# José Fonte

José Miguel da Rocha Fonte ComM (born 22 December 1983) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captains Primeira Liga club Casa Pia.
He started his professional career with Sporting CP B, moving to England with Crystal Palace in 2007. He signed for Southampton in 2010, where he made 288 appearances in all competitions until he joined West Ham United in January 2017. He then represented Dalian Yifang in China and Lille in France, winning the Ligue 1 title with the latter in the 2020–21 season.
A Portuguese international from age 30, Fonte was part of the Portugal squads at two European Championships and the 2018 World Cup, winning Euro 2016.

## Club career
### Portugal

Born in Penafiel, Fonte finished his football education (after already having played there from ages 10 to 13) at Sporting CP. He only appeared with Sporting CP B as a senior, in the third division. He joined Salgueiros in 2004, but the club was in severe financial difficulties and was liquidated shortly after; as a result, he terminated his contract and transferred to Felgueiras of Segunda Liga.
In the 2005 off-season, Fonte made his Primeira Liga debut with Vitória de Setúbal, where his performances attracted the eye of Benfica, who signed him in January 2006 and immediately loaned him to Paços de Ferreira in the same league. He finished the season with 26 appearances and one goal, in a 2–2 away draw against Penafiel in which he also scored twice in his own net; both Paços and Setúbal managed to retain their status.
Fonte spent the 2006–07 season on loan to Estrela da Amadora, still in the top division, only missing five games as the Lisbon-based club finished in ninth position.

### Crystal Palace

In July 2007, Fonte moved on loan to Crystal Palace in England, being introduced in the team's starting line-up after a run of injuries. The move was made permanent at the end of the campaign, as Palace finished fifth and qualified to the promotion play-offs.
Fonte continued to feature regularly with the Londoners in the Championship, even appearing as a makeshift striker when required.

### Southampton

Fonte signed for Southampton on 9 January 2010 for a fee believed to be around the region of £1.2 million, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract. He made his debut one week later alongside two other recent signings, Jon Otsemobor and Danny Seaborne, in a 1–1 draw away to Millwall. His first goal came on 28 August, in a 4–0 away win over Bristol Rovers.
After scoring seven league goals and helping the Saints win promotion to the second tier, Fonte was named in the League One Team of the Year for 2010–11. He was also voted Southampton's Player of Year, achieving 64% of the vote, with Adam Lallana coming second with 18% and Dan Harding finishing third with 7%.
On 29 December 2011, Fonte penned a new deal keeping him at the club until June 2015; Southampton were top of the table at that point, with the player having appeared in every league game. He eventually contributed 42 matches and one goal, which came against Coventry City in the final fixture of the season as the team earned a second consecutive promotion.
Fonte made his debut in the Premier League on 19 August 2012, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–2 away loss to Manchester City. He netted his first goals in the competition in a 2–2 home draw with Fulham on 7 October, the second arriving in the last minute.
On 24 August 2013, Fonte scored a header in the 89th minute of the home game against Sunderland, rescuing a point for his side. The following 23 January, he was attacked by teammate Dani Osvaldo during a training session; subsequently, the latter was loaned out to Juventus in the winter transfer window.
On 8 August 2014, Fonte signed a new three-year contract running until June 2017, and was also named team captain. He made his 250th league appearance for Southampton on 16 October 2016, in a 3–1 home victory over Burnley.

### West Ham United

On 20 January 2017, Fonte joined English top-flight West Ham United for a reported fee of £8 million (plus potential add-ons) on a two-and-a-half-year contract. He made his league debut on 1 February, in a 4–0 home defeat by Manchester City in which he conceded a penalty by bringing down Raheem Sterling.
On 4 November 2017, after a league match against his former employers Crystal Palace, it was confirmed Fonte had suffered a foot injury that would sideline him for the rest of the year.

### Dalian Yifang

Fonte completed a transfer to Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang on 23 February 2018, joining for a reported fee of £5 million. On 15 July, he terminated his contract.

### Lille

Fonte signed a two-year contract with Lille on 20 July 2018. He made his Ligue 1 debut on 18 August as the season began with a goalless draw at Monaco, and scored his first goal on 22 September to open a 2–1 win at home to Nantes while assisting the other goal by Jonathan Ikoné. On 16 December, he was sent off after 16 minutes of a 3–2 victory at Nîmes for swearing at an assistant referee, as was manager Christophe Galtier for arguing his case; he missed just two games as the Dogues finished runners-up to Paris Saint-Germain, scoring three times including the conclusion of a 5–1 victory over that opposition at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on 14 April.
On 9 August 2019, Fonte agreed to an extension until 2021. The 37-year-old captained the team to the national championship in the 2020–21 campaign, their first since 2010–11, making 36 appearances and scoring three times in the process.
After adding one more year to his contract, Fonte played in the Trophée des Champions on 1 August 2021, a 1–0 defeat of PSG in Tel Aviv. He renewed again for 2022–23, after which he was released.

### Later career

On 19 July 2023, Fonte signed a one-year contract with Braga. One year later, the 40-year-old remained in the Portuguese top flight on a one-year deal at Casa Pia.

