João Silva (footballer, born 1990)


João Pedro Pereira Silva is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Chinese club Nantong Zhiyun F.C. as a striker.

Club career

Born in Vila das Aves, Santo Tirso, Silva joined the youth system of local C.D. Aves at the age of 10. He eventually made his professional debut for the club during the 2009–10 season, with the northerners in the second division, and made an immediate impact by finishing as the league's second top scorer with 14 goals as the team finished comfortably in mid-table.
Silva signed for Premier League side Everton on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, on 9 June 2010. In the last hours of the following transfer window, without having made any official appearances with the Toffees, he returned to Portugal, joining U.D. Leiria on loan; on 14 May 2011, the last matchday of the season, he scored two of his four goals in the Primeira Liga for the team, in a 3–3 away draw against S.L. Benfica.
For the 2011–12 campaign, Silva continued on loan and in his country's top division, joining Vitória F.C. in a season-long move. He scored in his first competitive game, a 2–1 home win against F.C. Paços de Ferreira, netting in the 91st minute; on 31 January 2012, he was recalled from his loan.
On 9 July 2012, Silva signed for PFC Levski Sofia on a three-year contract. He made his official debut ten days later, appearing as a substitute in a UEFA Europa League qualifying match against FK Sarajevo.
Released by Levski in summer 2013, Silva took his game to Italy, where he represented A.S. Bari and U.S. Città di Palermo, the first club from Serie B and the second in Serie A. He left the latter on 26 August 2015, signing a one-year deal with Paços de Ferreira the following day.

International career

Silva won his first cap for the Portugal under-21 team on 18 May 2010 – three days shy of his 20th birthday – replacing Orlando Sá for the last 21 minutes of a 3–1 friendly win over the Netherlands played in Vila Real de Santo António.

Club statistics