Joao Mario has spent most of his career at Porto, where his pace, crossing skills and high pressing helped him win every trophy in Portugal before he made the move to Italy last summer.

Joao Mario Neto Lopes was born in Sao Joao da Madeira, near Porto, on January 3, 2000. His father, Mario Jorge, a coach of several local youth teams, gave his son a love for the game from an early age but also taught him the value of hard work and discipline.

Joao Mario started out at hometown club Sanjoanense but was quickly spotted by Porto, who took him into their academy in 2009. He worked his way through the youth ranks and made the step up to the senior team in the 2019/20 season.

Sergio Conceicao, the coach at the time, converted him from a winger to an attacking full-back and Joao Mario quickly asserted himself in his new position, going on to play 181 games for the Dragoes, with five goals and 26 assists.

After winning everything in his homeland – two league titles, four Portuguese Cups, a League Cup and three Super Cups – in 2025 he got the call from Juventus. However, after struggling for playing time in the first half of the season, he joined Bologna on loan in January. With his confidence restored by Vincenzo Italiano, he started 15 games and scored two goals for the Rossoblu in the second half of last year's campaign.

From a tactical perspective, Joao Mario offers great versatility. His past as a winger and ability to use both feet mean he is adept on both flanks, as he demonstrated at Bologna. He is a player who likes to get on the ball and he uses his excellent technique and passing skills to deal well with opposition pressure. He prefers to receive the ball out wide so that he can push up and help the team build moves in the final third. Once in the attacking areas, he uses his pace to find space and puts in low, powerful deliveries for the forwards to run onto.

When the team is not in possession, he tends to close down high up the field, utilizing his speed to shut off passing lines or go in on for tackles to halt opposition counter-attacks.