Júnior Negrão

Early career

After playing in the youth squads of local teams Fast Club and Nacional for four years, Júnior came through the youth system of the latter squad and was first aggregated to the first team in 2005. Although he didn't register a single appearance in the national league, he rapidly became a revelation for the club in the state league Campeonato Amazonense: throughout his first couple of seasons as a professional player, Júnior scored 14 goals in 14 matches, including one against Cruzeiro in a national cup match. His impressive performances for Nacional made him earn a partnership with agent Eduardo Uram (co-owner of Brazilian investment fund Europe Sports Group) and attracted several high-profile teams across the nation: in the end, it was Corinthians that signed the promising center-forward in 2007. However, Júnior's experience with the São Paulo-based club turned out to be a bit of a disappointment: he registered his only appearance for the senior team (as well as his only appearance in a national top-tier match to date) on 22 July 2007, replacing Finazzi at the start of the second half of a 0–3 home loss against Náutico. As a result, he got involved in Corinthians' shocking season, which culminated in a final 17th place and the first relegation to the national second-tier in the club's history. Despite all of this, Júnior remembers his year at Corinthians as "a wonderful experience" that helped him study "a totally different scenario" and mature as a…

As of 4 June 2023

Born in Salvador, Bahia, his parents moved to Manaus, Amazonas before he turned his first year of age. For this reason, Júnior has stated that he considers himself a manauara, as he spent there the entirety of his childhood and adolescence.

Júnior is a Christian, and he is frequently seen pointing fingers to the sky as a form of prayer after scoring a goal. Júnior is married and he has two daughters, named Anna Julia and Isabella. He stated he would like to play for Bahia as his last team before retirement: being one of the most representative clubs of his birthplace (together with Vitória), he said that would give him the opportunity to honor the legacy of his parents, especially his father.