José Fonte


José Miguel da Rocha Fonte ComM is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre back for French club Lille OSC and the Portugal national team.
He started his professional career with Sporting CP B, moving to England with Crystal Palace in 2007. In 2010 he signed with Southampton where he made 288 appearances in all competitions, until he joined West Ham United in January 2017; he then represented Dalian Yifang in China and Lille in France.
A Portuguese international since age 30, Fonte was part of the squad at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, winning the former tournament.

Club career

Portugal

Born in Penafiel, Fonte finished his football education at Sporting CP, but only appeared with Sporting CP B as a senior, in the third division. In 2004 he signed with S.C. Salgueiros, but the club was in severe financial difficulties and was liquidated shortly thereafter; as a result he terminated his contract and transferred to F.C. Felgueiras, in the Segunda Liga.
In the 2005 off-season, Fonte made his Primeira Liga debut with Vitória de Setúbal, where his performances attracted the eye of S.L. Benfica, who signed him in January 2006, immediately loaning him out to fellow league side F.C. Paços de Ferreira; he finished the season with 26 league appearances and one goal – during a 2–2 away draw against F.C. Penafiel where he also scored two in his own net– as both Paços and Setúbal managed to maintain their status.
Fonte spent the 2006–07 season on loan to C.F. Estrela da Amadora, still in the top division, only missing five league games as the Lisbon-based club finished in ninth position.

Crystal Palace

In 2007, Fonte moved on loan to Crystal Palace in England, being introduced in the side's starting XI after a run of injuries. The move was made permanent at the end of the campaign, as Palace finished fifth and qualified to the promotion play-offs.
Fonte continued to feature regularly with the Londoners in the Football League Championship, even appearing as a makeshift striker when required.

Southampton

Fonte signed for Southampton 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. He made his debut one week later alongside two other recent signings, Jon Otsemobor and Danny Seaborne, in a 1–1 draw at Millwall; his first goal for the Saints came on 28 August 2010, in a 4–0 away win against Bristol Rovers.
After scoring seven league goals and helping Southampton gain promotion to the second level, Fonte was named in the League One Team of the Year for the 2010–11 season. He was also voted Southampton's Player of Year, achieving 64% of the overall vote, with Adam Lallana coming second with 18% and Dan Harding finishing third.
On 29 December 2011, Fonte signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2015. Southampton were top of the table when he signed, with the player having appeared in every league game, and he eventually contributed with 42 matches and one goal as the side achieved a second consecutive promotion.
Fonte made his debut in the Premier League on 19 August 2012, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–3 away loss against Manchester City. He netted his first goal in the competition in a 2–2 home draw to Fulham on 7 October, the second arriving in the last minute; on 24 August 2013, he scored a header in the 89th minute of the home game against Sunderland, rescuing a point for his team.
On 23 January 2014, Fonte was attacked by teammate Dani Osvaldo during a training session. Subsequently, the latter was loaned out to Juventus F.C. during the winter transfer window.
On 8 August 2014, Fonte penned a new three-year deal with Southampton running until 2017, and was also named team captain. He made his 250th league appearance for the club on 16 October 2016, in a 3–1 home win against Burnley.

West Ham United

On 20 January 2017, aged 33, Fonte moved to West Ham United for a reported fee of £8 million on a two-and-a-half-year deal. He made his league debut on 1 February, in a 0–4 home defeat by Manchester City in which he conceded a penalty by bringing down Raheem Sterling.
On 4 November 2017, after a league match against one of his former teams, Crystal Palace, it was confirmed Fonte had suffered a foot injury that would sideline him for the rest of the year.

Dalian Yifang

Fonte completed a transfer to Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang on 23 February 2018, joining for a reported fee of £5 million. On 15 July, he terminated his contract.

Lille

Fonte moved to French club Lille OSC on 20 July 2018, signing a two-year contract.

International career

Fonte was called up to the Portuguese under-21 squad for the Vale do Tejo tournament in 2006. On 24 January he played against Slovenia, as the match ended with a penalty shootout loss after a 1–1 draw.
On 3 October 2014, at nearly 31, Fonte received his first call-up to the full side, for a friendly with France and a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Denmark. He made his debut in another exhibition game, playing the second half of a 1–0 win over Argentina at Old Trafford on 18 November.
Fonte was selected by manager Fernando Santos for his Euro 2016 squad. His first game in the tournament took place on 25 June, as he started alongside Southampton teammate Cédric Soares in the round-of-16 clash against Croatia ; he went on to retain his position until the final, won at the expense of hosts France.
Fonte was named in Portugal's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Personal life

Fonte's younger brother, Rui, is also a footballer. A forward, the two were teammates at Sporting, Crystal Palace and Lille.
Their father, Artur, played 12 seasons in the Portuguese top division.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Southampton
Portugal
Individual
Orders