João Moutinho


João Filipe Iria Santos Moutinho is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Portugal national team. Mainly a central midfielder, he can also operate as a defensive or attacking midfielder and on either flank.
He began his professional career with Sporting, moving in 2010 to Porto and winning 12 major titles between the two clubs combined. Three years later he transferred to Monaco for €25 million, conquering the Ligue 1 championship in the 2016–17 season; in 2018, he joined Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Moutinho represented the Portuguese national team at three European Championships and two World Cups, winning the 2016 edition of the former tournament.

Club career

Sporting

Moutinho was born in Barreiro, Setúbal District, but his birth was registered Portimão, Algarve, where he grew up. After showing great promise as a boy playing for Portimonense SC, he signed with Sporting CP when he turned 13 to continue his football education.
During the 2004–05 pre-season, at only 17 years of age, Moutinho was called by manager José Peseiro to the main squad, where he displayed some talent early on. However, he then returned to the junior team coached by Paulo Bento and featured alongside such players such as Miguel Veloso and Nani, helping the side win the national title that season.
In the beginning of 2005, Moutinho was called up for a Taça de Portugal match, eventually playing 20 minutes against F.C. Pampilhosa, and made his Primeira Liga debut on 23 January, staying in the entire 3–0 win at Gil Vicente F.C. and wearing the #28 shirt previously worn by Cristiano Ronaldo. Based on consistent displays, he wasted no time in establishing himself as a regular while being able to play in any position across a flat midfield or in a diamond formation; his box-to-box dynamism and determination quickly made him a firm fan favourite, as he rarely missed a game since becoming first-choice.
Moutinho's performances in the closing stages of the campaign, especially in the UEFA Cup with player of the match displays against Feyenoord and Newcastle United that helped the Lions reach the final of the competition, made him an automatic starter despite his young age; he contributed with 15 league games as his team finished second and, during the summer, he agreed to a one-year extension.
In his first full season, Moutinho's further progress and exceptional consistency was one of the brightest spots in Sporting's runner-up final place. Incidentally, he scored his team's final goal of the campaign, a 1–0 win over S.C. Braga to ensure a return to UEFA Champions League football for the Lisbon side.
In 2006–07, following the departure of veteran Ricardo Sá Pinto, Moutinho was made vice-captain at just 19 years of age. The following season, after Custódio and Ricardo also left, he would be named captain, the second youngest in the history of the club's professional football, behind first captain and associate founder Francisco Stromp.
That campaign, with Leandro Romagnoli also in the starting eleven, Moutinho, more often than not, moved from his natural "behind-the-forwards" midfield role to the right flank, where he still managed to deliver impressive performances. Additionally, he began earning plaudits as one of the league's top players.
In 2008–09, after an aborted deal with Premier League's Everton, Moutinho was again ever present, only missing three league matches as Sporting finished once again runners-up; he also had the dubious distinction of netting his side's only goal in the Champions League round of 16 clash against FC Bayern Munich, a 1–12 aggregate loss.

Porto

On 3 July 2010, Moutinho signed a five-year contract with rivals FC Porto, with the transfer price reaching €11 million ; additionally, Sporting would receive 25% of any added value occurring during that time frame, provided it surpassed the previous value. Sporting Chairman José Eduardo Bettencourt described Moutinho's conduct as deplorable and called him a "rotten apple", adding: "The deal was done because Sporting wanted it, because it did not want a rotten apple in its orchard, and it did not want someone who was not an example, nor dignified the flag of the club." Soon after, Porto sold 37.5% of the player's economic rights to a third party, Mamers BV, for €4,125,000.
Moutinho was an ever-present figure for Porto in his first season. He appeared in 50 official games as the northerners won the league and, even though he did not score in league competition, he netted twice in the campaign's Portuguese Cup, most notably in a 3–1 away win against S.L. Benfica, with his team overcoming the 0–2 home loss in the first leg to reach the final, in which the player also appeared, against Vitória de Guimarães ; he added another 90 minutes in the final of the Europa League, and the club won the treble.
On 3 August 2011, Porto partnered with Soccer Invest Fund to buy back 37.5% of Moutinho's economic rights. The private investment fund acquired 15% after the overall transactions, while Porto recouped 22.5% for €4 million; the residual 15% was acquired by Porto in 2013, for €3.3 million.
On 19 February 2013, Moutinho scored to help his team to a 1–0 home win over Málaga CF for the Champions League round of 16, netting from close range after an Alex Sandro cross. He made 43 appearances during the campaign all competitions comprised, as both team and player won their third consecutive league championship.

