João Mário’s big return to AEK is official!
The experienced Portuguese soccer player was announced by AEK, this time as a free agent from Besiktas and not on loan.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
João Mário was a key player for AEK last season, making 31 appearances across all competitions. The Portuguese attacking midfielder tallied six goals and three assists, with his most important goal coming in stoppage time of the match against Panathinaikos, two matchdays before the conclusion of the Stoiximan Super League Playoffs, as that goal effectively secured the championship for AEK.
AEK’s announcement
“AEK FC announces the signing of João Mário (João Mário Naval da Costa Eduardo) from Beşiktaş. The Portuguese international attacking midfielder returns to our team, with which he was crowned Greek champion in 2025–26, securing the title mathematically with his goal in stoppage time of the 2-1 playoff victory over Panathinaikos on May 10.
João Mário was born on January 19, 1993, in Porto and began playing soccer at the academy of the city’s renowned club, but at a very young age he joined the youth ranks of Sporting Lisbon. He made his professional debut with the club from the Portuguese capital at the age of 19, but his first opportunity to become a starter for a top-flight team came with Vitória Setúbal during the 2013–14 season.
He returned to Sporting in the summer of 2014 and became a starter and an irreplaceable player, winning the Portuguese Cup and Super Cup in 2015. He was immediately called up by Fernando Santos to the Portuguese national team and played in every match of their triumphant run leading up to their victory at EURO 2016 in France.
He spent the three-year period from 2016 to 2019 at Inter Milan, making 69 appearances and scoring 4 goals across all competitions, with an interim loan to West Ham (2017–18). This was followed by two loan spells at Lokomotiv Moscow (2019–20) and Sporting Lisbon (2020–21), which he helped win its first Portuguese league title since 2002!
From 2021-24, João Mário was a starter and irreplaceable at Benfica, celebrating the league title and the Portuguese Super Cup with the club in the 2022-23 season, and was named to the Primeira Liga’s Team of the Season. A particularly significant moment for him was Benfica’s 3-3 draw with Inter in Lisbon, during the group stage of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League, when he scored a hat trick in the first half!
In 2024, he was loaned by Benfica to Besiktas, where he played in 45 official matches and scored ten goals. The Turkish club purchased him in June 2025 and, three months later, loaned him to AEK, for whom he played a total of 31 matches in the League (26 appearances – 2 goals) and the Cup (5 appearances – 1 goal).
João Mário has 56 appearances and 3 goals for the Portuguese national team, having played for them—in addition to EURO 2016— in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
João, welcome back to the AEK family. We wish you good health and success with our team!”
*photo source: AEK FC / AEK FC
