Willian José da Silva (born 23 November 1991), known as Willian José, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian club Spartak Moscow.
 Willian José with Real Sociedad in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Willian José da Silva[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 23 November 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Porto Calvo, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Spartak Moscow | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2008 | CRB | ||
| 2008–2009 | Grêmio Barueri | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | Grêmio Barueri | 29 | (7) |
| 2011–2016 | Deportivo Maldonado | 0 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → São Paulo (loan) | 52 | (14) |
| 2013 | → Grêmio (loan) | 6 | (3) |
| 2013 | → Santos (loan) | 23 | (5) |
| 2014 | → Real Madrid B (loan) | 16 | (4) |
| 2014 | → Real Madrid (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | → Zaragoza (loan) | 33 | (7) |
| 2015–2016 | → Las Palmas (loan) | 30 | (9) |
| 2016–2022 | Real Sociedad | 143 | (52) |
| 2021 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | → Betis (loan) | 32 | (8) |
| 2022–2024 | Betis | 61 | (12) |
| 2024– | Spartak Moscow | 7 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2011 | Brazil U20 | 15 | (11) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2024 | |||
He began his career with 77 games and 12 goals in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A for Grêmio Barueri, São Paulo and Santos, as well as representing Grêmio FBPA on loan in 2013.
Willian José spent most of his career in Spain, making over 250 La Liga appearances and scoring over 70 goals, mainly for Real Sociedad and Real Betis, winning a Copa del Rey with each in 2020 and 2022. He also represented Real Madrid and Las Palmas on loan in the division, and had a loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Premier League in 2021.
Club career
editGrêmio Barueri
editBorn in Porto Calvo, Alagoas, Willian José started his career at local CRB's youth setup, before joining Grêmio Barueri in 2008, aged 17. On 1 August 2009 he made his first team – and Série A – debut, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–1 loss at Botafogo.[3]
Willian José scored his first goal as a professional on 17 January of the following year, netting his side's only in a 1–1 draw at Sertãozinho for the Campeonato Paulista championship.[4] He scored six further times during the campaign, which ended in relegation.
São Paulo
editFrom 2011 to 2016, Willian José's contract was the property of Deportivo Maldonado of Uruguay,[5] a team known for buying players to loan out.[6] On 13 January 2011, Willian José joined São Paulo.[7] He was mostly used as a backup to Luís Fabiano and Dagoberto in his first year, and despite the latter leaving for Internacional in 2012, he was still third-choice behind new signing Osvaldo.
Grêmio and Santos
editOn 13 December 2012, Willian José moved to Grêmio,[8] but after appearing rarely he signed with Santos FC in May of the following year.[9] He appeared in 28 matches during his only season at Peixe, scoring five goals.
Real Madrid
editOn 8 January 2014 Willian José moved abroad, signing a six-month deal with Real Madrid, being assigned to the reserves in Segunda División.[10] After scoring a hat-trick in a 3–2 win at Recreativo de Huelva,[11] he was called up for the main squad and was on the bench for the matches against Real Sociedad and UD Almería. He made his La Liga debut on 11 May, replacing compatriot Casemiro in a 2–0 loss at Celta de Vigo.[12]
Zaragoza
editWillian José signed a one-year deal with Real Zaragoza in the second level on 29 August 2014.[13] He made his debut for the club on 7 September, replacing David Muñoz in a 4–1 loss at FC Barcelona B.
Willian José scored his first goal for the club on 12 October 2014, in a 3–3 away draw against CD Lugo. He also scored braces against UD Las Palmas (3–5 away defeat) and Girona FC (4–1 away win), finishing the campaign with ten goals as his side missed out promotion in the play-offs.
Las Palmas
editOn 30 July 2015, Willian José signed a one-year contract with Las Palmas, newly promoted to the top tier.[14] His first goal in the category occurred on 12 December, the game's only in a home success against Real Betis.
On 25 January 2016, Willian José scored a brace in a 3–2 loss at Levante UD. On 20 February, he scored a first-half equalizer against league leaders FC Barcelona, but the hosts would eventually lose by 2–1. He also scored the equalizer against former club Real Madrid on 13 March, but the hosts again lost by 2–1.