Monaco

On 24 May 2013, it was announced that Moutinho had joined AS Monaco FC alongside teammate James Rodríguez for a combined fee believed to be around €70 million. He made his official debut for his new club on 1 September, starting and setting up both goals in a 2–1 win at Olympique de Marseille which put them top of Ligue 1.
Moutinho was first-choice in his debut campaign, as the principality team finished runners-up straight out of Ligue 2. His only goal was an equaliser in a 1–1 away draw to Stade de Reims, on 29 September.
On 16 September 2014, in Monaco's first Champions League match since 2005, Moutinho scored the only goal in a home defeat of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. He finished the season with 52 overall appearances, in an eventual third-place finish for the Leonardo Jardim-led side.
Moutinho contributed with two goals from 31 matches during 2016–17, helping the club to the eighth national championship of its history.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 24 July 2018, Moutinho joined newly-promoted English club Wolverhampton Wanderers on a two-year-deal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £5 million. He made his Premier League debut on 11 August, featuring 85 minutes in a 2–2 home draw against Everton. His first goal in the competition arrived on 22 September, when he scored from just outside the box with his weaker left foot in a 1–1 draw away to Manchester United.
On 14 May 2019, Wolverhampton fans voted Moutinho as Player of the Season. He played all thirty-eight league fixtures in the process, adding six appearances in their semi-final run in the FA Cup, the first since 1997–98.
On 23 November 2019, shortly after Moutinho had scored his team's opening goal in a 2–1 league win away to Bournemouth, his second in the competition, it was announced that the player had signed a new contract with the club keeping him at Molineux until 2022.

International career

A full Portugal international at the age of 18, Moutinho made his debut on 17 August 2005 in a 2–0 home friendly win against Egypt in Ponta Delgada. Ever since the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he became a regular call-up.
On 31 May 2008, Moutinho registered his first goal for the national team in a 2–0 friendly victory over Georgia at Estádio do Fontelo in Viseu. He was picked for the squad-of-23 for UEFA Euro 2008 and, in the opening game, assisted on a goal by Raul Meireles in a 2–0 victory over Turkey.
Moutinho also played in two UEFA European Under-21 Championships, scoring against Germany in the 2006 edition, played on home soil, as the Portuguese exited in the group stage on both occasions; additionally, although not part of the provisional 24-player list for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he was named in a backup list of six players.
Moutinho played all the games and minutes at the Euro 2012 tournament. In the semi-finals against Spain, he missed his penalty shootout attempt in an eventual 2–4 loss.
Moutinho was selected by former Sporting boss Bento for the 2014 World Cup, making his debut in the tournament on 16 June in a 0–4 group stage defeat to Germany. On 8 October 2015, he scored the only goal as Portugal defeated Denmark at the Estádio Municipal de Braga to seal qualification for Euro 2016, and three days later was also on the scoresheet in a 2–1 win away to Serbia which confirmed his team's position as group winners.
After six appearances out of a possible seven to help his nation win the European Championships for the first time ever, Moutinho was also picked for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup squad by Fernando Santos. In the latter competition, in the final group stage game in Saint Petersburg, he won his 100th cap by playing the full 90 minutes in the 4–0 defeat of New Zealand.
Moutinho was included in the 2018 World Cup squad. On 2 June, in a pre-tournament goalless friendly draw away to Belgium, he captained the side for the first time.

Personal life

Moutinho's father, Nélson, was also a footballer. A forward, he played for several clubs during a 15-year senior career.
Moutinho's cousin, Hugo, also plays the sport professionally.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
131 May 2008Fontelo, Viseu, Portugal1–02–0Friendly
27 October 2011Dragão, Porto, Portugal4–25–3UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
38 October 2015Estádio Municipal, Braga, Portugal1–01–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
411 October 2015Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia2–12–1UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
510 October 2016Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands5–06–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
63 June 2017António Coimbra da Mota, Estoril, Portugal1–04–0Friendly
73 June 2017António Coimbra da Mota, Estoril, Portugal2–04–0Friendly

Honours

Club

Sporting
Porto
Monaco
Portugal