João Tomás

João Henrique Pataco Tomás (born 27 May 1975) is a Portuguese retired professional footballer who played as a striker.

He represented mostly Braga (three seasons) and Rio Ave (four) in a 19-year senior career, also having a one-and-a-half-season spell at Benfica and amassing Primeira Liga totals of 261 matches and 101 goals. Abroad, he spent some time in Spain and Asia.

Tomás was a Portugal international in the 2000s.

Club career
Born in Oliveira do Bairro, Aveiro District, Tomás achieved some notability playing for Académica de Coimbra, earning the nickname of O Jardel de Coimbra (Coimbra's Jardel) after Mário Jardel.

He subsequently represented S.L. Benfica (scoring 17 goals in his only full season, 2000–01), Real Betis – joining in summer 2001 alongside his teammate José Calado, he netted seven times in La Liga in his debut campaign, but appeared scarcely in the second – Vitória de Guimarães and S.C. Braga, to where he returned after a Qatar Stars League stint in 2006–07 with Al-Arabi SC and Al-Rayyan SC, having left for Asia for free.

In 2004–05 and the following season, while with Braga, Tomás was the second-best scorer in the Primeira Liga. In 2007–08, however, he was very rarely used, due to injuries and the emergence of Austrian Roland Linz, and in July 2008 he signed for Boavista FC, relegated to the Segunda Liga due to financial irregularities.

Two matches into the 2008–09 season, Tomás entailed negotiations with another Qatari club, Al Ahli SC (Doha), but quickly returned to Boavista. In June 2009, as his team suffered a second consecutive drop, he joined Rio Ave F.C. at age 34.

Tomás fared well in his return to the top flight, scoring six goals in the league and eight overall, but moved abroad once again in February 2010, with UAE Pro League side Sharjah FC. He returned to Rio Ave in July, agreeing to a one-year contract.

On 30 October 2010, Tomás scored in a 2–0 home win against his former team Braga, as Rio Ave won their first game of the campaign; earlier, in the first half, he missed a penalty kick. In the first year in his second spell in Vila do Conde he finished second in the scorers chart, only trailing FC Porto's Hulk.

Tomás moved abroad again in January 2013, signing for C.R.D. Libolo in the Angolan Girabola; Shortly before that, his hat-trick helped the visitors to defeat Vitória de Setúbal 5–3, and he reached 101 goals in the Portuguese top tier in the process.

After retiring, Tomás worked in directorial capacities at F.C. Famalicão, C.D. Trofense and S.C.U. Torreense.

International career
Tomás earned four caps for Portugal. His first game was in a 2–1 victory over Israel in a friendly, on 15 November 2000.

On 22 May 2007, after a $5 1/2$-year absence, Tomás was recalled to the national team by Luiz Felipe Scolari, playing against a Kuwaiti club on 5 June in Kuwait City and scoring in the 1–1 draw.