## International career

Fonte was selected for the Portugal B squad for the Vale do Tejo tournament in 2006. On 24 January, he played against Slovenia as the match ended with a penalty shoot-out loss after a 1–1 draw.
On 3 October 2014, two months shy of his 31st birthday, Fonte received his first call-up to the senior team, for a friendly with France and a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Denmark. He made his debut in another friendly, playing the second half of a 1–0 win over Argentina at Old Trafford on 18 November.
Fonte was included in Fernando Santos' squad for the Euro 2016 finals. His first game in the tournament took place on 25 June, as he started alongside Southampton teammate Cédric Soares in the round-of-16 tie against Croatia, which Portugal won 1–0 after extra time. He went on to retain his position until the final, helping to beat hosts France 1–0.
Fonte was also called up for both the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia (four appearances as starter) the victorious 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals (both matches, one start) and the delayed UEFA Euro 2020, where he did not leave the bench. On 9 October 2021, he scored his only goal for the national team, in a 3–0 friendly win over Qatar.
On 24 March 2022, aged 38, Fonte earned his 50th cap in a World Cup qualifying play-offs against Turkey, where he gave away a second-half penalty for a kick at Enes Ünal; however, his Lille teammate Burak Yılmaz missed the shot and the game ended 3–1 for Portugal. He was named in a preliminary 55-man squad for the finals in Qatar, but did not make the final cut.

## Personal life

Fonte's younger brother, Rui, was also a footballer. A forward, the two were teammates at Sporting (youth level), Crystal Palace and Lille. Their father Artur played 12 seasons in the Portuguese top division.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 9 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Sporting CP B | 2002–03 | Segunda Divisão B | 22 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | 0 |
| Sporting CP B | 2003–04 | Segunda Divisão B | 37 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 37 | 0 |
| Sporting CP B | Total | Total | 59 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 59 | 0 |
| Felgueiras | 2004–05 | Segunda Liga | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | 1 |
| Vitória Setúbal | 2005–06 | Primeira Liga | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 |
| Benfica | 2005–06 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Benfica | 2006–07 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Benfica | 2007–08 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Benfica | Total | Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Paços Ferreira (loan) | 2005–06 | Primeira Liga | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 1 |
| Estrela Amadora (loan) | 2006–07 | Primeira Liga | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | 1 |
| Crystal Palace (loan) | 2007–08 | Championship | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| Crystal Palace | 2008–09 | Championship | 38 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 41 | 4 |
| Crystal Palace | 2009–10 | Championship | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| Crystal Palace | Total | Total | 82 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 92 | 6 |
| Southampton | 2009–10 | League One | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Southampton | 2010–11 | League One | 43 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 48 | 7 |
| Southampton | 2011–12 | Championship | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 44 | 1 |
| Southampton | 2012–13 | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 2 |
| Southampton | 2013–14 | Premier League | 36 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 38 | 3 |
| Southampton | 2014–15 | Premier League | 37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 44 | 0 |
| Southampton | 2015–16 | Premier League | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 43 | 2 |
| Southampton | 2016–17 | Premier League | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 |
| Southampton | Total | Total | 260 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 288 | 15 |
| West Ham United | 2016–17 | Premier League | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 0 |
| West Ham United | 2017–18 | Premier League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 |
| West Ham United | Total | Total | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 0 |
| Dalian Yifang | 2018 | Chinese Super League | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 |
| Lille | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 38 | 3 |
| Lille | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 2 |
| Lille | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | — | — | 43 | 3 |
| Lille | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| Lille | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | 1 |
| Lille | Total | Total | 166 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 196 | 9 |
| Braga | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 |
| Casa Pia | 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 695 | 32 | 30 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 805 | 33 |
* ↑ Includes Taça de Portugal, FA Cup, Chinese FA Cup, Coupe de France
* ↑ Includes Football League Cup, Coupe de la Ligue, Taça da Liga
* 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Cup/Europa League
* ↑ Appearances in Championship play-offs
* 1 2 Appearances in Football League Trophy
* 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
* ↑ Appearance in Trophée des Champions

### International

Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Portugal | 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| Portugal | 2015 | 7 | 0 |
| Portugal | 2016 | 12 | 0 |
| Portugal | 2017 | 7 | 0 |
| Portugal | 2018 | 9 | 0 |
| Portugal | 2019 | 6 | 0 |
| Portugal | 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| Portugal | 2021 | 6 | 1 |
| Portugal | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 50 | 1 |
Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fonte goal.
List of international goals scored by José Fonte :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 9 October 2021 | Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal | Qatar | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |

## Honours

Southampton
* Football League Trophy: 2009–10
Lille
* Ligue 1: 2020–21
* Trophée des Champions: 2021
Braga
* Taça da Liga: 2023–24
Portugal
* UEFA European Championship: 2016
* UEFA Nations League: 2018–19
* FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2017
Individual
* PFA Team of the Year: 2010–11 League One
* Southampton Player of the Season: 2010–11, 2014–15
* Lille Player of the Season: 2020–21
Orders
* Commander of the Order of Merit