João Daniel Mendes Real
Encyclopedia
João Daniel Mendes Real (born 13 May 1983) is a Portuguese
footballer who plays for Académica de Coimbra in the Portuguese first division, as a central defender.
, Real started playing amateur football, with locals of A.D. Estação. In 2003, at the age of 20, he switched to city giants Sporting Clube, twice helping it promote to the second level
.
In the summer of 2008, after a solid season – his second promotion – which brought him six goals in 25 matches, Real moved to the top level, with Associação Naval 1º de Maio
. His first season was quite unassuming, as he had to wait until February 15, 2009 to make his league debut, playing eight minutes in a 2–2 draw at C.D. Trofense.
In the 2009–10 season, with Naval again retaining its first division status, Real appeared more, but remained a fringe player nonetheless. On 17 April 2010, he found the net in the club's 3–1 win at F.C. Paços de Ferreira, but also scored an own goal
.
Real featured regularly for Naval in 2010–11, but the Figueira da Foz
side was relegated after a six-year stay. In June 2011, he signed for Académica de Coimbra on a free transfer.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
footballer who plays for Académica de Coimbra in the Portuguese first division, as a central defender.
Football career
Born in CovilhãCovilhã
Covilhã is a city in Covilha Municipality in Centro region, Portugal. The city proper has 36,723 inhabitants, and the municipality has an area of 555.6 km² with a total population of 53,501, being composed of 31 parishes. It is located in the Cova da Beira subregion, in the district of...
, Real started playing amateur football, with locals of A.D. Estação. In 2003, at the age of 20, he switched to city giants Sporting Clube, twice helping it promote to the second level
Liga de Honra
The Liga de Honra , known for sponsorship reasons as the Liga Orangina, is the Portuguese second level football league. It was formerly called Segunda Divisão and Segunda Divisão de Honra . When the LPFP took control of the two nationwide levels, it was renamed Segunda Liga, before renaming it...
.
In the summer of 2008, after a solid season – his second promotion – which brought him six goals in 25 matches, Real moved to the top level, with Associação Naval 1º de Maio
Associação Naval 1º de Maio
Associação Naval 1º de Maio, commonly known as Naval, is a Portuguese football club based in Figueira da Foz, Coimbra District. Founded on 1 May 1893, it currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estádio Municipal José Bento Pessoa, with a capacity for 12,630 spectators.Naval is...
. His first season was quite unassuming, as he had to wait until February 15, 2009 to make his league debut, playing eight minutes in a 2–2 draw at C.D. Trofense.
In the 2009–10 season, with Naval again retaining its first division status, Real appeared more, but remained a fringe player nonetheless. On 17 April 2010, he found the net in the club's 3–1 win at F.C. Paços de Ferreira, but also scored an own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
.
Real featured regularly for Naval in 2010–11, but the Figueira da Foz
Figueira da Foz
Figueira da Foz , also known as Figueira for short, is a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. It is located at the mouth of the Mondego River, 40 km west of Coimbra, and sheltered by hills ....
side was relegated after a six-year stay. In June 2011, he signed for Académica de Coimbra on a free transfer.