Madjer

João Victor Saraiva (born 22 January 1977), better known as Madjer, is a Portuguese retired beach soccer player. He played in the forward position, and has won numerous awards at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups for his goalscoring abilities. He took the nickname Madjer because his idol is the former Algerian player Rabah Madjer. He has often been hailed as the best-ever beach soccer player. He became the first player to score 1000 international beach soccer career goals in an 8–1 win against England in September 2016.

In 2019, he was considered, by the prestigious magazine France Football, to be the best beach soccer player of all time.

Early life and background Madjer was born in Luanda, Angola, but moved to Portugal at a young age. He began his football career in conventional 11-a-side football and futsal before fully transitioning to beach soccer in the late 1990s. His acrobatic style, combining height (1.94 m) with exceptional agility, volley technique, overhead kicks, and bicycle kicks, quickly made him one of the most recognisable figures in the sport.

International career Madjer has an agility and dribbling talent in contrast to his height (194 cm). He is capable of acrobatic finishes such as volleys, over-head kicks and bicycle kicks. His skills contribute to competition in EBSL, Mundialito, and above all the Beach Soccer World Championship.

At the 2005, 2006, and 2008 World Cups Madjer won the golden boot for most goals scored in the tournament, and, he also was the MVP of EBSL last season in 1999, 2006, 2008 and 2009.

He retired from the sport after winning the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in a victory over Italy.

Post-retirement Following his retirement, Madjer was appointed beach soccer coordinator by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) in February 2020, where he has focused on youth development and the growth of the sport in Portugal. He also organises the annual Madjer Youth Beach Soccer Cup, an international youth tournament aimed at discovering and nurturing new talent.

Statistics

Honours

Club Cavalieri del Mare Beach Soccer Scudetto 2005

Sporting Clube de Portugal Circuito Nacional de Futebol de Praia 2010, 2016

FC Lokomotiv Moscow Russian National Beach Soccer Championship 2011; Euro Winners Cup 2013

Alanya Turkish National Beach Soccer Championship 2011

Al-Ahli Club UAE National Beach Soccer Championship: 2012, 2013, 2014. 2015 UAE President's Cup: 2014 UAE Supercup: 2014 Instanbul Beach Soccer Cup: 2015 Mundialito de Clubes: 2015 (3rd) Beach Soccer Championships (Oceanside) USA Cup: 2016 Beşiktaş J.K. Turkish National Beach Soccer Championship 2013 Country FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup (3): 2001, 2015, 2019 Euro Beach Soccer League (6): 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2019 Euro Beach Soccer Cup (6): 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 European Games (Gold Medal): 2019 BSWW Mundialito (4): 2003, 2008, 2009, 2012 Copa Latina (1): 2000

Individual FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Golden Ball (2): 2005, 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Silver Ball (2): 2007, 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bronze Ball (1): 2015 Beach Soccer World Championships Top Scorer (2): 2002, 2004 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Golden Shoe (3): 2005, 2006, 2008 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Silver Shoe (3): 2009, 2011, 2015 Beach Soccer MVP (3): 2003, 2005, 2006 Beach Soccer Best Player of the Year (2): 2015, 2016 Beach Soccer Goal of the Year (1): 2015 Beach Soccer Team of the Year (2): 2015, 2016 Euro Beach Soccer League MVP (5): 1999, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 Euro Beach Soccer League Top Scorer (6): 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 Euro Beach Soccer League Fair Play Award (1): 2005 Euro Beach Soccer League Portuguese Event Top Scorer (1): 2007 Euro Beach Soccer League French Event Top Scorer (1): 2007 Euro Beach Soccer League Spanish Event Top Scorer (1): 2004 Euro Beach Soccer Cup Top Scorer (4): 2004, 2009, 2010, 2012 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification (UEFA) Top Scorer (1): 2011 Mundialito MVP (6): 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 Mundialito Top Scorer (5): 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 Copa Latina MVP (2): 1999, 2000 Capocannoniere Serie A (2): 2008, 2009 Capocannoniere Coppa Italia (1): 2008 Russian National Beach Soccer Championship MVP (1): 2011 Turkish National Beach Soccer Championship MVP (2): 2012, 2013 UAE National Beach Soccer Championship Top Scorer (1): 2012 Mundialito de Clubes Top Scorer (1): 2012 Beach Soccer Championships (Oceanside) USA Cup MVP (1): 2016