Josué Sá

Portuguese footballer
Josué Sá
Personal information
Full name Josué Humberto Gonçalves Leal de Sá[1]
Date of birth (1992-06-17) 17 June 1992 (age 31)[1]
Place of birth Lisbon, Portugal[1]
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Rio Ave
Number 23
Youth career
2000–2009 Sporting CP
2009–2011 Vitória Guimarães
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011−2017 Vitória Guimarães 97 (5)
2011−2012 → Chaves (loan) 23 (1)
2012−2014 Vitória Guimarães B 48 (2)
2017−2020 Anderlecht 22 (0)
2018−2019 → Kasımpaşa (loan) 17 (1)
2019−2020 → Huesca (loan) 26 (1)
2020−2022 Ludogorets Razgrad 27 (5)
2022 → Maccabi Tel Aviv (loan) 6 (0)
2022– Rio Ave 36 (0)
International career
2010 Portugal U18 5 (0)
2011−2012 Portugal U19 12 (0)
2012 Portugal U20 5 (0)
2013 Portugal U21 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:44, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

Josué Humberto Gonçalves Leal de Sá (born 17 June 1992) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Rio Ave.

He made over 100 Primeira Liga appearances for Vitória de Guimarães and Rio Ave, while also having brief spells in five foreign countries.

Sá represented Portugal at youth level.

Club career

Vitória Guimarães

Born in Lisbon, Sá spent nine of his formative years with local Sporting CP, signing with Vitória S.C. at the age of 17.[2] He started his senior career in 2011, being loaned by the latter to third division club G.D. Chaves.[3]

Subsequently returned to Guimarães, Sá initially alternated between the first team and the recently created reserve side in the Segunda Liga.[4][5] His first appearance in the Primeira Liga with the former was on 20 January 2013, when he came on as a late substitute in a 3−1 away win against Rio Ave FC.[6]

Sá scored his first goal in the Portuguese top tier on 7 November 2014, in a 2−1 away victory over F.C. Arouca.[7] He added another one[8] during the season from 26 appearances, helping to an eventual fifth-place finish and qualification for the UEFA Europa League.

On 6 May 2016, Sá renewed his contract until 2019, with the release clause being improved from €3 to 8 million.[9]

Anderlecht

Sá joined R.S.C. Anderlecht on 31 August 2017, after agreeing to a four-year deal.[10] He made his Belgian Pro League debut on 1 October, playing the entire 1–0 home victory over Standard Liège.[11]

Sá spent the following two seasons on loan, to Turkish Süper Lig's Kasımpaşa S.K.[12] and SD Huesca of the Spanish Segunda División.[13] On 22 December 2019, he scored the winner for the latter in a 2–1 home defeat of Aragonese rivals Real Zaragoza,[14] en route to promotion as champions.[15]

Later career

On 2 October 2020, Sá joined PFC Ludogorets Razgrad of the First Professional Football League on a three-year contract.[16] After winning the league in his first season, he was voted Player of the Month in August 2021, having scored twice.[17] He moved to his fifth foreign country the following 2 February, joining Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. of the Israeli Premier League on loan for the rest of the campaign.[18]

Sá returned to his country's top flight on 26 August 2022, signing a two-year deal with the option of a third at newly promoted Rio Ave FC.[19]

International career

Four youth levels comprised, Sá won 28 caps for Portugal. His first for the under-21s arrived on 25 March 2013, in a 2−1 friendly defeat of the Republic of Ireland held in Dundalk.[20]

Career statistics

As of match played 1 December 2021[21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chaves (loan) 2011–12 Segunda Divisão 23 1 0 0 0 0 – 23 1
Vitória Guimarães B 2012–13 Segunda Liga 31 1 – – – 31 1
2013–14 Campeonato Nacional 9 1 – – – 9 1
2014–15 Segunda Liga 8 0 – – – 8 0
Total 48 2 – – – 48 2
Vitória Guimarães 2012–13 Primeira Liga 3 0 0 0 0 0 – 3 0
2013–14 4 0 0 0 1 0 1[a] 0 6 0
2014–15 26 2 1 0 1 0 – 28 2
2015–16 31 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 32 2
2016–17 30 1 5 0 1 0 – 36 1
2017–18 3 0 0 0 0 0 1[a] 0 4 0
Total 97 5 6 0 4 0 2 0 109 5
Anderlecht 2017–18 Belgian Pro League 22 0 1 0 – 3[b] 0 26 0
Kasımpaşa (loan) 2018–19 Süper Lig 17 1 5 0 — 0 0 22 1
Huesca (loan) 2019–20 Segunda División 26 1 4 0 — — 30 1
Ludogorets 2020–21 First League 17 2 3 0 — 1 0 21 2
2021–22 10 3 0 0 — 5 0 15 3
Total 27 5 3 0 0 0 6 0 36 5
Career total 260 15 19 0 4 0 11 0 294 15
  1. ^ a b Appearances in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
  2. ^ Appearances in the Champions League

