José Carlos Gonçalves Rodrigues

Panathinaikos Zeca signed a four-year contract with Greek side Panathinaikos on 29 July 2011 for a fee of €400,000, as the club was coached by countryman Jesualdo Ferreira. He played all 30 league games in 2012–13, but the Clover could only finish in sixth place. After a massive rebuilding for the following campaign, he was one of the few survivors.

After more than 100 appearances with the club, on 26 April 2014 Zeca lifted the Greek Cup as team captain, in a final against PAOK at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. On 21 June, he signed a three-year extension.

In February 2015, Zeca expressed his desire to play for the Greece national team if he was awarded the country's citizenship. He agreed to renew his contract until 2018 two months later, commenting on the deal: "It will be good to continue with Anastasiou in charge. ... The team is happy and I think we can do a lot better under him".

On 6 February 2016, Andrea Stramaccioni's team ended the match with ten players as Zeca was shown a straight red card in a 0–1 home loss against Skoda Xanthi. Eight days later, after returning from suspension, he again received his marching orders, but in an eventual 3–0 away victory over PAS Giannina.

Zeca extended his contract on 9 August 2016, until the summer of 2019 for an undisclosed fee.

Copenhagen On 28 August 2017, Panathinaikos reached a formal agreement with Copenhagen for Zeca's transfer to the Danish club, for a fee believed to be in the region of €1.5 million; the player signed a four-year deal, with an annual salary of €1 million. On his debut, on 9 September, he scored in a 4–3 home defeat of Midtjylland.

On 6 November 2019, after helping the team win the Superliga for the fifth time in the decade, Zeca renewed his contract until 30 June 2023. On 3 October 2021, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in a game against Viborg that sidelined him for several months; he still contributed relatively as they conquered the domestic league again.

Zeca was again seriously injured in the knee in October 2022.

Return to Panathinaikos On 23 May 2023, aged 34, Zeca returned to Panathinaikos on a two-year contract. After retiring, he remained at the club as team manager first and assistant coach later.

International career Having completed five years of residence and professional status in Greece, Zeca became eligible for its citizenship in the beginning of 2017. He passed the relevant language and history exams in November 2016, becoming available for national side manager Michael Skibbe in the middle of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. He earned his first cap on 25 March 2017, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–1 away draw against Belgium; in the return match, on 3 September of that year, he scored his first goal in a 1–2 loss in Piraeus.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Greece's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zeca goal. 2023–24 2021–22, 2022–23

Individual Super League Greece Team of the Season: 2014–15, 2015–16 Danish Superliga Player of the Season: 2019–20 Copenhagen Player of the Season: 2019–20, 2020–21