Rui Fonte

Portuguese footballer

Rui Fonte
Fonte playing for Fulham in 2017
Personal information
Full name Rui Pedro da Rocha Fonte[1]
Date of birth (1990-04-23) 23 April 1990 (age 34)[2][3]
Place of birth Penafiel, Portugal
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Paços Ferreira
Number 19
Youth career
1998–1999 Sacavenense
1999–2006 Sporting CP
2006–2009 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2009 Arsenal 0 (0)
2009 → Crystal Palace (loan) 10 (0)
2009–2011 Sporting CP 0 (0)
2009–2010 → Vitória Setúbal (loan) 13 (0)
2010–2011 → Espanyol B (loan) 22 (8)
2010–2011 → Espanyol (loan) 11 (0)
2011–2013 Espanyol 29 (1)
2013–2015 Benfica B 26 (18)
2013–2016 Benfica 0 (0)
2015 → Belenenses (loan) 12 (2)
2015–2016 → Braga (loan) 15 (4)
2016–2017 Braga 28 (13)
2017–2019 Fulham 27 (3)
2018–2019 → Lille (loan) 18 (1)
2019–2021 Braga 31 (4)
2021–2022 Estoril 23 (4)
2022–2023 Famalicão 18 (1)
2023– Paços Ferreira 26 (4)
International career
2005–2006 Portugal U16 12 (3)
2006–2007 Portugal U17 13 (2)
2008 Portugal U18 5 (3)
2008–2009 Portugal U19 12 (8)
2010 Portugal U20 5 (2)
2008–2012 Portugal U21 22 (8)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:55, 3 April 2024 (UTC)

Rui Pedro da Rocha Fonte (born 23 April 1990) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga Portugal 2 club Paços de Ferreira.

After signing for Arsenal as a 16-year-old, he only made one competitive appearance for the club before signing with Sporting CP, who loaned him several times for the duration of his contract, including at Espanyol, who acquired him permanently in 2011. He subsequently joined Benfica, where injury problems saw him feature sparingly until his release; with his next team, Braga, he notably won the 2016 Taça de Portugal.

All youth levels comprised, Fonte earned 69 caps for Portugal and scored 26 goals.[4]

Club career

Early years and Arsenal

Fonte was born in Penafiel,[5] and joined Sporting CP's youth system at only 9. In 2006 he signed a three-year deal with Arsenal, with a clause stating he was to return to his previous club if the English did not extend the contract beyond the original period.[6]

A regular member of Arsenal's reserves, Fonte made his debut for the first team in a friendly against Barnet in the 2008 pre-season.[7] He made his competitive debut for the Gunners as a substitute for Carlos Vela in a League Cup match against Wigan Athletic on 11 November 2008, a 3–0 home win.[8]

On 30 January 2009, Fonte joined Championship side Crystal Palace on a one-month loan, with his older brother José playing a big role in persuading club and player of each other's merits.[9] He made his debut for his new team in a 0–1 home defeat to Blackpool on the following day,[10] and his loan was subsequently extended until the end of the season;[11] Palace were docked a point and fined £20,000 for fielding him in their final match, despite his loan having expired.[12]

On 19 May 2009, it was announced that Arsenal had decided not to extend Fonte's three-year contract, and the player returned to Sporting.[13] He spent the 2009–10 campaign on loan to Vitória de Setúbal,[14] making his Primeira Liga debut on 17 August in a 0–0 home draw against Vitória de Guimarães (one minute played)[15] and appearing sparingly as they barely escaped relegation; during his stint, he paid the wages of people connected to the organisation due to its severe economic problems.[5]

Espanyol

Fonte played 2010–11 on loan to RCD Espanyol in Spain.[16] He spent the vast majority of his spell with the reserves, his first La Liga appearances consisting of one minute in a 1–0 home victory over Sporting de Gijón on 5 December 2010,[17] and ten in a 0–1 loss to Real Madrid also at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat two months later.[18]

On 14 July 2011, Fonte signed permanently for two years.[19][20] On 17 January of the following year he scored his first official goal for the Pericos, in a 3–2 home defeat of CD Mirandés in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey;[21] he repeated the feat in the second leg, albeit in a 2–1 and 4–4 aggregate defeat.[22] In between, he scored his first goal in the league, closing the 3–0 home win over Granada CF.[23]

