Whatever happened to former Manchester City, Everton striker Jo?

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 07 May 2020

Brazilian striker Jo once cost Manchester City a club-record fee, but whatever happened to one of the biggest disappointments in the club's history?

When Abu Dhabi United Group completed a takeover of Manchester City in 2008, one of their first acts was to provide manager Mark Hughes with the funds to complete a club-record deal for Jo, a striker who had spent the previous two years in free-scoring form for CSKA Moscow.

Given the wealth of the new owners, the £19m outlay was not necessarily considered to be a financial risk, but Jo never came close to justifying his price-tag, spending much of his time in England on loan at Everton.

During a period of transition, Jo would have been relatively content with scoring three goals in all competitions by September 21, two of which came in a narrow victory away at Omonia Nicosia in the UEFA Cup.

However, that would prove to be the then-21-year-old's most significant contribution in a Man City shirt, with his only Premier League goal coming in a 6-0 demolition of Portsmouth.

During the second half of that campaign, Jo netted five times for Everton, including two doubles in games at home to Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic, but that was again as good as it ever got for the Brazil international.

After a combined total of 13 goals from 78 appearances for City and Everton, the last of which came away at Juventus in the Europe League, Jo eventually moved to Internacional back in his homeland.

Jo after his arrival at Manchester City in 2008. © Reuters

Despite requiring time to find his feet, Jo was able to revive his career. While it did not work out at Internacional, hr soon became a key man for Atletico Mineiro.

In three years with the club, Jo contributed 28 goals and 18 assists from 98 appearances, helping his team win the Copa Libertadores in 2013, and his form eventually led to a prolonged stint in the national team setup.

After featuring in the Brazil squad which lifted the 2013 Confederations Cup, Jo kept his place for the World Cup which was staged in his homeland a year later, making a total of three outings.

Since 2015, Jo has spent time in a number of different nations, beginning with a period in the UAE at Al Shabab where he scored 16 goals from just 19 games.

The following year would see Jo make the switch to the Chinese Super League with Jiangsu Suning, a club where he provided 11 strikes and four assists during his one campaign in the country.

Two years after leaving his homeland, Jo would return for a third spell in Brazil's top flight, this time for his first club Corinthians. The frontman excelled during his one full season, scoring 18 goals as Corinthians got their hands back on the title after finishing in seventh place as defending champions a year earlier.

Jo's love affair with Corinthians would not last in the long term, however, with an opportunity arising at Japanese side Nagoya Grampus just 14 months later. Although he could not lead Grampus to the league title, Jo ended his first year with the club as top goalscorer in the J-League with 24 goals.

His second campaign proved to be less productive as he found the back of the net on just six occasions. Nevertheless, Jo deserves credit for salvaging his career, transforming himself from a Premier League flop to someone who has won nine trophies and represented his nation at a World Cup in his own country since his exit from Man City.