João Ferreira, new recruit for Les Verts !

Born in Balazar, a village north of Porto, João Ferreira played for Rio Ave from the age of 10 to 13. But it was at Benfica's youth academy, which he joined shortly thereafter, that the young player truly revealed his talent. Alongside an impressive career with the Portuguese national team, symbolized by 28 caps from the U15s to the U19s, the defender managed to make his way into the professional squad. In 2020, at the age of 19, he made his debut by playing the entire Portuguese Cup match. A few weeks later, he got his first taste of the Europa League against Standard Liège.

Eager to gain more experience, João Ferreira then went on loan to Vitória Guimarães and then to a club he knew well, Rio Ave, for half a season.  
Arriving in the winter of 2023, the Portuguese defender was approached by Watford, who offered him his first opportunity away from his native country. He played five games across the Channel before moving to Italy, where he joined Udinese in 2023-2024. 

In Serie A, João Ferreira immediately made his mark, playing 37 games before another season on loan, this time at Braga. That season allowed him to gain even more experience thanks to 32 appearances in the Portuguese first division, in the Cup, and also in the Europa League, where he was part of the starting XI six times in the group stage.

Now it's France's turn for João Ferreira! The 24-year-old Portuguese player has signed with ASSE until 2029 and will join Eirik Horneland's squad, where he will wear the number 13 jersey. The defender is the fifth summer signing after the purchase options for Irvin Cardona and Maxime Bernauer were activated and Mahmoud Jaber and Chico Lamba arrived.

João Ferreira: "I am very happy to sign for AS Saint-Étienne. It is a giant of French football, a club of enormous stature. Here, I know we have everything we need to achieve our goals and do great things this season, this is my main focus. I also know that the fans here live for the club and are very passionate. I can't wait to experience that for myself, especially at the stadium."

Eirik Horneland, AS Saint-Étienne's coach: “João is a top professional player who has always played at the highest level. He is a player who plays with high intensity. He is fast, powerful, and defends well. He contributes a lot offensively and has a strong personality. We are very happy to welcome him to the team.”

João Ferreira's “Vert l'Avenir” commitment

As part of its “Vert l'Avenir” CSR initiative, AS Saint-Étienne is offering all of its employees, including its players, the opportunity to commit to one of the four areas of focus of its ASSE Cœur-Vert association: Environment, Citizenship, Sport for All, and Health.

This season, João Ferreira will participate in initiatives related to the Environment.