Benfica

Fonte terminated his contract with Espanyol on 29 January 2013 and, on the next day, signed with S.L. Benfica on a five-and-a-half-year deal.[24][25] He was initially assigned to the B side in the Segunda Liga, suffering a knee injury in his debut against C.F. União and being sidelined for the rest of the campaign.[26][27]

In January 2015, Jorge Jesus confirmed that Fonte was promoted to the first team after the loan of Nélson Oliveira.[28] His first competitive appearance took place on the 14th, as he played the first half of the 4–0 home win against F.C. Arouca in the third round of the Taça da Liga.[29]

On 2 February 2015, Fonte, at the time top scorer for Benfica B with 17 goals in 21 matches,[30] was loaned to C.F. Os Belenenses until the end of the season.[31][32] For 2015–16, he moved to S.C. Braga also on loan.[33]

Braga

On 16 December 2015, after having replaced Wilson Eduardo for the last 11 minutes of regulation time, Fonte scored the 4–3 winner for the hosts against Sporting, helping to oust his former club from the Taça de Portugal.[34] The following 22 May, after being injured for nearly three months,[35] he started in the final of the domestic cup, netting in a 2–2 draw against FC Porto (4–2 penalty shootout win).[36]

Fonte agreed to a permanent three-year contract with Braga on 1 September 2016.[37] He scored 11 goals during the campaign (15 overall), helping to a fifth-place finish.[38]

Fulham

On 17 August 2017, Fonte transferred to Championship club Fulham after signing a three-year contract.[39] He scored in his second league appearance, a 2–0 away victory over Ipswich Town.[40]

Fonte joined Lille OSC from France on 31 August 2018 on a season-long loan, reuniting with his older brother José Fonte.[41][42] His only goal for the eventual Ligue 1 runners-up came on 28 April 2019, in a 5–0 home defeat of Nîmes Olympique.[43]

Return to Braga

Fonte returned to his homeland and Braga on 21 August 2019, signing a three-year deal.[44] He spent the better part of the 2020–21 season on the sidelines, due to a cruciate ligament injury.[45]

Estoril

On 31 August 2021, Fonte signed a one-year contract with a plus-one option with top-flight club G.D. Estoril Praia.[46] He scored his first goal on 3 October in a 2–2 home draw against Gil Vicente FC,[47] and his second was the only at B-SAD on 12 December.[48]

Later career

Fonte alternated between the first and second tiers the following seasons, with F.C. Famalicão[49] and F.C. Paços de Ferreira.[50]

International career

Fonte made his debut for the Portugal under-21s against Spain on 18 November 2008, scoring the first goal in a 4–1 victory.[51] The following summer, he was part of the team that took silver in the Lusofonia Games, scoring a penalty in a 4–1 win over Angola on the final day.[52]

On 31 March 2015, Fonte was called up to the full side for the first time, for a friendly with Cape Verde, remaining on the bench in the 0–2 defeat in Estoril.[53]

Personal life

Fonte's older brother, José, is also a footballer – a defender, he played most of his professional career in England, and the two were teammates at Sporting (youth), Crystal Palace and Lille.[54]

Their father, Artur, played 12 seasons in the Portuguese top division.[55][5]

Career statistics

As of match played 30 June 2019[56][57]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal 2008–09 Premier League 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1 0
Crystal Palace (loan) 2008–09 Championship 10 0 0 0 0 0 — 10 0
Setúbal 2009–10 Primeira Liga 13 0 0 0 2 0 — 15 0
Espanyol 2010–11 La Liga 11 0 0 0 — — 11 0
2011–12 19 1 5 2 — — 24 3
2012–13 10 0 2 0 — — 12 0
Total 40 1 7 2 — 0 0 47 3
Benfica B 2012–13 Segunda Liga 1 0 — — — 1 0
2013–14 4 1 — — — 4 1
2014–15 21 17 — — — 21 17
Total 26 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 18
Benfica 2014–15 Primeira Liga 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1 0
Belenenses 2014–15 Primeira Liga 12 2 0 0 0 0 — 12 2
Braga 2015–16 Primeira Liga 15 4 3 2 3 2 7[a] 0 28 8
2016–17 22 10 2 1 5 2 4[a] 0 33 13
2017–18 2 1 0 0 0 0 2[a] 1 4 2
Total 37 14 5 3 8 4 11 0 61 21
Fulham 2017–18 Championship 27 3 1 0 0 0 — 28 3
2018–19 Premier League 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1 0
Lille (loan) 2018–19 Ligue 1 18 1 0 0 1 0 — 19 1
Career total 184 39 13 5 13 4 11 0 221 48
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in the Europa League

