Tomás Esteves

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Pontes and the second or paternal family name is Esteves.

Tomás Esteves

Personal information
Full name	Tomás do Lago Pontes Esteves
Date of birth	(2002-04-03) 3 April 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth	Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	Pisa
Number	19
Youth career
2010–2011	ADECAS
2011–2019	Porto
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2023	Porto B	27	(0)
2019–2023	Porto	3	(0)
2020–2021	→ Reading (loan)	30	(1)
2022–2023	→ Pisa (loan)	23	(0)
2023–	Pisa	29	(1)
International career^‡
2017	Portugal U15	5	(0)
2017–2018	Portugal U16	12	(0)
2018–2019	Portugal U17	12	(0)
2019	Portugal U19	5	(0)
2021	Portugal U20	2	(0)
2019–	Portugal U21	4	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:29, 20 November 2023 (UTC)

Tomás do Lago Pontes Esteves (born 3 April 2002) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a defender for Serie B club Pisa.

Club career

Esteves was born in Arcos de Valdevez, Viana do Castelo District. He was part of the FC Porto squad that won the 2018–19 UEFA Youth League, defeating Chelsea 3–1 in the final in Nyon, Switzerland.[1] With a contract lasting until 2021, he attracted interest from Manchester City who offered €10 million for his signature,[2] and rejected a transfer to FC Barcelona in August 2019.[3][4][5]

Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Esteves was given the number 2 shirt for the first team, inherited from the released Maxi Pereira.[6] He made his senior debut on 18 August 2019 for FC Porto B, starting and playing 80 minutes in a 1–1 home draw against Varzim S.C. on the second week of the season.[7]

Esteves had his initial call-up to a first-team matchday squad for the Taça da Liga opening group match against C.D. Santa Clara on 25 September 2019, remaining unused in the 1–0 home win.[8] On 5 December he made his debut in the same competition, playing the last 15 minutes of a 3–0 win at Casa Pia A.C. in place of Wilson Manafá.[9] He made his Primeira Liga bow on 16 June 2020, playing the first hour of a goalless draw at bottom club C.D. Aves before being substituted for Moussa Marega.[10]

On 5 October 2020, Esteves was loaned to EFL Championship club Reading for the season.[11] He made his debut fifteen days later in a 1–0 home win over Wycombe Wanderers, as a 57th-minute substitute for Tom Holmes.[12] He scored his only goal for the Royals in a 2–2 draw with Swansea City on 25 April 2021.[13]

On 2 August 2022, Esteves joined Pisa S.C. in the Italian Serie B on loan with an option to buy and a conditional obligation to buy.[14] He made his debut 11 days later, starting as the season began with a 4–3 loss at A.S. Cittadella.[15]

On 3 August 2023, Pisa announced the permanent signing of Esteves on a three-year contract, acquiring 70% of the player's economic rights for a reported €1 million fee.[16][17]

International career

Esteves first represented Portugal at under-15 level in April 2017. On 5 September 2019, he made his debut for the under-21 team, replacing Thierry Correia at half time in a 5–0 home win over Gibraltar in Alverca in a Euro 2021 qualifier. At 17 years, 5 months and 3 days he became the youngest player for the team in the 21st century, beating fellow Porto graduate Rúben Neves by 25 days.[18]

Personal life

Esteves' younger brother Gonçalo, also a defender, spent a decade at Porto before joining Sporting CP in 2021.[19]

Career statistics

As of match played 6 May 2023[20]

Club	Season	League			Cup[a]		League Cup[b]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Porto B	2019–20	LigaPro	10	0	—		—		—		—		10	0
	2021–22	Liga Portugal 2	17	0	—		—		—		—		17	0
	Total		27	0	—		—		—		—		27	0
Porto	2019–20	Primeira Liga	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	—		3	0
Reading (loan)	2020–21	Championship	29	1	1	0	0	0	—		—		30	1
Pisa (loan)	2022–23	Serie B	23	0	0	0	—		—		—		23	0
Career total			81	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	—		83	1

