[19] His first goal came on 28 August, in a 4–0 away win overBristol Rovers.[20]
After scoring seven league goals and helping the Saints win promotion to the second tier, Fonte was named in theLeague One Team of the Year for2010–11.[21] He was also voted Southampton's Player of Year, achieving 64% of the vote, withAdam Lallana coming second with 18% andDan Harding finishing third with 7%.[22]
On 29 December 2011, Fonte penned a new deal keeping him at the club until June 2015; Southampton were top of the table at that point, with the player having appeared in every league game.[23] He eventually contributed 42 matches and one goal, which came againstCoventry City in the final fixture of the season[24] as the team earned asecond consecutive promotion.[25]
Fonte made his debut in thePremier League on 19 August 2012, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–2 away loss toManchester City.[26] He netted his first goals in the competition in a 2–2 home draw withFulham on 7 October, the second arriving in thelast minute.[27]
On 24 August 2013, Fonte scored aheader in the 89th minute of the home game againstSunderland, rescuing a point for his side.[28] The following 23 January, he was attacked by teammateDani Osvaldo during a training session;[29] subsequently, the latter was loaned out toJuventus in the wintertransfer window.[30]
On 8 August 2014, Fonte signed a new three-year contract running until June 2017, and was also namedteam captain.[31] He made his 250th league appearance for Southampton on 16 October 2016, in a 3–1 home victory overBurnley.[32]
On 20 January 2017, Fonte joined English top-flightWest Ham United for a reported fee of £8 million (plus potential add-ons) on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[33][34] He made his league debut on 1 February, in a 4–0 home defeat by Manchester City in which he conceded apenalty by bringing downRaheem Sterling.[35]
On 4 November 2017, after a league match against his former employers Crystal Palace, it was confirmed Fonte had suffered a foot injury that would sideline him for the rest of the year.[36]
Fonte completed a transfer toChinese Super League clubDalian Yifang on 23 February 2018, joining for a reported fee of £5 million.[37][38] On 15 July, he terminated his contract.[39]
Fonte (right) in action againstSalzburg in the Champions League in 2021
Fonte signed a two-year contract withLille on 20 July 2018.[40] He made hisLigue 1 debut on 18 August asthe season began with a goalless draw atMonaco,[41] and scored his first goal on 22 September to open a 2–1 win at home toNantes whileassisting the other goal byJonathan Ikoné.[42] On 16 December, he wassent off after 16 minutes of a 3–2 victory atNîmes for swearing at anassistant referee, as was managerChristophe Galtier for arguing his case;[43] he missed just two games as theDogues finished runners-up toParis Saint-Germain, scoring three times including the conclusion of a 5–1 victory over that opposition at theStade Pierre-Mauroy on 14 April.[44]
On 9 August 2019, Fonte agreed to an extension until 2021.[45] The 37-year-old captained the team[46] to the national championship in the2020–21 campaign, their first since2010–11, making 36 appearances and scoring three times in the process.[47]
On 19 July 2023, Fonte signed a one-year contract withBraga.[52] One year later, the 40-year-old remained in the Portuguese top flight on a one-year deal atCasa Pia.[53]
Fonte was selected for thePortugal B squad for the Vale do Tejo tournament in 2006. On 24 January, he played againstSlovenia as the match ended with apenalty shoot-out loss after a 1–1 draw.[54]
Fonte was included inFernando Santos' squad for the Euro 2016 finals.[58] His first game in the tournament took place on 25 June, as he started alongside Southampton teammateCédric Soares in theround-of-16 tie againstCroatia, which Portugal won 1–0 afterextra time.[59] He went on to retain his position untilthe final, helping to beat hosts France 1–0.[60]
On 24 March 2022, aged 38, Fonte earned his 50thcap in aWorld Cup qualifying play-offs againstTurkey, where he gave away a second-half penalty for a kick atEnes Ünal; however, his Lille teammateBurak Yılmaz missed the shot and the game ended 3–1 for Portugal.[67][68] He was named in a preliminary 55-man squad for the finals in Qatar,[69] but did not make the final cut.[70]
Fonte's younger brother,Rui, was also a footballer. A forward, the two were teammates at Sporting (youth level), Crystal Palace and Lille.[71] Their fatherArtur played 12 seasons in the Portuguese top division.[72]
^"Penafiel-P. Ferreira, 2–2: Fonte de azar trocou os Paços" [Penafiel-P. Ferreira, 2–2: Fountain ("Fonte" in English) of misfortune went down the wrong Paths ("Paços" in English)].Record (in Portuguese). 6 March 2006.Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved7 November 2017.
^Santos, Jorge; Schoenmakers, Jan; Dalence, Daniel."Portugal 2005/06".RSSSF.Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved28 June 2021.
^"OFICIAL: Lille anuncia José Fonte" [OFFICIAL: Lille announce José Fonte] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 20 July 2018.Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved20 July 2018.
^Campos, Gilles (22 September 2018)."Lille: la 2e place, Fonte n'y pense pas" [Lille: 2nd place, Fonte isn't even thinking about it] (in French). Maxi Foot.Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved28 May 2023.
^Travassos, Nuno (29 June 2023)."Estoril negoceia com José Fonte" [Estoril negotiating with José Fonte] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol.Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved5 July 2023.
^"José Fonte é Gverreiro!" [José Fonte is a Warrior!] (in Portuguese). S.C. Braga. 18 July 2023.Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved19 July 2023.
^Cunha, Pedro Jorge (5 June 2019)."Portugal-Suíça, 3–1 (crónica)" [Portugal-Switzerland, 3–1 (report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved18 February 2025.
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Commander of theOrder of Merit[104]
