João Aurélio

Aurélio's current-season form is up 233% on last season (Season 6→20), while his Rating held around 10. His peak season for form remains 2023/24 (Season 22).

Domestic career

Season	Club	Apps	G	A	Match	RTG	Season
2025/26	Nacional · 14th	21	0	0	6.75	10	20
2024/25	Nacional · 14th	14	1	1	6.73	11	6
2023/24	Nacional · 2nd	32	1	0	—	21	22
2022/23	Nacional · 13th	24	0	0	—	15	10
2021/22	Pafos	19	0	0	—	—	—

Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year. 13 earlier seasons in the full career.

Portugal · international

Side	Apps	G
Portugal U21	6	1

Career caps & goals — tournament breakdown in the full career.

Scout report

Experienced headBall-winning Central defender

João Aurélio is a 37-year-old central defender at Nacional, enjoying a standout season — 0 goals and 0 assists in 21 appearances, a Season grade of 20, top 59% of Primeira Liga centre-backs. On long-term scout potential he's rated 10.1, ranking 334th of 336 in the Primeira Liga. A seasoned veteran, he has been a rotation option (43.7% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 4.58 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Aurélio.

Judged on this season alone, Aurélio graded 20 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 37th of 63 of the 63 centre-backs in the Primeira Liga, on 3 clean sheets and 4.581 defensive actions per 90.

Year-on-year, that's a clear step up on last season (Season 6 → 20). Over the 4 seasons on record his form has trended upward, peaking in 2023/24.

On long-term talent our Rating reads 10, 61st of 63 of the 63 centre-backs in the Primeira Liga. At 37 Aurélio is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 1.6 reflects that trajectory.

From the career report

Read the full career report →

Aurélio is operating at his career peak — the 2023/24 level is the level.

Peak: 2023/24Holding levelRemarkably consistentStepped up 2024/25

Current potential61st of 63 centre-backs · Primeira Liga Current season37th of 63 centre-backs · Primeira Liga37th-best centre-back in the Primeira Liga334th in the Primeira Liga · potential61st-highest potential centre-back in the Primeira Liga

10.1

Ratingi

61st of 63 centre-backs

20.4

Seasoni

below regular-starter level

43.7%

Minutes

rotation minutes

4.58

Def. actions / 90

solid defensive volume

Output in context · Nacional finished 14th of 18 · a lower-table side

4.58

Def. / 90

Tackles

Interceptions

Clean sheets

4.58 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — solid defensive volume, with 3 clean sheets across 21 appearances. Doing that for a lower-table side (14th of 18) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight.

Strengths

Defensive volume. 4.58 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — does the unseen work.

Watch points

Game time. Only 43.7% of available minutes — needs a settled run to prove the level.
Age curve. At 37, both level and resale value are on the downslope.
Level. Rates below a nailed-on top-tier starter on our model.

Outlook

With a Rating of 10.1, Aurélio carries the 61st-highest potential of the centre-backs in the Primeira Liga of 63, and he is posting that for a lower-table side (Nacional finished 14th of 18) — individual numbers are harder to earn on a struggling team, so his underlying level likely sits a touch above the ranking. Defensively he reads as solid defensive volume (4.58 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Veteran phase — a short-term, lower-fee proposition as both level and value decline (0.5× and falling).

Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.

Per 90 & availability

Minutes played %43.7%

Available fixtures34 of 34

Goals / 900

Assists / 900

Goal contribution / 900

Defensive actions / 904.581

Player flow

Goal involvements0

Shot conversion %0

Shot accuracy %25

Pass accuracy %71

Dribble success %47.1

Cards / 900.202

Foul involvement / 902.695

Season-by-season progression

Rating (potential)Season (form)

Value & potential by age

Market valueRating

Solid = now · dashed = projected

The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around ages 23–27 (~6), then tapers with age. At 37, Aurélio sits on 1.6, past its peak and easing. The blue line is Aurélio's projected Rating — 10.1 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.

Season statistics

Bars = where he ranks among centre-backs in the Primeira Liga with 600+ minutes this season.

Shooting

Goals0

Shots on target1

Shots4

Passing

Assists0

Chances created8

Passes393

Pass accuracy71%

Possession

Successful dribbles8

Dribble success47.1%

Duels won85

Duels won %59%

Fouls won21

Defending

Tackles40

Interceptions21

Blocks7

Fouls committed19

Penalties conceded1

Yellow/red cards

Yellow cards3

Red cards0

Transfer history

Free agent2026/27 – nowEnd of career

Nacional2022/23 – 2026/27Free

Pafos2020/21 – 2022/23

Moreirense2018/19 – 2020/21Free

Guimaraes2016/17 – 2018/19Free

Nacionaluntil 2016/17

About João Aurélio

João Miguel Coimbra Aurélio is a 37-year-old centre-back who plays for Nacional, born on August 17, 1988 in Beja, standing 180 cm tall. He is from Portugal. Nacional currently sit 14th of 18 in the Primeira Liga.

This season

In the current season, João Aurélio has made 21 appearances with 0 goals and 0 assists across 1,336 minutes, averaging a 6.54 match rating over his last 7 rated games, with 3 yellow cards.

When João Aurélio plays, Nacional's record this season is 6W-5D-10L — and his match ratings average 6.79 at home against 6.73 on the road.

Recent matches

May 16, 2026: 2-0 win at home vs Guimaraes (1 minutes)
May 11, 2026: 0-2 loss away at Santa Clara (62 minutes, 6.9 rating)
May 2, 2026: 1-2 loss at home vs AVS (9 minutes, 6.9 rating)
April 25, 2026: 2-0 win away at Tondela (9 minutes, 6.7 rating)
April 18, 2026: 1-0 win at home vs Alverca (1 minutes)
April 12, 2026: 0-2 loss away at Benfica (1 minutes)
January 17, 2026: 1-2 loss away at GIL Vicente (75 minutes, 6.3 rating)
January 11, 2026: 3-3 draw at home vs Santa Clara (45 minutes, 6.2 rating)
January 2, 2026: 1-2 loss away at Guimaraes (90 minutes, 6.6 rating)
December 21, 2025: 2-2 draw away at AVS (90 minutes, 6.2 rating)

Field Insider's view

Field Insider currently rates João Aurélio at 10.1 with a Season form score of 20.4, ranking 334th of 336 centre-backs in the Primeira Liga. See the full scout report for strengths, watch-points and the market-value outlook.

Career

Across 18 recorded seasons, João Aurélio has totalled 427 club appearances with 14 goals and 15 assists for 4 different clubs. His busiest campaign came in 2020/21, with 37 appearances for Pafos.

João Aurélio's career has also included time at Pafos, Moreirense and Guimaraes.

On the international stage, João Aurélio has represented Portugal U21 — 6 caps and 1 goal in our records.

Transfer news

No transfer news found for this player.

Profile

Season stats

Performance data · by competition

Career

Scout report

Output in context · Nacional finished 14th of 18 · a lower-table side

Strengths

Watch points