Mota (footballer, born 1980)

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Soares and the second or paternal family name is da Mota. "Neto" is a generational suffix meaning "grandson", which is used for someone whose name is the same as their father and grandfather, like "III" in English.
Mota
Personal information
Full name João Soares da Mota Neto
Date of birth (1980-11-21) 21 November 1980
Place of birth Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997 Ferroviário
1998 Ceará 1 (0)
1999–2001 Mallorca B 41 (12)
2000[1][2] Mallorca 0 (0)
2001–2002 Ceará 58 (30)
2003 Cruzeiro 49 (23)
2004 Jeonnam Dragons 21 (14)
2005 Sporting CP 5 (0)
2005–2009 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 75 (28)
2009 Ceará 16 (5)
2010–2011 Pohang Steelers 51 (19)
2012–2013 Ceará 87 (43)
2014 Bragantino 16 (2)
2017–2018 Ferroviário 17 (2)
Total 437 (178)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

João Soares da Mota Neto (born 21 November 1980), simply known as Mota, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a striker.

Career

Mallorca

After spending his early career at Campeonato Cearense clubs Ferroviário and Ceará,[3] Mota moved to the reserve team of La Liga club Mallorca in 1999. He played for Mallorca B until 2001, and made his first-team debut as a 83rd-minute substitute in a 2–1 Copa del Rey defeat to Ourense on 12 January 2000.[4]

Since 15 April 2001, Mota was suspended from Mallorca due to an investigation into the veracity of his Portuguese passport that he was using to work in the European Union. In the previous month, he said that he was entitled to it due to having a Portuguese great-grandmother, but the Royal Spanish Football Federation required documentary evidence, with them warning about the possibility of his suspension.[5] He was finally banned from Spanish football for a year by Spain's Court of Sport, which found that he obtained the passport illegally in 1998. He went back to his former club Ceará after the ruling.[6]

Cruzeiro, Jeonnam Dragons and Sporting CP

During the 2003 season, Mota played for Cruzeiro, helping them achieve the Brazilian Triple Crown. He scored a total of 24 goals at three competitions, namely the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the Campeonato Mineiro and the Copa do Brasil.[7] In 2004, he played for K League club Jeonnam Dragons,[8] and became the league's top goalscorer after scoring 14 goals during 21 appearances.[9] His continuous successes allowed him to return to Europe. He joined Primeira Liga club Sporting CP in January 2005, and got opportunities in five league matches and one UEFA Cup match for half a year.[2]

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma

On 12 July 2005, Mota transferred to another K League club Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.[10] During the 2006 season at Seongnam, he performed an irreplaceable role in winning a K League title despite a fracture of his ankle in the middle of the season. After recovering from the four-month injury ahead of the 2006 K League Championship, he scored the winning goal in the 1–0 semi-final win over FC Seoul and both of the club's goals in a 2–1 final second-leg win over Suwon Samsung Bluewings.[11] During the 2007 season, he led Seongnam to a first-place finish in the league's regular season and the semi-finals at the AFC Champions League, but the club failed to win a trophy at both competitions after he was sidelined by a knee injury in October.[12] At the end of the season, he became the top goalscorer of the Champions League despite the results.[13]

While playing in South Korea, Mota considered acquiring South Korean nationality, but the lack of his Korean language ability was an obstacle.[14]

Return to Ceará

On 26 July 2009, Mota rejoined Ceará for the second time. He played for the club at the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, contributing to their promotion to the Série A.[15] He once again left for South Korea the next year,[16] and came back to Ceará two years later.[17]

Mota won four Cearense titles, while making 193 appearances and 89 goals at Ceará until 2013.[18] In 2012, he was selected as the Player of the Year by Federation of Industries of the State of Ceará (FIEC), receiving the Troféu Flávio Ponte.[19] He is regarded as one of Ceará's historic forwards.[3][20][21]

Honours

Ceará

Cruzeiro[7]

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Da Mota's career". BeSoccer. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b Mota at WorldFootball.net
  3. ^ a b "Ídolo do Ceará, Mota anuncia aposentadoria e revela desejo de se tornar treinador" (in Portuguese). Diário do Nordeste. 13 August 2019. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Copa del Rey » RCD Mallorca against CD Ourense » Lineup". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  5. ^ Cruz, X. (20 April 2001). "El Mallorca aparta a Da Mota hasta que acredite la veracidad de su pasaporte" [Mallorca separate themselves from Da Mota until he proves the veracity of his passport]. Última Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  6. ^ Cruz, Edson (December 2003). "Como se faz um campeão" [How to make a champion]. Placar (in Portuguese). p. 24. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Tríplice Coroa: feito inédito do Cruzeiro completa 15 anos nesta sexta-feira" (in Portuguese). Superesportes. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  8. ^ K리그 '업그레이드'...특급용병 운집. Naver (in Korean). MBC Sports+. 27 January 2004. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  9. ^ a b 프로축구 골든볼·골든슈 시상식 (in Korean). KBS. 6 December 2004. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  10. ^ 성남,지난해 득점왕 모따 영입 (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 12 July 2005. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  11. ^ "삼바 특급" 모따, 발목수술 아픔딛고 성남 우승 견인 (in Korean). No Cut News. 25 November 2006. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  12. ^ '눈에 확 띄는' 모따 빈자리, 누가 채울까. Nate (in Korean). JoyNews24. 23 October 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  13. ^ a b "AFC Champions League Top scorers over the years". Ghana Soccernet. AFC. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  14. ^ 모따 '대표선수 아닌, 한국인이 되고 싶다'. Daum (in Korean). Best Eleven. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  15. ^ a b "Atacante da moda: A trajetória de Mota, ídolo e torcedor do Ceará" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  16. ^ "Mota acerta com Pohang e pode ir à Copa pela Coreia do Sul" (in Portuguese). Gazeta Esportiva. 28 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 January 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Ceará confirma acerto com Mota e descarta o retorno de Geraldo" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  18. ^ "Da arquibancada à idolatria: Mota explica ligação com o Ceará e relembra momentos no Clube" (in Portuguese). Ceará SC. 2 June 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  19. ^ a b "VÍDEO: noite de glamour e homenagens marca a festa dos melhores do ano no Oscar do Esporte Cearense" (in Portuguese). O Povo. 11 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Ídolos" (in Portuguese). Ceará SC. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  21. ^ "Sucesso na base do Ceará, filho do ídolo é registrado na CBF" (in Portuguese). Meu Vozão. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  22. ^ 나드손, 외국인 첫 MVP!. Naver (in Korean). YTN. 16 December 2004.
  23. ^ 성남 모따, K-리거가 뽑은 최고의 선수. Naver (in Korean). Sportalkorea. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
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