A striker with a wealth of knowledge of the Championship, Lucas Joao joined Reading from then division rivals Sheffield Wednesday in August 2019.

Born in Lisbon, Joao joined Nacional’s youth system, but made his professional debut whilst on loan with SC Mirandela in September 2012 - scoring four goals in his first six senior games.

He returned to the island of Madeira to break into the first team at Nacional in 2013–14, making his Primeira Liga bow as a second-half substitute against FC Arouca.

His first top-flight goals came in the form of a brace against Boavista and his performances soon caught the attention of other clubs; Sheffield Wednesday flew the forward to the UK to tie him to a four-year contract at Hillsborough.

His first taste of English football came in a 2-0 win over Bristol City on the opening day of the 2015-16 season and three days later he registered his first goal for the Owls against Mansfield Town in the League Cup, before later scoring in the Fourth Round of the competition to help knock out Arsenal.

Besides a short loan spell at Blackburn Rovers, which yielded three goals in as many starts, Lucas spent four seasons in Sheffield before departing their ranks - his record reads 29 goals scored in 128 appearances for Wednesday.

After scoring for the Owls against the Reading on the opening day of 2019-20, Joao linked up with the Royals on a permanent transfer three days later, finding the net on his debut at the KCOM Stadium against Hull City.

The 2020-21 season was a career best for Lucas, who became the Royals' highest scorer in a single season for a decade with a final tally of 22 goals, 19 of which came in the Sky Bet Championship.

Absent in the first half of the campaign through injury, Joao had a fine second half of 2021-22 in RG2 as he reached double figures - including a three-game scoring run in April, where he netted the opener at Bramall Lane and notched double in our sensational 4-4 comeback against Swansea City.

The striker also made his international bow for Angola in March 2022 against Equatorial Guinea, having previously represented Portugal in a pair of friendly fixtures.