Real Sociedad
edit
On 31 July 2016, Willian José signed a five-year deal with fellow league team Real Sociedad.[15] He made his debut on 21 August as the season began with a 3–0 home loss to Real Madrid, replacing David Concha after 55 minutes after starting on the bench due to fitness.[16] In his next game on 9 September, he equalised in a 1–1 draw on Espanyol's visit to the Anoeta Stadium, and 12 days later he netted twice in a 4–1 win over former club Las Palmas.[17] adding a further brace on 10 December in the first 25 minutes of a 3–2 win over Valencia.[18]
Willian José scored four goals on 19 October 2017 in a 6–0 win away to FK Vardar of Macedonia in the Europa League group stage, though his team did not advance.[19] The following 1 October, he extended his contract to 2024, with a release clause increased from €60 million to €70 million and Maldonado keeping 30% of his economic rights.[20]
Loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers
editOn 23 January 2021, Willian José joined Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers for the remainder of the 2020–21 season, with the option to make the deal permanent at its conclusion.[21] He made his first appearance for Wolves as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 27 January, making a vital headed clearance of a goal-bound shot from Kai Havertz in the last minute of added time.[22][23] He made his first start in the next game away to Crystal Palace three days later,[24] and on 17 April he scored his only Wolves goal in a 1–0 home league win over Sheffield United, sealing the Blades' relegation to the EFL Championship.[25]
Real Betis
editOn 26 August 2021, Willian José joined fellow La Liga club Real Betis on a season-long loan deal. The deal included the option to make the move permanent until 2025 for a fee of €8.5 million.[26] He made his debut on 13 September in a 2–1 win at fellow Andalusians Granada, as a half-time substitute for Borja Iglesias;[27][28] six days later he started and scored in the first five minutes of a 2–2 home draw with Espanyol.[29] He followed this with a late goal from the bench in a 3–1 win at Osasuna,[30] and both goals in a victory against Getafe at the Estadio Benito Villamarín.[31] Over the season, he competed with Iglesias for the position of manager Manuel Pellegrini's starting centre-forward.[32] In the team's victorious Copa del Rey campaign, he scored a penalty in a 4–0 win on his return to Real Sociedad in the quarter-final,[33] and was an extra-time substitute in the final win over Valencia, scoring the first attempt in the penalty shootout.[34]
In 2022–23, Willian José struggled for game time behind Sergio Canales and Iglesias.[35] He returned to prominence in the following season, coming on as a half-time substitute for Iglesias in the opening game away to Villarreal and scoring the winning goal of a 2–1 victory in the last minute.[36] On 8 October, away to Alavés, he came off the bench late in the 1–1 draw and was sent off in added time for kicking out at Aleksandar Sedlar as he got up from the floor.[37] He scored four goals on 1 November in a 12–1 win at sixth-tier Hernán Cortés in the first round of the Copa del Rey; the result was the joint-second biggest win in the competition's history, behind Getafe's 12–0 win against Tardienta on the same day.[38] In the 2023–24 season, he became the top scorer for his club in La Liga by scoring 10 goals.[39]
Spartak Moscow
editOn 1 July 2024, Willian José signed a two-year contract with Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow.[40]
International career
editIn 2011, Willian José was a member of both the FIFA U-20 World Cup and South American Youth Championship winning squads with Brazil, scoring twice in the former and thrice in the latter.
