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Rony Lopes
Portuguese footballer (born 1995) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Marcos Paulo Mesquita "Rony" Lopes (born 28 December 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or right winger for Primeira Liga club Tondela.
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Early life
Born in Belém, Pará, Brazil to a Brazilian father and a Portuguese mother,[3] Lopes moved to Portugal at the age of four.[4][5]
Club career
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Manchester City
Lopes played youth football for Benfica from ages 10 to 15, signing for Manchester City in 2011.[6] He was a surprise addition to the first team's pre-season the following year, but had to wait until 7 January 2013 to make his competitive debut, when he came as an 88th-minute substitute for David Silva in a FA Cup third-round tie against Watford and scored the final goal in the 3–0 win, which made him the youngest ever scorer for the club at the age of 17 years and 9 days.[7]
Lopes was a regular for City's Elite Development Squad in the 2012–13 season, and went on to claim the inaugural Academy Player of the Year award after winning a public vote.[8] He was included in the team that featured in the first match of the UEFA Youth League, netting twice in a 4–1 victory at Viktoria Plzeň.[9] He added a hat-trick in the 6–0 home rout of Bayern Munich.[10]
On 21 January 2014, Lopes started against West Ham United in the second leg of the semi-finals of the Football League Cup. In the game, he assisted Sergio Agüero and Álvaro Negredo to a goal each, in a 3–0 away win (9–0 on aggregate).[11]
On 7 July 2014, Lopes was loaned to Lille until the end of the campaign.[12] His maiden appearance in Ligue 1 occurred on 9 August, in a goalless home draw against Metz.[13] He scored his first goal on 14 September, in a 2–0 victory over Nantes also at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.[14]
Lopes was included in City's squad for their pre-season tour in Australia.[15] On 5 August, he was promoted to the first team alongside Jason Denayer and Kelechi Iheanacho.[16]
Monaco
On 28 August 2015, Lopes joined Ligue 1 side Monaco for £9 million,[17] sharing teams with a host of compatriots including manager Leonardo Jardim. In early January 2016, he was loaned again to Lille until June.[18]
In July 2016, still owned by Monaco, Lopes re-signed at Lille for one season.[19] He scored a brace in the league opener, but in a 3–2 away loss against Metz.[20]
Lopes scored his first competitive goal for the club on 16 September 2017, when he opened a 3–0 league home defeat of Strasbourg.[21] He started for the first time in the UEFA Champions League on 1 November, and scored in the 1–1 group stage away draw with Beşiktaş.[22]
Sevilla
On 14 August 2019, Lopes signed a five-year contract at Sevilla of the Spanish La Liga in part exchange for Wissam Ben Yedder.[23] In his first season, he appeared in only 14 official matches.[24]
On 29 July 2020, Lopes joined Nice on a season-long loan deal with option to buy.[25] On 16 August 2021, in a similar move, he signed with Olympiacos.[26] He scored his first goal for the latter club on 4 December, in a 3–1 away win against OFI.[27]
Lopes served another loan in the 2022–23 campaign, at Troyes in the French top division.[28]
Braga
On 2 August 2023, Lopes signed for Primeira Liga club Braga on a three-year contract and a free transfer, potentially rising to €500,000 depending on clauses being met.[29] He scored his first goal in the competition on 9 September, opening the 3–2 away victory over Moreirense.[30]
Later career
On 16 August 2024, having cut his ties to Braga, who remained entitled to 10% of any future transfer, Lopes agreed to a two-year deal with Turkish Süper Lig's Alanyaspor.[31] In the following transfer window, he returned to Portugal on a five-month loan at Farense.[32]
Lopes remained in the Portuguese top tier for 2025–26, signing a three-year contract with Tondela.[33]
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International career
Lopes chose to represent Portugal internationally,[34] winning caps at every youth level.[2] He appeared with the under-20 side at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, playing all matches in New Zealand and helping his country reach the quarter-finals.[35]
On 5 January 2014, still aged 18, Lopes made his debut with the under-21s, playing roughly 20 minutes in a 2–0 win over Macedonia for the 2015 UEFA European Championship qualifiers.[36] He first appeared with the full side on 14 November 2017, replacing Gonçalo Guedes late in the second half of a 1–1 friendly draw against the United States.[37]
Lopes was named in a preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup,[38] but did not make the final cut.[39]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 18 May 2024
- Includes Football League Cup, Coupe de la Ligue, Taça da Liga
- Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Trophée des Champions
- Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League
International
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Honours
Manchester City
Lille
- Coupe de la Ligue runner-up: 2015–16[43]
Monaco
Sevilla
Olympiacos
Braga
Portugal U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship runner-up: 2014[43]
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References
External links
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