Ex Brasil international and Benfica icon Jonas Oliveira will always remain in the minds of football lovers around the world.
Jonas started his career in Guarani, but it did not take him long to be recognized for his talent. After one season he moved to the league above in top tier of Brazilian football when he was signed by Santos. Immediately he won the championship (Campeonato Paulista) in 2006. This season he started to experience knee injuries which will trouble him throughout his career.
He spent the next 5 years in Brazil and scored 40 goals for Gremio. In 2011. his European adventure started when he signed for Spanish Valencia. Jonas will be remembered for scoring second-fastest goal in UEFA Champions League when he scores just 10.5 seconds into the match against Bayer Leverkusen. Record for fastest CL game was held by Roy Mackay (10.13 seconds). During his Valencia time, Jonas scored 36 goals in 113 games.
What followed was the career highlight for the Brazilian striker. He signed for Portugal club Benfica in September 2014. During his Benfica campaign, he was one of the most dangerous strikers in entire Europe and scored massive 110 goals in just 132 games. He won Top Goalscorer and Best Player awards in Primeira Liga for his 2015/16 season performances.
Benfica Jonas retired in July 2019. He will forever be remembered by Benfica’s fans and his name has a special place in Brazil and Portugal football history.