Honours

Benfica

Braga

Fulham

Portugal U21

References

  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Fulham" (PDF). English Football League. p. 16. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Rui Fonte" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Rui Fonte". Barry Hugman's Footballers.
  4. ^ "Seleção: Fernando Santos chama Ricardo Pereira e Rui Fonte" [National team: Fernando Santos calls Ricardo Pereira and Rui Fonte] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Simões de Abreu, Alexandra (28 November 2020). "Rui Fonte: "Sim, paguei meses de salários em atraso a funcionários do Vitória, que estavam no clube quando passei por lá. Agora, ajudei-os"" [Rui Fonte: "Yes, I paid due wages to Vitória employees, who were at the club during my spell. Now, I helped them"]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  6. ^ O'Donovan, Ryan (30 August 2017). "Rui Fonte grateful to Arsenal for teaching him the mental toughness needed to succeed in football". My London. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Barnet 1–2 Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. 19 July 2008. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  8. ^ Harris, Chris (11 November 2008). "Arsenal 3–0 Wigan Athletic". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  9. ^ "Palace sign Arsenal striker Fonte". BBC Sport. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  10. ^ "Crystal Palace 0–1 Blackpool". BBC Sport. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  11. ^ "Crystal Palace extend Fonte loan". BBC Sport. 6 March 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  12. ^ "Crystal Palace have one point deducted for fielding ineligible Rui Fonte". The Guardian. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  13. ^ "Rui Fonte returns to Sporting". PortuGOAL. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  14. ^ "Rui Fonte no Vitória de Setúbal" [Rui Fonte to Vitória de Setúbal] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  15. ^ "'Vitórias' estreiam-se com empate nulo" [All-nil draw in 'Vitórias' debut] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Owuso no Cercle Brugge e Rui Fonte emprestado ao Espanyol" [Owuso in Cercle Brugge and Rui Fonte loaned to Espanyol] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 23 July 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Garcia rescues Espanyol". ESPN Soccernet. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  18. ^ "Ten-man Real grind out win". ESPN Soccernet. 13 February 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  19. ^ "Firma por dos años" [Signs for two years] (in Spanish). Fichajes. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  20. ^ "Rui Fonte: "Estoy feliz por firmar por dos años"" [Rui Fonte: "I am happy to have signed for two years"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 14 July 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  21. ^ Egea, Pablo (17 January 2012). "Asalto frustrado a Cornellá" [Frustrated assault on Cornellá]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  22. ^ Aldunate, Ramiro (24 January 2012). "El milagro de Anduva" [Miracle in Anduva]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  23. ^ "Baena sets Espanyol on their way". ESPN Soccernet. 21 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  24. ^ "Oficial: Rui Fonte rescindiu com o Espanhol" [Official: Rui Fonte cut ties with Espanyol] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  25. ^ "Rui Fonte assina por cinco épocas e meia" [Rui Fonte signs for five and a half seasons]. Record (in Portuguese). 30 January 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  26. ^ "Rui Fonte só regressa na próxima época" [Rui Fonte only returns the next season] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  27. ^ "Rui Fonte, cinco meses de baja tras lesionarse en una rodilla" [Rui Fonte, five months out after injuring knee]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 6 February 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  28. ^ "Jorge Jesus: "Homenagear Eusébio pela referência que foi"" [Jorge Jesus: "Pay hommage to Eusébio for the reference he was"] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  29. ^ "Benfica goleia Arouca na Taça da Liga" [Benfica rout Arouca in League Cup]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 14 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  30. ^ "Rui Fonte e Gonçalo Paciência: O Europeu em ponto de mira" [Rui Fonte and Gonçalo Paciência: Sights set on European Championships]. Record (in Portuguese). 4 August 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  31. ^ "Contratos de trabalho desportivo e contratos de formação desportiva recepcionados na Liga Portugal dia 02 de Fevereiro de 2015" [Sporting work contracts and sporting training contracts registered at Liga Portugal on 02 February 2015] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional. 