João Lucas de Souza Cardoso (born September 20, 2001), better known as Johnny Cardoso or Johnny, is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the United States national team.
Early life
Cardoso was born in Denville Township, New Jersey to Brazilian parents and moved to Brazil when he was three months old.
He had stints at Avaí and Criciúma before moving to the youth academy of Internacional.
Club career
Internacional
Cardoso made his professional debut with Internacional in a 3–1 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A win over Atlético Mineiro on September 15, 2019.
Real Betis
On December 27, 2023, Cardoso moved to
La Liga club
Real Betis on a reported five-year contract worth $6.3 million.
On January 21, 2024, Cardoso made his debut for Betis, starting and playing 73 minutes in a league match against
FC Barcelona which finished in a 2–4 loss.
As part of Giovani Lo Celso's transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Betis in 2024, Tottenham acquired a non-mandatory €25 million purchase option for Cardoso in summer 2025.
On February 4, 2025, Cardoso extended his contract with Betis until 2030.
Atlético Madrid
On July 16, 2025, Cardoso moved to Atlético Madrid on a five-year contract worth a reported €30 million.
International career
Eligible to represent both Brazil and the United States, Cardoso received his first call-up to the United States under-23 training camp in October 2019.
He received his first call up to the senior United States squad for matches against Wales and Panama in November 2020.
Cardoso was subsequently called up again to the United States under-23 team for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship,
Personal life
Cardoso holds an Italian passport, which allows him to be registered as an EU player for European leagues.
Career statistics
Club
| + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
!rowspan="2" | Club
!rowspan="2" | Season
!colspan="3" | League
!colspan="2" | State league
!colspan="2" | National cup
!colspan="2" | Continental
!colspan="2" | Other
!colspan="2" | Total |
|
| Internacional | 2019 | Série A | 0 |
| 2020 | Série A | 0 |
| 2021 | Série A | 2 |
| 2022 | Série A | 3 |
| 2023 | Série A | 2 |
|
| Real Betis | 2023–24 | La Liga | 1 |
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 4 |
|
| Atlético Madrid | 2025–26 | La Liga | 0 |
|
International
| + Appearances and goals by national team and year
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |
| United States | 0 |
| 0 |
| 0 |
| 0 |
| 0 |
| 0 |
|
Honors
Real Betis
-
UEFA Conference League runner-up: 2024–25
United States
-
CONCACAF Nations League: 2022–23,
Individual
-
La Liga U23 Player of the Month: February 2024
External links
