José Fonte

José Miguel da Rocha Fonte ComM (European Portuguese: [ʒuˈzɛ ˈfõtɨ]; born 22 December 1983) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre back for French club Lille OSC and the Portugal national team.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is da Rocha and the second or paternal family name is Fonte.
José Fonte
Fonte playing for Portugal at the 2018 World Cup
Personal information
Full name José Miguel da Rocha Fonte[1]
Date of birth (1983-12-22) 22 December 1983[2]
Place of birth Penafiel, Portugal
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Lille
Number 6
Youth career
1991–1994 Penafiel
1994–2002 Sporting CP
1997–2000 → Sacavenense (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2004 Sporting CP B 59 (0)
2004–2005 Felgueiras 28 (1)
2005 Vitória Setúbal 15 (0)
2006–2008 Benfica 0 (0)
2006 → Paços Ferreira (loan) 11 (1)
2006–2007 → Estrela Amadora (loan) 25 (1)
2007–2008 → Crystal Palace (loan) 22 (1)
2008–2010 Crystal Palace 60 (5)
2010–2017 Southampton 260 (15)
2017–2018 West Ham United 24 (0)
2018 Dalian Yifang 7 (0)
2018– Lille 79 (5)
National team‡
2006 Portugal U21 1 (0)
2006 Portugal B 1 (0)
2014– Portugal 43 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 January 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2020

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 (after already having played there from ages 10–13) at Sporting CP,[4] 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.[5]

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,[4] 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[6]– 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,[7][5] 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,[8] 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.[9]

Fonte continued to feature regularly with the Londoners in the Football League Championship, even appearing as a makeshift striker when required.[10][11]

Southampton
Fonte playing for Southampton in 2012

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.[12] He made his debut one week later alongside two other recent signings, Jon Otsemobor and Danny Seaborne, in a 1–1 draw at Millwall;[13] his first goal for the Saints came on 28 August 2010, in a 4–0 away win against Bristol Rovers.[14]

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 (7%).[15]

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,[16] and he eventually contributed with 42 matches and one goal (against Coventry City in the final matchday[17]) 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.[18] He netted his first goal(s) in the competition in a 2–2 home draw to Fulham on 7 October, the second arriving in the last minute;[19] on 24 August 2013, he scored a header in the 89th minute of the home game against Sunderland, rescuing a point for his team.[20]

On 23 January 2014, Fonte was attacked by teammate Dani Osvaldo during a training session.[21] Subsequently, the latter was loaned out to Juventus F.C. during the winter transfer window.[22]

On 8 August 2014, Fonte penned a new three-year deal with Southampton running until 2017, and was also named team captain.[23] He made his 250th league appearance for the club on 16 October 2016, in a 3–1 home win against Burnley.[24]

West Ham United

On 20 January 2017, aged 33, Fonte moved to West Ham United for a reported fee of £8 million (plus potential add-ons) on a two-and-a-half-year deal.[25][26] 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.[27]

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.[28]

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.[29][30] On 15 July, he terminated his contract.[31]

Lille

Fonte moved to French club Lille OSC on 20 July 2018, signing a two-year contract.[32]

International career
Fonte playing for Portugal at UEFA Euro 2016

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.[33]

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.[34] 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.[35]

Fonte was selected by manager Fernando Santos for his Euro 2016 squad.[36] 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 (1–0 triumph after extra time);[37] he went on to retain his position until the final, won at the expense of hosts France.[38]

Fonte was named in Portugal's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[39]

Personal life

Fonte's younger brother, Rui, is also a footballer. A forward, the two were teammates at Sporting (youth), Crystal Palace and Lille.[40]

Their father, Artur, played 12 seasons in the Portuguese top division.[41]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 9 January 2021.[42][43]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sporting CP B 2002–03[44] Portuguese Second Division 220————220
2003–04[44] 370————370
Total 590————590
Felgueiras 2004–05[44] Segunda Liga 28110———291
Vitória Setúbal 2005–06[44] Primeira Liga 15000—2[lower-alpha 1]0—170
Paços Ferreira (loan) 2005–06[44] 11100———111
Estrela Amadora (loan) 2006–07[44] 25120———271
Crystal Palace (loan) 2007–08[45] Championship 2211010—2[lower-alpha 2]0261
Crystal Palace 2008–09[46] 3842010——414
2009–10[47] 2211020—00251
Total 8264040—20926
Southampton 2009–10[47] League One 2100000—3[lower-alpha 3]0240
2010–11[48] 4372020—1[lower-alpha 3]0487
2011–12[49] Championship 4211010——441
2012–13[50] Premier League 2721000——282
2013–14[51] 3631010——383
2014–15[52] 3703040——440
2015–16[53] 37210104[lower-alpha 1]0—432
2016–17[54] 170002000—190
Total 2601590110404028815
West Ham United 2016–17[54] Premier League 1600000——160
2017–18[55] 800000——80
Total 2400000——240
Dalian Yifang 2018[55] Chinese Super League 7020———90
Lille 2018–19[56] Ligue 1 3632000——383
2019–20[57] 25121205[lower-alpha 4]0—332
2020–21[58] 18100—5[lower-alpha 1]0—231
Total 7954120100—946
Career total 588282211701606064830
  1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League
  2. Appearance(s) in Football League Play-Offs
  3. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  4. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League

International
As of 14 November 2020[59]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Portugal 201410
201570
2016120
201770
201890
201960
202010
Total430

