Jefferson Nogueira Júnior

Jefferson Nogueira Júnior (born 22 January 1994) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish TFF 1. Lig club Ankara Keçiörengücü.

After starting his senior career at Figueirense in 2012, Jefferson went on to compete professionally in Turkey, Portugal, and Romania.

Career

Early career and Figueirense Born in Campinas, São Paulo, Jefferson started out in the academies of Paulínia and Grêmio, before joining Figueirense's youth setup in 2012. He made his senior debut on 2 December that year, aged 18, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–0 Série A away loss to Coritiba.

After a loan stint back to Paulínia, Jefferson was definitely promoted to the main squad in 2014. On 16 November 2014, he scored his first professional goal in a 1–1 draw at Atlético Mineiro.

Gaziantep In January 2018, Jefferson moved abroad for the first time to TFF First League team Gazişehir Gaziantep. He made his debut on the 22nd in a 3–0 league defeat of Samsunspor, and scored for the first time on 14 April in a 3–2 win over Altınordu.

During his second season in Turkey, Jefferson contributed with one goal from 15 appearances as the club achieved promotion to the Süper Lig. On 19 October 2019, he registered his first goal in the top division in a 1–4 away loss to Trabzonspor.

Moreirense On 27 January 2022, Jefferson agreed to a contract until the end of the season with Portuguese club Moreirense. He scored his first goals in a 2–1 Primeira Liga win over Gil Vicente, on 8 April.

Jefferson amassed 16 appearances in all competitions, as Moreirense lost the relegation play-offs against Chaves 1–2 on aggregate.

Petrolul Ploiești After being linked to Romanian team Universitatea Craiova in the summer of 2022, Jefferson agreed a deal for an undisclosed period with fellow Liga I club Petrolul Ploiești on 10 March 2023.

During his 11-month spell, Jefferson played 26 matches without scoring, of which 23 in the Romanian top flight.

Boluspor On 2 February 2024, Jefferson returned to Turkey by signing for TFF First League side Boluspor.

Career statistics

Honours Figueirense Campeonato Catarinense: 2014, 2015

Fortaleza Copa Fares Lopes runner-up: 2017