Player Profile: Joao Moutinho  Full name: Joao Filipe Iria Santos Moutinho
Position: MidfielderDate of Birth: 8 September 1986Birthplace: Portimao, Portugal After showing great promise as a boy playing for his hometown club, Portimonense, as soon as Joao Moutinho turned 13 he had the chance to sign for one of Portugal’s big three to continue his football education. His sports-fanatic parents encouraged him to sign for Sporting owing to the club’s unparalleled reputation at nurturing home-grown talent.
From the moment the Algarve-born midfielder broke into Sporting’s first team at just 18 years of age, making his debut on 23 January 2005 in the Portuguese Cup, few onlookers doubted they were in the presence of a very special player. Instant hit
Moutinho wasted no time in establishing himself as a regular as he quickly grew into a polished performer, able to play in any position across a flat midfield or in a diamond formation. His box-to-box dynamism, pinpoint passing and tremendous determination quickly made him a firm fans’ favourite.
His performances in his first season, especially in the UEFA Cup where man-of-the-match displays against Feyenoord and Newcastle United helped the Lions reach the final of the competition, made him an automatic starter for Sporting despite his young age.
In his second season Moutinho’s further progress and incredible consistency (the midfielder was the only player in Portugal in 2005/06 to play every minute of every match in the Portuguese Bwin Liga) was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season for Sporting. It was fitting that Moutinho should net his team’s final goal of the campaign in a 1-0 win over Braga to ensure a return to Champions League football for the Lisbon club.
In 2006/2007, following the departure of veteran Sa Pinto, Moutinho was made sub-captain at just 19 years of age. Moutinho’s importance to the team is exemplified by the fact that he is considered too important to be included in coach Paulo Bento’s rotation system, having accumulated 84 consecutive appearances up to the winter break.
Excellent performances in Sporting’s Champions League campaign led to speculation of interest from Inter Milan, Barcelona and Manchester United.
International careerA full Portugal international player at the age of 18, he made his debut against Russia in the World Cup Qualifying campaign and was unlucky to miss out on a place in Luiz Filipe Scolari’s squad for Germany 2006.
Despite fierce competition for places in his central midfield role, competing with seasoned internationals such as Maniche, Deco, Costinha and Tiago, Moutinho has forced his way into Scolari’s thinking. He took his place in Portugal’s opening Euro 2008 qualification match against Finland and looks set to embark on a long international career. 2007/08 end-of-season updateSince the above original profile was penned, Joao Moutinho has steadily but surely built on the hugely promising start to his career. You will not find the Sporting captain spraying wondrously creative passes, going on exhilarating mazy runs or stamping his physical presence on a game, yet that hasn’t stopped his stock from rising.
Moutinho’s game exudes intelligence. He knits things together neatly in midfield, does the simple things so efficiently and maintains an almost nature-defying consistency, one can consider him the Portuguese Paul Scholes.
In 2007/08 the now married Algarvian broke the record for the most games ever played in a single season by a Portuguese player (56), as Sporting got to the final of both domestic cups and embarked on a lengthy European run. What is remarkable is that you would struggle to find one among those 56 where he played badly.
Hardly surprising therefore, that the pocket dynamo forced his way into Portugal’s starting XI at Euro 2008. Sporting fans looked on with a mixture of pride and trepidation as Moutinho continued his outstanding form in Switzerland, in so doing surely edging himself closer to a big-money transfer to one of Europe’s giants. by Tom Kundert (last updated 18/06/2008) | Club | Appearances* | Goals |
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| Sporting** | 108 | 13 | | | | | | PORTUGAL | 19 | 1 |
* League appearances only ** Up to February 2009 |