Honours

Huesca

Ludogorets Razgrad

  • First Professional Football League (Bulgaria): 2020–21, 2021–22[21]

Individual

  • First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) Goal of the Week: 2021–22[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Josué Sá" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Josué está a caminho da Bélgica onde vai assinar pelo Anderlecht" [Josué is on his way to Belgium where he will sign for Anderlecht] (in Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Vimaranenses emprestam 15 jogadores" [Vimaranenses loan 15 players]. Record (in Portuguese). 8 July 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Rui Vitória quer responder "dentro do campo"" [Rui Vitória wants to reply "on the pitch"]. Correio da Manhã (in Portuguese). 23 October 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  5. ^ Pires, Bruno; Lopes, Gonçalo (29 November 2015). "Rui Vitória 'puxa' por Josué mas central divide estrutura" [Rui Vitória 'calls for' Josué but stopper divides structure]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Uns bebés do Berço de chorar por mais" [Babies from the Cradle to die for]. Record (in Portuguese). 21 January 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  7. ^ ""Estrelinha" de líder" [Leader's "fortune"] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Vitória vence Marítimo" [Vitória beat Marítimo]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 27 February 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  9. ^ Rocha, Pedro (6 May 2016). "Josué renovou até 2019 e tem nova cláusula de rescisão" [Josué renewed until 2019 and has a new release clause]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  10. ^ Lambrecht, Yannick (31 August 2017). "OFFICIEEL: Anderlecht brengt langverwachte verdediger naar het Astridpark" [OFFICIAL: Anderlecht bring long-awaited defender to Astridpark]. Voetbalkrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  11. ^ "Herbeleef hoe Anderlecht in het ultieme slot de maat nam van Standard (1–0)" [Relive how Anderlecht bested Standard in the dying breath (1–0)]. Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 1 October 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  12. ^ "TT (16/08). Josué Sá op weg naar Turkse club – Mignolet en Ochoa niet naar Napoli – Anderlecht biedt 6 miljoen voor Gambiaanse verdediger" [TT (16/08). Josué Sá on his way to Turkish club – Mignolet and Ochoa not to Napoli – Anderlecht offer 6 million for Gambian defender]. Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 16 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Josué Sá refuerza la defensa del Huesca" [Josué Sá bolsters Huesca defence]. Diario del AltoAragón (in Spanish). 23 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  14. ^ Ortiz, Christian (22 December 2019). "El Huesca conquista el derbi ante un Zaragoza con nueve" [Huesca conquer the derby against nine-man Zaragoza]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  15. ^ a b Andrade, Tomaz (2 August 2020). ""Dei um passo atrás e acabei campeão"" ["I took one step back and ended up being champion"]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  16. ^ "An experienced Portuguese player will join Ludogorets". PFC Ludogorets Razgrad. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Josué Sá eleito jogador do mês na Bulgária" [Josué Sá voted player of the month in Bulgaria]. Record (in Portuguese). 22 September 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  18. ^ "Oficial: Josué Sá emprestado aos israelitas do Maccabi Telavive" [Official: Josué Sá loaned to Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 2 February 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  19. ^ "OFICIAL: Rio Ave confirma contratação de Josué Sá" [OFFICIAL: Rio Ave confirm signing of Josué Sá] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  20. ^ "Portugal vence a Irlanda" [Portugal beat Ireland]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 25 March 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  21. ^ a b "Josué Sá". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  22. ^ "Голът на Жосуе Са срещу Локомотив София" [Josué Sá's goal against Lokomotiv Sofia] (in Bulgarian). VBOX7. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2024.

External links

  • v
  • t
  • e
Rio Ave F.C. – current squad