Honours

Southampton

Portugal

Individual

Orders

References
  1. "FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017: List of players: Portugal" (PDF). FIFA. 20 March 2018. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  2. "Jose Fonte". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  3. "José Fonte" (in French). Lille OSC. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  4. "José Fonte: "O Carlos Martins teria fácil adaptação ao futebol inglês"" [José Fonte: "Carlos Martins would adapt easily to English football"] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 23 December 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  5. Cabral, Mariana (28 November 2014). "Fonte, que queria ter jogado pelo Benfica, explica como se faz cócegas ao Chelsea" [Fonte, who wanted to have played for Benfica, explains how to tickle Chelsea]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  6. "Penafiel-P. Ferreira, 2–2: Fonte de azar trocou os Paços" [Penafiel-P. Ferreira, 2–2: Fountain ("Fonte" in English) of misfortune went down the wrong Paths ("Paços" in English)]. Record (in Portuguese). 6 March 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  7. Silva, Flávio Miguel (23 November 2015). "José Fonte: "Benfica é que me pagou os ordenados em atraso"" [José Fonte: «Benfica was the one that paid me my due wages»] (in Portuguese). Sábado. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  8. "Palace bring in Benfica defender". BBC Sport. 31 July 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  9. "Palace bag Benfica defender Fonte". BBC Sport. 23 July 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  10. Shaw, Phil (8 April 2008). "Jose Fonte revives Crystal Palace hopes". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  11. Banks, Simon (21 September 2017). "One on one with: Jose Fonte". West Ham Till I Die. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  12. "Saints sign José Fonte". Southampton F.C. 11 January 2010. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  13. "Millwall 1–1 Southampton". Southampton F.C. 16 January 2010. Archived from the original on 19 January 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  14. "Bristol Rovers 0–4 Southampton". BBC Sport. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  15. "Jose Fonte on the up in England". PortuGOAL. 10 May 2011. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  16. "Jose Fonte signs new Southampton contract". BBC Sport. 29 December 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  17. "Southampton 4 – Coventry 0". BBC Sport. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  18. "Nasri the hero for champions". ESPN FC. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  19. "Fonte to the fore in frantic finale". ESPN FC. 7 October 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  20. "Mixed emotions for goalscorer Fonte". Southampton F.C. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  21. "Dani Osvaldo: Southampton suspend striker for fighting". BBC Sport. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  22. "Dani Osvaldo: Southampton striker completes Juventus loan". BBC Sport. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  23. "We're delighted to announce that José Fonte has signed a new three-year deal, keeping him at #SaintsFC until 2017". Twitter. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  24. "Skipper José Fonte makes his 250th league appearance for #SaintsFC this afternoon!". Twitter. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  25. "Jose Fonte: West Ham sign Southampton captain". BBC Sport. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  26. "Fonte completes West Ham move". Southampton F.C. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  27. Begley, Emlyn (1 February 2017). "West Ham United 0–4 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  28. "West Ham defensive injury crisis deepens as José Fonte is ruled out of action until 2018". Sports Illustrated. 4 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  29. "Jose Fonte departs for Dalian Yifang". West Ham United F.C. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  30. Markovic, James (28 February 2018). "Ex-Celtic midfielder claims Jose Fonte refused to play reserve game for West Ham before China move". 90 Min. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  31. "José Fonte é jogador livre" [José Fonte is a free player]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 15 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  32. "OFICIAL: Lille anuncia José Fonte" [OFFICIAL: Lille announce José Fonte] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  33. Garin, Erik; Nunes, João. "Torneio "Vale do Tejo" (Portugal)". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  34. "Saints skipper Fonte earns first Portugal call". Southampton F.C. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  35. Henson, Mike (18 November 2014). "Argentina 0–1 Portugal – as it happened". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  36. "Portugal name Bayern Munich signing Renato Sanches for Euros squad". ESPN FC. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  37. "Quaresma snatches extra-time win for Portugal". UEFA. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  38. McNulty, Phil (10 July 2016). "Portugal 1–0 France". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  39. "Nearly half Portugal's Euro squad to miss World Cup". Special Broadcasting Service. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  40. "Palace sign Arsenal striker Fonte". BBC Sport. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  41. 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.
  42. "José Fonte". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  43. "Jose Fonte". Holmesdale. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  44. "José Fonte". ForaDeJogo. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  45. "Games played by José Fonte in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  46. "Games played by José Fonte in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  47. "Games played by José Fonte in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  48. "Games played by José Fonte in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  49. "Games played by José Fonte in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  50. "Games played by José Fonte in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  51. "Games played by José Fonte in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  52. "Games played by José Fonte in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  53. "Games played by José Fonte in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  54. "Games played by José Fonte in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  55. "Games played by José Fonte in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  56. "Games played by José Fonte in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  57. "Games played by José Fonte in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  58. "Games played by José Fonte in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  59. "José Fonte". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  60. "Portugal regressa ao topo da Europa. Liga das Nações fica em casa" [Portugal return to the top of Europe. Nations League stays home] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  61. ""Portugal fez uma prova excelente", diz Fernando Santos" ["Portugal had an excellent tournament", Fernando Santos says] (in Portuguese). TSF. 2 July 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  62. "Spurs' Gareth Bale wins PFA player of the year award". BBC Sport. 17 April 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  63. Howard, Peter (11 May 2018). "Previous winners of the Daily Echo Southampton FC Player of the Season Award". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  64. "Seleção recebe insígnias de Marcelo no Porto" [National team receive insignia from Marcelo in Porto]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 25 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
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