André Almeida (footballer, born 2000)

Domingos André Ribeiro Almeida (born 30 May 2000) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Valencia.

He began his career at Vitória de Guimarães, playing 89 total games before a €7.5 million transfer to Valencia in 2022.

Vitória Guimarães
Born in Guimarães, Minho Province, Almeida joined the academy of Vitória S.C. before his 10th birthday. On 6 August 2016, at only 16, he made his senior debut with the reserve side in the LigaPro, playing 77 minutes in a 2–1 away loss against C.D. Santa Clara.

Almeida appeared in his first match in the Primeira Liga with the first team on 18 August 2019, starting in the 1–1 home draw with Boavista FC. He scored his first goal in the competition on 8 September, in the away fixture against Rio Ave FC (same result). The previous March, he had signed a professional contract until 2022 with a buyout clause of €20 million.

Valencia
On 25 August 2022, Almeida joined Valencia CF on a six-year deal; the transfer fee was the Spanish club's highest of the transfer window, €7.5 million in five instalments. He made his La Liga debut on 4 September in a 5–1 home win over Getafe CF as a 70th-minute substitute. Thirteen days later, he scored to conclude a 3–0 victory against RC Celta de Vigo also at Mestalla Stadium.

International career
Almeida earned his first cap for the Portugal under-21 team on 6 September 2021, starting a 1–0 home victory over Belarus in the 2023 UEFA European Championship qualifiers. The following month, also during that stage, he contributed one goal to the 11–0 demolition of Liechstenstein in Vizela.

Picked for the finals in Georgia and Romania, Almeida opened a 1–1 group-stage draw against the Netherlands in an eventual quarter-final exit.

Career statistics
