Júnior Santos (footballer, born 1994)

José Antonio dos Santos Júnior (born 11 October 1994), known as Júnior Santos, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Botafogo.

Early career
Born in Conceição do Jacuípe, Bahia, Júnior Santos never represented any clubs as a youth. Known as Berimbau, after impressing for amateur sides in his hometown, he was invited for a trial period at Osvaldo Cruz. He subsequently signed a contract with the club, and made his senior debut on 8 August 2017 by starting in a 1–1 away draw against Presidente Prudente FC for the Campeonato Paulista Segunda Divisão championship.

Júnior Santos scored his first senior goals on 25 June 2017, netting a brace in a 2–2 home draw against José Bonifácio. He finished the season with five goals in 20 appearances, as his side was knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Ituano
On 11 January 2018, Júnior Santos was presented at Ituano. He made his debut for the club on 3 February 2018, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 Campeonato Paulista home draw against Ponte Preta.

Júnior Santos scored his first professional goal on 26 February 2018, netting the game's only in a home defeat of Red Bull Brasil. He finished the tournament with four goals in 11 appearances.

Loan to Ponte Preta
On 8 April 2018, Júnior Santos was loaned to Série B side Ponte Preta until the end of the year, with a buyout clause. On his debut for the club four days later, he scored the last in a 3–0 home win against Náutico for the year's Copa do Brasil.

Fortaleza
On 19 December 2018, Júnior Santos moved to Série A club Fortaleza on a three-year contract, after the club bought 50% of his economic rights. He was a part of the team that won both the Campeonato Cearense and the Copa do Nordeste, being the joint top-scorer in the latter competition with eight goals.

Júnior Santos made his top tier debut on 28 April 2019, starting in a 4–0 away loss to Palmeiras.

Kashiwa Reysol
On 26 June 2019, Júnior Santos moved abroad for the first time in his career, after signing for J2 League side Kashiwa Reysol. He achieved promotion as champions in his first year, but only featured in eight matches.

Loan to Yokohama F. Marinos
On 11 August 2020, after being rarely used, Júnior Santos was loaned to Yokohama F. Marinos for the remainder of the year. He scored 13 times for the club in only 22 league matches, being their top goalscorer during the season.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima
In January 2022, Júnior Santos signed a permanent deal with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Loan to Botafogo
On 18 August 2022, Júnior Santos was presented at Botafogo, after agreeing to a loan deal until the end of the year. Despite being regularly used, he left the club in December, after Sanfrecce refused a new loan deal.

Fortaleza return
On 20 January 2023, Júnior Santos returned to Fortaleza on a three-year contract, after the club paid US$ 700,000 for his economic rights.

Botafogo return
On 31 March 2023, Fortaleza announced the transfer of Júnior Santos to Botafogo, with his new club taking over Fortaleza's debt with Sanfrecce plus a US$ 200,000 fee. He became an immediate first-choice for Fogão, and scored four times in a 6–0 Copa Libertadores home routing of Aurora on 28 February 2024.

Club

 * Fortaleza
 * Campeonato Cearense: 2019
 * Copa do Nordeste: 2019


 * Kashiwa Reysol
 * J2 League: 2019