Quick Facts
Biography
José Carlos Gonçalves Rodrigues (born 31 August 1988), commonly known as Zeca, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Greek club Panathinaikos FC mainly as a midfielder but also as a right back.
Club career
Setúbal
Born in Lisbon, Zeca started his career with local Casa Pia AC, joining joined the club's youth system at the age of 10 and promoting to the fourth division in his first season as a senior. In the 2010 summer he moved straight into the Primeira Liga, signing with Vitória de Setúbal.
During his first and only season with the Sado River team, Zeca made 26 league appearances, appearing in as many games as a starter or a substitute and totalling 1,611 minutes of action.
Panathinaikos
On 29 July 2011, Zeca signed a four-year contract with Greek giants Panathinaikos FC for a fee of €400,000, as the club was coached by countryman Jesualdo Ferreira. He played all 30 league games in 2012–13, but Pana could only finish in sixth place. After a massive rebuilding for the following campaign, he was one of the few survivors.
On 26 April 2014, after more than 100 appearances with the club, Zeca lifted the Greek Cup as team captain, in a final against PAOK FC at the Olympic stadium in Athens. On 21 June, he signed a three-year contract extension.
In February 2015, Zeca expressed his desire to play for the Greece national team if he was awarded the country's citizenship. He agreed to renew his contract until 2018 two months later, commenting on the deal: "It will be good to continue with Anastasiou in charge. ... The team is happy and I think we can do a lot better under him".
On 6 February 2016, Andrea Stramaccioni's team ended the match with ten players, as Zeca was shown a straight red card at a 0–1 home loss against Skoda Xanthi FC. Eight days later, after returning from suspension, he again received his marching orders, but in an eventual 3–0 win at PAS Giannina FC.
On 9 August 2016, Zeca extended his contract until the summer of 2019 for an undisclosed fee.
International career
Having completed five years of residence and professional status in Greece, Zeca became eligible for its citizenship in the beginning of 2017. He passed the relevant language and history exams in November 2016, becoming available for national side manager Michael Skibbe in the middle of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.
Career statistics
- As of 28 December 2016
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe* | Other** | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vitória Setúbal | 2010–11 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| Total | 26 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| Panathinaikos | 2011–12 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| 2012–13 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | - | - | 42 | 5 | |
| 2013–14 | 27 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 44 | 2 | |
| 2015–16 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| Total | 150 | 8 | 19 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 224 | 9 | |
| Career total | 176 | 8 | 22 | 1 | 33 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 255 | 10 | |
(* Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League)
(** Includes Taça da Liga and Greek Playoffs)
Honours
- Panathinaikos
- Greek Football Cup: 2013–14