João Palhinha

João Maria Lobo Alves Palhares Costa Palhinha Gonçalves (born 9 July 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Portugal national team.

He came through at Sporting CP, first appearing with the first team in 2017 and also having loans at Moreirense, Belenenses and Braga. After returning in 2020, he became a starter, notably winning the 2020–21 Primeira Liga and back-to-back Taças da Liga in 2021 and 2022. In July 2022, he was signed by Premier League side Fulham for £20 million, spending two seasons with the club and helping them achieve mid-table finishes in both. He joined Bayern Munich in July 2024.

A former Portugal youth international, finishing second at the 2014 European Under-19 Championship, Palhinha made his full debut in 2021 and was part of the squads at the 2022 World Cup and two European Championships.

2012–15: Early career
Born in Lisbon, Palhinha joined local Sporting CP's youth system in 2012, aged 17. He played his first game as a professional with the B team, coming on as a late substitute for fellow youth graduate Iuri Medeiros in a 3−2 home win against Portimonense in the Segunda Liga, on 3 February 2014; it was one of only two appearances during the season. Still in the second division, Palhinha scored his first senior goal on 4 April 2015, his header contributing to a 3−1 home victory over Leixões.

2015–20: Various loans and short return
From July 2015 to January 2017 he was loaned to Primeira Liga clubs Moreirense and Belenenses, respectively, making his debut in the competition whilst with the former in a 0−2 home loss to Arouca where he played 22 minutes from the bench, and netting for the first time while at the service of the latter against Vitória de Guimarães (1−1 away draw, 90 minutes played).

Subsequently, returning to the Estádio José Alvalade, Palhinha made his competitive debut with the first team on 21 January 2017, starting in a 2−2 draw at Marítimo. He scored his first goals for them on 12 October of the same year, netting twice in a 4–2 away win over Oleiros in the Taça de Portugal.

Palhinha spent the following two seasons on loan to Braga. He appeared in 76 competitive matches during his spell, winning the 2019–20 Taça da Liga and helping the Minhotos to a third-place finish in 2019–20 league season, notably scoring the game's only goal against Benfica for the club's first win at that opposition in 65 years.

2020–22: Breakthrough and departure
Having returned from his loan at Braga, Palhinha wanted to play in a different league, he started the 2020–21 campaign training on his own in the midst of negotiations with various club in Europe and Asia including Al Nassr and CSKA Moscow. However, after a move failed to materialise, due to Braga possessing a loan clause that required 15% of a future transfer to a new club in that summer tranfer window, Sporting felt that the proposals they received were low, leading Palhinha to be reintegrated into Sporting's main squad by his former manager at Braga Rúben Amorim, who trusted him for the new season as their main defensive midfielder, causing him to renew his contract until 2025. He missed the start of the season, due to contracting COVID-19, but recovered on 4 October and made his return on 17 October starting in the 2–2 home draw to rivals Porto.

On 26 January 2021, he was suspended for the Derby de Lisboa against Benfica, for accumulation of yellow cards, after being booked in the previous league match against Boavista. However, he filed a precautionary measure with the Central Administrative Court of the South (TCAS), to suspend the punishment, leading him to feature off the bench in the 1–0 over his rivals on 1 February. Shortly after, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAD) annulled the automatic sanction of the punishment, but didn't removed the yellow card, based on the admission of referee Fábio Veríssimo's error in admonishing Palhinha, who ended the season without serving the aforementioned suspension. The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) appealed to the TCAS, which, later accepted their appeal, given the "absence of TAD jurisdiction to assess and decide on the issue of committing the foreseen infraction", revoking the annulment of the punishment imposed by the Disciplinary Council (CD) of the FPF. The decision was confirmed by the Portuguese Supreme Administrative Court (STA), after an appeal filed by Palhinha, who unanimously decided that this appeal body lacked jurisdiction in the case.

On 15 February, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 home defeat of Paços de Ferreira. Over the following months, Palhinha proved to be an influential figure in the midfield for his side, establishing himself as a ball winning midfielder and registering the most tackles for the league campaign, at 185. He would contribute 32 appearances with the club winning the domestic league for the first time in 19 years; consequently, he was named in the he was named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year alongside five of his teammates.

In 2021–22, still under manager Rúben Amorim, Palhinha began facing stiff competition from newly-signed Manuel Ugarte, with various injury issues thorughout the season limiting his game time and his tackles also reduced compared to the previous season. Palhinha later attributed this decline in tackles to the referring in Portugal, stating that "in Portugal he felt he couldn't make a tackle, every touch was a yellow card". In total, he played 95 official games during his spell, scoring seven times and winning four trophies with the club, including a Primeira Liga title, two Taças da Liga and a Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira.