2 February 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  32. ^ "Rui é reforço" [Rui Fonte is an addition]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  33. ^ "Rui Fonte reforça o plantel do SC Braga" [Rui Fonte strengthens SC Braga squad] (in Portuguese). S.C. Braga. 30 July 2015. Archived from the original on 30 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  34. ^ "Taça: Braga deixa Sporting para trás" [Cup: Braga leave Sporting behind]. Expresso (in Portuguese). 16 December 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Rui Fonte e Pedro Santos regressam" [Rui Fonte and Pedro Santos return] (in Portuguese). S.C. Braga. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  36. ^ a b Calaveiras, Carlos (22 May 2016). "Sp. Braga vence Taça de Portugal" [Sp. Braga win Portuguese Cup] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  37. ^ "Rui Fonte é reforço do SC Braga" [Rui Fonte is a SC Braga addition] (in Portuguese). S.C. Braga. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  38. ^ "Rui Fonte quer marcar mais golos do que no ano passado" [Rui Fonte wants to score more goals than last year] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  39. ^ "Fonte joins". Fulham F.C. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  40. ^ "Ipswich Town 0–2 Fulham". BBC Sport. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  41. ^ "Un renfort offensif nommé Rui Fonte" [An attacking addition named Rui Fonte] (in French). Lille OSC. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  42. ^ "Rui Fonte joins Lille from Fulham on season loan". Sky Sports. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  43. ^ "Ligue 1: Lille corrige Nîmes (5–0) et conforte sa deuxième place" [Ligue 1: Lille thrash Nîmes (5–0) and solidify their second place]. Le Parisien (in French). 28 April 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  44. ^ "Oficial: Rui Fonte está de regresso ao Braga" [Official: Rui Fonte returns to Braga]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 21 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  45. ^ Gonçalves, André (21 July 2020). "Rui Fonte reage à grave lesão: "Voltarei mais forte"" [Rui Fonte reacts to serious injury: "I will return stronger"]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  46. ^ Travassos, Nuno (31 August 2021). "Rui Fonte reforça Estoril" [Rui Fonte bolsters Estoril] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  47. ^ "Estoril esteve duas vezes em vantagem, mas o Gil Vicente deu resposta" [Estoril were twice ahead, but Gil Vicente replied]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 3 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  48. ^ "Estoril ganha no Jamor e mantém quinto posto e lugar europeu" [Estoril win at the Jamor and keep fifth and European place]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 12 December 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  49. ^ "Rui Fonte assina por duas temporadas" [Rui Fonte signs for two seasons] (in Portuguese). F.C. Famalicão. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  50. ^ Santos, José (17 July 2023). "Rui Fonte é reforço para o ataque do P. Ferreira" [Rui Fonte is reinforcement for P. Ferreira's attack]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  51. ^ Bryan, Paul (18 November 2008). "Portugal plunder Iberian bragging rights". UEFA. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  52. ^ a b "Portugal conquista prata e Cabo Verde ouro" [Portugal take silver and Cape Verde gold] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  53. ^ "Portugal 0–2 Cape Verde Islands". BBC Sport. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  54. ^ "Palace sign Arsenal striker Fonte". BBC Sport. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  55. ^ Calhau, Pedro (17 February 2015). "Rui Fonte só "precisa de confiança para abrir o livro"" [Rui Fonte only "needs confidence to open the book"] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  56. ^ "Rui Fonte: Summary". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  57. ^ "Rui Fonte » Club matches". Worldfootball. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  58. ^ Ribeiro, Patrick (23 May 2021). "Braga beat nine-man Benfica to lift Portuguese Cup". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  59. ^ Cole, Richard (25 January 2020). "Late Ricardo Horta strike wins the Taça da Liga for Braga". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  60. ^ Cartwright, Phil (26 May 2018). "Aston Villa 0–1 Fulham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 May 2018.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rui Fonte.
  • Rui Fonte at ForaDeJogo (archived) Edit this at Wikidata
  • Rui Fonte at Soccerbase Edit this at Wikidata
  • Rui Fonte at BDFutbol Edit this at Wikidata
  • Rui Fonte national team profile at the Portuguese Football Federation (in Portuguese)
  • Rui Fonte – UEFA competition record (archive) Edit this at Wikidata
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F.C. Paços de Ferreira – current squad