On 12 March 2018, he received his first call-up for the senior team for two friendly matches against Russia and Germany, but he didn't play either one.[41]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 27 November 2024[42]
| Club | Season | League | State league[a] | National cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Grêmio Barueri | 2009 | Série A | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2010 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | — | 24 | 7 | |||
| Subtotal | 26 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 7 | |||
| São Paulo (loan) | 2011 | Série A | 9 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 19 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7[c] | 3 | — | 44 | 15 | |||
| Total | 28 | 1 | 24 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | — | 66 | 16 | |||
| Grêmio (loan) | 2013 | Série A | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | — | 9 | 3 | |
| Santos (loan) | 2013 | Série A | 23 | 5 | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 5 | |||
| Real Madrid B (loan) | 2013–14 | Segunda División | 16 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 4 | ||||
| Real Madrid (loan) | 2013–14 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Zaragoza (loan) | 2014–15 | Segunda División | 33 | 7 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 4[e] | 3 | 38 | 10 | ||
| Las Palmas (loan) | 2015–16 | La Liga | 30 | 9 | — | 4 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 10 | |||
| Real Sociedad | 2016–17 | La Liga | 28 | 12 | — | 6 | 2 | — | — | 34 | 14 | |||
| 2017–18 | 34 | 15 | — | 0 | 0 | 6[f] | 5 | — | 40 | 20 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 31 | 11 | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 11 | |||||
| 2019–20 | 37 | 11 | — | 4 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 11 | |||||
| 2020–21 | 14 | 3 | — | 1 | 2 | 6[f] | 1 | 1[g] | 0 | 22 | 6 | |||
| Total | 144 | 52 | — | 14 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 171 | 62 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 2020–21 | Premier League | 17 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| Real Betis (loan) | 2021–22 | La Liga | 32 | 8[h] | — | 4 | 1 | 8[f] | 1 | — | 44 | 10 | ||
| Real Betis | 2022–23 | La Liga | 28 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 8[f] | 2 | 1[g] | 0 | 39 | 5 | |
| 2023–24 | 33 | 10 | — | 3 | 4 | 7[i] | 0 | — | 43 | 14 | ||||
| Total | 93 | 20 | — | 9 | 6 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 126 | 29 | |||
| Spartak Moscow | 2024–25 | Russian Premier League | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 13 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 419 | 105 | 40 | 18 | 37 | 10 | 47 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 548 | 148 | ||
- ^ Includes Campeonato Paulista, Campeonato Gaúcho
- ^ Includes Copa do Brasil, Copa del Rey, FA Cup, Russian Cup
- ^ a b Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
- ^ Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- ^ Appearances in Segunda División play-offs
- ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ a b Appearance in Supercopa de España
- ^ Does not include the first goal scored in 2–2 draw against Espanyol on 19 September 2021; La Liga's official website attributes the goal to Adrià Pedrosa as an own goal,[43] while other sites such as BDFutbol attribute it to Willian.[44]
- ^ Five appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
Honours
editSão Paulo
Real Madrid
Real Sociedad
Real Betis
Brazil U20
References
edit- ^ "Updated squad lists for 2020/21 Premier League". Premier League. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Willian José". Real Betis. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ André Lima dá vitória ao Botafogo contra o Barueri... Nos acréscimos (André Lima gives victory to Botafogo against Barueri... in the stoppage time); Globo Esporte, 1 August 2009 (in Portuguese)
- ^ No interior, Sertãozinho empate com Barueri e Azulão vence Paulista (In the countryside, Sertãozinho draws with Barueri and Azulão beats Paulista); Globo Esporte, 17 January 2010 (in Portuguese)
- ^ Wright, Nick (7 February 2021). "Willian Jose exclusive interview: Wolves striker making an impact after long road to the Premier League". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Aarons, Ed (10 October 2016). "Welcome to Deportivo Maldonado, where the big names never actually play". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Willian José acerta contrato de dois anos com o São Paulo (Willian José agrees a two-year deal with São Paulo); Diário Lance!, 13 January 2011 (in Portuguese)
- ^ Willian José confirma acerto com o Grêmio: 'Espero ser muito feliz' (Willian José confirms deal with Grêmio: 'I hope to be very happy'); Globo Esporte, 13 December 2012 (in Portuguese)
- ^ Chaves, Lincoln (28 May 2013). Santos apresenta Willian José, e atacante promete muitos gols (Santos presents Willian José, and forward promises a lot of goals); Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Cerezo, Hugo (8 January 2014). Willian José, otro brasileño para el Real Madrid Castilla (Willian José, another Brazilian to Real Madrid Castilla); Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Huelva, Efe (15 March 2014). Willian José, con un 'hat-trick', distancia al filial de la zona baja (Willian José, with a 'hat-trick', takes the reserves away from the drop zone); Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Siguero, Santiago (11 May 2014). Sin pena ni gloria (Unnoticed); Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Willian José, nuevo refuerzo para el ataque zaragocista. Archived 1 September 2014 via Wayback from the original. Real Zaragoza, 29 August 2014, (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ El delantero William José llega cedido hasta final de temporada (Forward Willian José arrives on loan until the end of the season); UD Las Palmas, 30 July 2015 (in Spanish)
- ^ Badallo, Oscar (31 July 2016). "La Real hace oficial el fichaje de Willian José hasta 2021" [Real Sociedad make official the signing of Willian José until 2021]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Badallo, Oscar (21 August 2016). "Real Sociedad host Real Madrid with star man fit". Marca. Adapted by Pablo Mosquera. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Castillo, Luis (22 September 2016). "Willian José protagoniza la pesadilla de Las Palmas" [Willian José stars in Las Palmas' nightmare]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Martin, Richard (12 December 2016). "Fallen giants Valencia head for Christmas in drop zone". Reuters. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Com quatro gols de Willian José, Real Sociedad atropela o Vardar na Macedônia" [With four goals from Willian José, Real Sociedad thrash Vardar in Macedonia]. Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). 19 October 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Ramajo, Roberto (1 October 2018). "Willian José renueva hasta 2024" [Willian José renews until 2024]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ "Willian Jose: Wolves sign Real Sociedad striker on loan". BBC Sport. 23 January 2021.
