Diego Cardoso

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Cardoso and the second or paternal family name is Nogueira.

Diego Cardoso Nogueira (born 6 March 1994), known as Diego Cardoso, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Maltese Premier League club Valletta.

Diego Cardoso

Diego Cardoso in 2020
Personal information
Full name	Diego Cardoso Nogueira
Date of birth	(1994-03-06) 6 March 1994 (age 31)
Place of birth	Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Valletta
Number	93
Youth career
	São Paulo
2007–2014	Santos
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2019	Santos	17	(4)
2015	→ Bragantino (loan)	4	(0)
2016	→ Vila Nova (loan)	14	(2)
2019	→ Guarani (loan)	32	(11)
2020	Botafogo-SP	8	(1)
2020	Operário Ferroviário	14	(0)
2021	São Caetano	5	(0)
2021	Volta Redonda	3	(1)
2021–2022	Sampaio Corrêa	11	(0)
2022	XV Piracicaba	8	(1)
2022	Retrô	8	(0)
2022–2023	Confiança	21	(5)
2023–	Valletta	14	(3)
International career
2011	Brazil U17	3	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11 March 2024

Career

Santos

Born in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Diego Cardoso joined Santos FC's youth setup in 2007, aged 12.^[1] He soon earned plaudits for his performances with the under-20's, being the club's top goalscorer with nine goals.

On 21 January 2014 Diego Cardoso made his first-team debut, coming on as a late substitute in a 1-1 away draw against Audax.^[2] He scored his first goal on 9 March, the last of a 4–1 home routing over Oeste.^[3]

Bragantino (loan)

On 21 August 2015, after appearing rarely, Diego Cardoso was loaned to Bragantino until the end of the season.^[4]

Vila Nova (loan)

On 6 January of the following year he moved to fellow Série B team Vila Nova, in a one-year loan deal.^[5]

Guarani (loan)

After two years playing in Santos B, on 7 January 2019, Diego Cardoso was loaned to Guarani until the end of the year.^[6] A regular starter during the Campeonato Paulista, he lost his starting spot in the Série B.

Botafogo-SP

On 31 December 2019, Diego Cardoso signed a one-year contract with Botafogo-SP, after his deal with Santos expired.^[7]

Valletta

On 24 July 2023, Valletta from Malta, announced the signing of Diego Cardoso.^[8]

Career statistics

As of 4 March 2021^[9]

Club	Season	League			State League		Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Santos	2014	Série A	6	2	5	2	5	0	—		—		16	4
	2015		0	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		1	0
	2016		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		13[a]	4	13	4
	2017		0	0	—		—		—		19[a]	10	19	10
	2018		0	0	—		—		—		5[a]	4	5	4
	Subtotal		6	2	5	2	6	0	—		37	18	54	22
Bragantino (loan)	2015	Série B	4	0	—		—		—		—		4	0
Vila Nova (loan)	2016	Série B	0	0	11	1	—		—		3[b]	1	14	2
Guarani (loan)	2019	Série B	18	4	13	7	1	0	—		—		32	11
Botafogo-SP	2020	Série B	0	0	8	1	0	0	—		—		8	1
Operário Ferroviário	2020	Série B	14	0	—		—		—		—		14	0
São Caetano	2021	Paulista	—		1	0	—		—		—		1	0
Career total			42	6	38	11	7	0	0	0	40	19	127	36

1. Appearance(s) in Copa Paulista
2. Appearance(s) in Copa Verde

Honours

Club

Santos

• Copa do Brasil Sub-20: 2013
• Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior: 2013, 2014

Country

Brazil U17

• South American Under-17 Football Championship: 2011