Júnior Santos

José Antonio dos Santos Júnior (born 11 October 1994), known as Júnior Santos, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Botafogo, on loan from Atlético Mineiro.

Career Early career Born in Conceição do Jacuípe, Bahia, Júnior Santos worked as a bricklayer until age 20, when he moved to the state capital of Salvador and played amateur football. Three years later, a prophecy in church foretold his future as a travelling professional footballer.

After a friend invited him for trials at Osvaldo Cruz almost 2,000 kilometres away in São Paulo, Júnior Santos impressed scouts, signed permanently and made his senior debut on 8 August 2017 by starting in a 1–1 away draw against Presidente Prudente FC in the Campeonato Paulista Segunda Divisão.

On 25 June 2017, he netted his first two goals in a 2–2 home draw against José Bonifácio, ending the season with five goals in 20 appearances as Osvaldo Cruz was knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Ituano On 11 January 2018, Júnior Santos was presented at Ituano. He made his debut for the club on 3 February 2018, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 Campeonato Paulista home draw against Ponte Preta.

Júnior Santos scored his first professional goal on 26 February 2018, netting the game's only in a home defeat of Red Bull Brasil. He finished the tournament with four goals in 11 appearances.

Loan to Ponte Preta On 8 April 2018, Júnior Santos was loaned to Série B side Ponte Preta until the end of the year, with a buyout clause. On his debut for the club four days later, he scored the last in a 3–0 home win against Náutico for the year's Copa do Brasil.

Fortaleza On 19 December 2018, Júnior Santos moved to Série A club Fortaleza on a three-year contract, after the club bought 50% of his economic rights. He was a part of the team that won both the Campeonato Cearense and the Copa do Nordeste, being the joint top-scorer in the latter competition with eight goals.

Júnior Santos made his top tier debut on 28 April 2019, starting in a 4–0 away loss to Palmeiras.

Kashiwa Reysol On 26 June 2019, Júnior Santos moved abroad for the first time in his career, after signing for J2 League side Kashiwa Reysol. He achieved promotion as champions in his first year, but only featured in eight matches.

Loan to Yokohama F. Marinos On 11 August 2020, after being rarely used, Júnior Santos was loaned to Yokohama F. Marinos for the remainder of the year. He scored 13 times for the club in only 22 league matches, being their top goalscorer during the season.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima In January 2022, Júnior Santos signed a permanent deal with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Loan to Botafogo On 18 August 2022, Júnior Santos was presented at Botafogo, after agreeing to a loan deal until the end of the year. Despite being regularly used, he left the club in December, after Sanfrecce refused a new loan deal.

Fortaleza return On 20 January 2023, Júnior Santos returned to Fortaleza on a three-year contract, after the club paid US$700,000 for his economic rights.

Botafogo return On 31 March 2023, Fortaleza announced the transfer of Júnior Santos to Botafogo, with his new club taking over Fortaleza's debt with Sanfrecce plus a US$200,000 fee. He became an immediate first-choice for the Fogão, scoring four times in a 6–0 Copa Libertadores home routing of Aurora on 28 February 2024. Botafogo went on to win the Libertadores itself.

Atlético Mineiro On 24 January 2025, Júnior Santos joined Atlético Mineiro on a four-year deal.

Second Botafogo return on loan On 6 March 2026, Júnior Santos returned to Botafogo on a season-long loan.

Career statistics

Honours Fortaleza Campeonato Cearense: 2019 Copa do Nordeste: 2019

Kashiwa Reysol J2 League: 2019

Botafogo Taça Rio: 2024 Copa Libertadores: 2024 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2024

Atlético Mineiro Campeonato Mineiro: 2025

Individual Copa do Nordeste Team of the Tournament: 2019 Copa do Nordeste Top scorer: 2019 J.League Cup Top scorer: 2022 Copa Libertadores Top scorer: 2024