- ^ Johnston, Neil (27 January 2021). "Chelsea 0–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Thomas Tuchel suffers a frustrating start". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Report: Chelsea 0-0 Wolves". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ Johnston, Neil (30 January 2021). "Crystal Palace 1–0 Wolves: Eberechi Eze scores winner". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ Stone, Simon (17 April 2021). "Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Sheffield United: Blades relegated after defeat". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ López, Ángel (26 August 2021). "Oficial: Willian José, cedido al Betis" [Official: Willian José, loaned to Betis]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Lagos, Daniel (4 September 2021). "Willian José, objetivo Granada" [Willian José, objective Granada]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Morán, Miguel Á. (14 September 2021). "La magia de Canales tumba al Granada sobre la bocina" [Canales' magic sinks Granada at the death]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ "Willian José: "Tenemos que matar los partidos"" [Wilian José: "We have to kill off matches"]. Marca (in Spanish). 19 September 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ "Vídeo: Un golazo de Willian José sentencia a Osasuna en El Sadar" [Video: A wondergoal from Willian José sentences Osasuna at El Sadar]. El Correo (in Spanish). 23 September 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ "Willian José: "No esperaba este inicio"" [Willian José: "I wasn't expecting this start"]. Marca (in Spanish). 26 September 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Cala, Rafa (15 November 2021). "Borja Iglesias vs. Willian José ¿Quién debe ser el '9' titular del Real Betis?" [Borja Iglesias vs. Willian José. Who should be Real Betis' starting '9'?]. Estadio Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ "Un gran Betis golea a la Real Sociedad y pasa a semifinales" [A great Betis thrash Real Sociedad and advance to the semi-finals] (in Spanish). Cadena COPE. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ "Real Betis beat Valencia on penalties to win Copa del Rey". France 24. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Brennan, Joe (2 August 2023). "Real Betis striker Willian José said to be wanted by Liga MX side, Cruz Azul". Diario AS. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Burgos, Julián (13 August 2023). "Willian José asalta La Cerámica en el último minuto" [Willian José assaults La Cerámica in the last minute]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Borrego, Álvaro (8 October 2023). "Lo que dice el acta sobre la expulsión de Willian José" [What the minutes say about Willian José's dismissal] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Marroquín, Emmanuel R. (1 November 2023). "Betis registra la segunda mayor goleada en Copa del Rey" [Betis register the second biggest rout in the Copa del Rey] (in Spanish). TUDN. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Sharma, Abhinav (27 May 2024). "La Liga top scorers 2023-24: Jude Bellingham, Robert Lewandowski & players with the most goals in Spain this season". Goal.com.
- ^ "Виллиан Жозе — новый форвард "Спартака"" (in Russian). FC Spartak Moscow. 1 July 2024.
- ^ Convocados para amistosos contra Rússia e Alemanha (Call-ups for friendlies against Russia and Germany); CBF, 12 March 2018 (in Portuguese)
- ^ Willian José at Soccerway. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ "Espanyol 2–2 Real Betis". La Liga.
- ^ "Espanyol 2–2 Real Betis". BDFutbol.
- ^ Reidy, Paul (4 April 2021). "Athletic Club 0-1 Real Sociedad: result, summary, goal". AS.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "Real Betis 1–1 Valencia (5–4 on pens): Real Betis win Copa del Rey final on penalties". BBC Sport. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
External links
edit
- Profile at the Real Betis website
- Willian José – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Willian José at Sambafoot (archived)
- Willian José at Soccerway
