American midfielder João Lucas de Souza Cardoso, alias ‘Jhonny’, is one of José Manuel Pellegrini's key players in Real Betis Balompié's fight for European qualification places in LaLiga EA Sports.

Born in Denville, New Jersey, USA, on 20 September 2001, he was formed as a footballer in different clubs in Brazil, a country to which his family moved when he was just a few months old. After playing in the youth teams of Avaí FC and Criciúma EC, he signed for SC Internacional in 2014, a club with which he made his professional debut in the Brazilian Serie A in 2019, at just 18 years of age.

In December 2023 he was transferred to Real Betis Balompié in exchange for six million euros for 80% of his rights, to join in January 2024.

He is currently one of the most important players for the Sevillian club and also for the US national team. In fact, he had already been in the USA U-23 national team since 2019, and also in the senior since he made his debut in 2020.

In terms of his qualities as a player, we must highlight that Jhonny is a midfielder with excellent technical and tactical abilities. He is a player with a very good quality and range of passing, brilliant ball handling and a prodigious understanding of the game. He stands out especially in his ability going with the ball out from the back, his great control of his oriented first touch and his ability to break lines through the pass.

Physically, he is also a remarkable player. He has a large wingspan, which makes him a very strong player, especially good in the air and to a lesser extent on the ground.

Mentally, Cardoso ultimately shows himself to be a very intelligent, determined player with personality. These qualities, together with his personality and still plenty of room for growth, make Jhonny one of the midfielders to watch in European football.

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