Caio Lucas

Caio Lucas Fernandes (born 19 April 1994), known as Caio Lucas or just Caio [ˈkajju], is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Emirati Club Sharjah.

Career

Born in Araçatuba, São Paulo, Caio Lucas started playing football in 2002, aged 8, at local clubs SMER Bosque Araçatuba and América-SP. He then played for São Paulo's youth teams from 2005 to 2009 but could not become professional, so he left the club and unsuccessfully tried to join rivals Santos and Palmeiras before returning to América. In 2011, when he was prepared to give up on football, he was discovered by a Japanese university that was playing in Birigui, Brazil. Almost aged 17, he moved to Japan that year to enroll in Chiba Kokusai High School in Kimitsu, where he played for three years.

After his graduation, Caio Lucas joined the J1 League club, the Kashima Antlers in 2014. In his first professional season, under the coaching of Toninho Cerezo, Caio scored eight goals as Kashima Antlers qualified for the AFC Champions League. Moreover, he was named J. League's Young Player of the Year in 2014 and won the 2016 J1 League and 2015 J.League Cup. In 2019, following a three-year spell with Emirati club Al Ain, with whom he reached the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup Final, Caio signed a four-year contract with Portuguese club Benfica.

On 23 January 2020, Sharjah signed Caio Lucas from Benfica on loan for 18 months.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 6 Juin 2024

Honours

Kashima Antlers

• J1 League: 2016
• J.League Cup: 2015

Al Ain

• UAE Pro-League: 2017–18
• UAE President's Cup: 2017–18
• FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2018

Sharjah

• UAE Pro League: 2018–19
• UAE President’s Cup: 2022–23

Individual

• J.League Rookie of the Year: 2014
• FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2018

References

External links

• Caio Lucas at ForaDeJogo (archived)
• Caio Lucas at J.League (archive) (in Japanese)