Gonçalo Inácio

Gonçalo Bernardo Inácio (born 25 August 2001) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Portugal national team.

Early life
Inácio was born in Almada, Setúbal District and raised in Seixal, a municipality located 34.2 km away. Growing up, he would play football wherever he could on the streets or in his house, and regularly attended Sporting CP matches with his father.

Despite not having a particular idol, Inácio looked to emulate Jérémy Mathieu.

Club career
Inácio began his career at local Almada, before moving to Sporting's academy. Prior to this, he had several trials with crosstown rivals Benfica, but ultimately decided not to join them when his father's car broke down on two occasions when he was being taken to training. On 13 January 2018, he signed his first professional contract at the age of 16.

Inácio had his first call-up to the first team on 6 July 2020, remaining unused in a goalless draw at Moreirense in the Primeira Liga; he would initially struggle to be integrated, due to being reserved by nature, but managed to succeed with the help of manager Rúben Amorim and his teammates Nuno Mendes, Eduardo Quaresma and Tiago Tomás, whom he had befriended during his time in the youth sides. He made his debut in a 2–0 away win against Portimonense on 4 October, as a 62nd-minute substitute for Zouhair Feddal.

On 20 March 2021, Inácio scored his first goal, heading home from close range in the 1–0 home victory over Vitória de Guimarães. On 23 January, he provided the assist for Pedro Porro in a 1–0 defeat of Braga to help his club win the Taça da Liga; his performance in the match impressed Amorim, with the player eventually surpassing Luís Neto in the pecking order. He played 20 times in the domestic league for the eventual champions, ending a 19-year drought.

Inácio was named defender of the month for December 2021. The following 29 January, his second-half header helped his team come from behind to defeat Benfica 2–1 in the league cup final. On 1 April, he agreed to an extension until 2026.

On 12 November 2023, in the Derby de Lisboa against Benfica at the Estádio da Luz, Inácio was sent off after receiving a second yellow card at the start of the second half; Sporting went on to lose 2–1. On 14 December, in their final UEFA Europa League group game, at home to Sturm Graz, he came off the bench at half-time and scored twice in ten minutes to seal a 3–0 victory.

International career
Inácio represented Portugal at under-17, under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels, for a total of 19 caps. He was called up to the senior side by Fernando Santos on 26 August 2021, for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and the Republic of Ireland and a friendly with Qatar. Four days later, however, he was dropped from the squad after picking up an injury on his left thigh.

On 12 November 2021, Inácio made his under-21 debut, playing the entire 1–0 win in Cyprus in the 2023 UEFA European Championship qualifying stage. He scored his first goal in the reverse fixture four days later, in a 6–0 rout in Faro.

In October 2022, Inácio was named in a preliminary 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. His first appearance took place on 23 March 2023, when he played the entire 4–0 victory over Liechtenstein in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers which was the first game in charge of new manager Roberto Martínez. On 11 September, still during that stage, he scored his first and second goals in a 9–0 home defeat of Luxembourg, Portugal's biggest win in international history.

Inácio was selected for the Euro 2024 finals. In the team's opening match against the Czech Republic, he replaced Diogo Dalot in the 63rd minute of the 2–1 comeback win. He also featured 90 minutes of the final group fixture, a 2–0 loss to Georgia, in a quarter-final elimination against France.

Style of play
Inácio has been predominantly deployed as a central defender, but can also play as a right-back and a midfielder due to his attributes. He is noted for his anticipation, composure, decisions, positioning, tackling and passing ability, including long-range passes which enables him to break down attacks and subsequently play the ball out or start offensive plays from the back, as well as for his acceleration, agility and pace.

Personal life
Inácio was a Sporting fan since he was a child, and his brother Rodrigo was born with a disability. The former considered himself a shy person who did not feel comfortable posting about himself on social media; his favourite hobbies were playing street football and the PlayStation alone or with friends.

International

 * Portugal score listed first, score column indicates score after each Inácio goal.

Honours
Sporting CP
 * Primeira Liga: 2020–21, 2023–24
 * Taça da Liga: 2020–21, 2021–22
 * Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2021

Individual
 * Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2023–24
 * Primeira Liga Defender of the Month: December 2021, December 2023, January 2024, April 2024
 * SJPF Young Player of the Month: November 2021