Fulham
On 4 July 2022, Palhinha signed a five-year contract with Fulham for £20 million. He made his Premier League debut on 6 August, playing the entire 2–2 home draw against Liverpool. He scored his first goal 14 days later, helping the hosts to beat Brentford 3–2. He was his team's Player of the Season with 68% of the votes, to runner-up Bernd Leno's 17%; he also managed to lead all players in tackles, with a total of 147.

On 26 August 2023, Palhinha scored a late equaliser in a 2–2 away draw against Arsenal. On the summer transfer deadline day, he had his medical tests in Germany ahead of a €65 million transfer to Bayern Munich, yet the deal collapsed as Fulham failed to find a replacement before the window shut; on 14 September, he agreed to a new contract until 2028, with an option to extend a further year. He again was the player with the most tackles for the campaign, at 154.

Bayern Munich
On 11 July 2024, Palhinha joined Bayern Munich on a four-year deal for €51 million, plus €5 million in add-ons, potentially taking the overall fee to €56 million (£47.4 million).

International career
Palhinha represented Portugal at under-18, under-19 and under-20 levels. He participated in the 2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, where his team finished second.

In March 2021, Palhinha was called up to the full side for the first time, for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan, Luxembourg and Serbia. He won his first cap in the match with the first adversary, replacing Rúben Neves late into the 1–0 victory in Turin. He scored his first goal in the same phase, closing the 3–1 away win over Luxembourg.

Being selected for UEFA Euro 2020, Palhinha appeared against France in the group stage (2–2) and Belgium in the round of 16 (1–0 loss). In November 2022, he was named in the final squad for the World Cup finals in Qatar, playing all three group-phase matches  in an eventual quarter-final exit to Morocco.

Palhinha also made a 26-man squad for Euro 2024. After not featuring in Portugal's opening match against the Czech Republic, he started in the 3–0 victory over Turkey, being substituted by Neves at half-time. He made a further three appearances for the quarter-finalists.

Style of play
Palhinha is known for his defensive positioning, stamina and tackling. Described as an astute ball-winning midfielder, he is especially aggressive in stopping counter-attacks early by lunging into challenges, often preferring slide tackles in order to maximise his radius. A physical and tall player, his height helps him dominate aerial duels and his strength allows him to hold off opponents when dribbling. His ability to break up opposition play, distribute the ball efficiently, and contribute defensively and offensively, as led him to be described as a complete midfielder.

Palhinha usually stays back and covers the back line, with a largely defensive role. He sits in front of the back four, breaking up opposition play as well as acting as the focal point to his team own build-up – playing the ball diagonally into the channels for the side's marauding full-backs and wingers. He was also noted for his strong vocal leadership, serving as a pillar of support while fostering team cohesion and providing essential guidance with clear vocal commands and precise hand gestures.

During his spell at Fulham, Palhinha registered a passing average of 81.5%, his presence helping his team in transition, timing his challenges to secure possession while enabling counter-attacks. He consistently ranked among the Premier League's top players for tackles, interceptions and duels won. In addition, he was the third player to be given 13 or more yellow cards in two separate campaigns, after Olivier Dacourt (1998–99, 2000–01) and Robbie Savage (2001–02, 2003–04).

Reception
Many pundits consider Palhinha to be one of the best defensive midfielders in world football, with former player Rio Ferdinand, being impressed with his first season at Fulham stating the he had "been sensational" [...] and a team "need someone like that in front of a defender". His Fulham teammate Tom Cairney branded him as "one of the best [players] he had ever seen off the ball, in terms of getting back, recovering and trying to win back the ball.

Meanwhile, his Fulham manager Marco Silva stated that "he was an important player in so many moments of the game as well as at set-pieces, due to covering many spaces and allowing the other midfielders to create more freedom." Palhinha's national team manager Roberto Martínez claimed that he brought balance to his team, due to him working hard without the ball, win the ball quickly, for transitions, and for giving time and space with the ball to other players.

Personal life
Palhinha married singer Patrícia Palhares in 2021. They had one son, João Maria (born October 2022).

International
Portugal score listed first, score column indicates score after each Palhinha goal.

Honours
Braga
 * Taça da Liga: 2019–20

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

Individual
 * Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2020–21
 * Fulham Player of the Season: 2022–23