1. Includes the Taça de Portugal, FA Cup and Coppa Italia
2. Includes the Taça da Liga and EFL Cup

Honours

Porto Youth

• UEFA Youth League: 2018–19[21]

Porto

• Primeira Liga: 2019–20

References

1. "UYL report: Porto 3 Chelsea 1". Chelsea F.C. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
2. "Tomás Esteves, jovem de 16 anos do FC Porto, impressionou o City" [Tomás Esteves, 16-year-old Porto youngster, impressed City]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 16 March 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
3. "Tomás Esteves disse 'não' ao Barcelona e continua no FC Porto" [Tomás Esteves said 'no' to Barcelona and continues at FC Porto] (in Portuguese). Notícias ao Minuto. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
4. "Tomás Esteves (Arcos de Valdevez) recusou proposta do Barcelona" [Tomás Esteves (Arcos de Valdevez) rejected offer from Barcelona]. O Minho (in Portuguese). 1 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
5. "Tomás Esteves quer ser referência do FC Porto e recusou o Barcelona" [Tomás Esteves wants to be regular at FC Porto and rejected Barcelona]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 1 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
6. "Danilo capitão e numeração do plantel do FC Porto revelada" [Danilo captain and FC Porto squad numbers revealed]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 27 June 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
7. "Aboubakar foi reforço de peso, mas FC Porto B continua sem vencer" [Aboubakar was a big reinforcement, but FC Porto B continue without a win]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 18 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
8. "Sérgio Conceição faz várias alterações no onze" [Sérgio Conceição makes various changes to the starting eleven]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 25 September 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
9. "Tomás Esteves estreia-se pela equipa principal do FC Porto aos 17 anos" [Tomás Esteves debuts for FC Porto's first team at age 17]. Record (in Portuguese). 5 December 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
10. "Tomás Esteves teve noite de estreia pela equipa principal do FC Porto" [Tomás Esteves had a debut night for the FC Porto first team]. Record (in Portuguese). 16 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
11. "Oficial: Tomás Esteves emprestado ao Reading" [Official: Tomás Esteves loaned to Reading]. Record (in Portuguese). 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
12. Joy, Matt (20 October 2020). "Reading FC player ratings from Wycombe win". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
13. "Reading 2-2 Swansea". BBC Sport. 25 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
14. "Tomas Esteves è Nerazzurro!" [Tomás Esteves is Nerazzurro!] (in Italian). Pisa S.C. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
15. Leo, Enrico (13 August 2022). "Serie B, Citadella [sic] da sballo alla prima, poker anche al Pisa" [Serie B, Cittadella thrilling in first game, score four goals also against Pisa] (in Italian). Padova Oggi. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
16. "Tomas Esteves ha firmato per il Pisa!" [Tomas Esteves has signed for Pisa!]. pisasportingclub.com (in Italian). 3 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
17. "Tomás Esteves apresentado em Itália" [Tomás Esteves announced in Italy] (in European Portuguese). O Jogo. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
18. "Tomás Esteves faz história no futebol português.... e sucede a Rúben Neves" [Tomás Esteves makes history in Portuguese football.... and succeeds Rúben Neves]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 6 September 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
19. "Sporting oficializa Gonçalo Esteves, irmão do portista Tomás Esteves" [Sporting confirm Gonçalo Esteves, brother of the Porto player Tomás Esteves] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
20. Tomás Esteves at Soccerway
21. Almeida, Isaura (29 April 2019). "FC Porto é campeão Europeu Sub-19" [FC Porto are European under-19 champions]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 September 2019.

External links

• Tomás Esteves at ForaDeJogo (archived)
• Tomás Esteves at Soccerway
• Tomás Esteves national team profile at the Portuguese Football Federation (in Portuguese)