João Rodrigo Pereira Escoval

João Rodrigo Pereira Escoval started out at Benfica, coming through the ranks to make 16 appearances for the club's B team before leaving Portugal for the first time in 2017. A swap deal took him to Croatia's Istra 1961, and within months he moved on again, joining Rijeka on a free transfer in January 2018. That switch proved the most durable of his career: he stayed at Rijeka for four seasons, into 2022.

The next two years took him further afield. A free transfer brought him to Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta in 2022, though his stay was brief — just two appearances before he moved to Greece to sign for Volos later that year. Each transfer followed the same pattern: he arrived as a free agent once his previous contract had run its course, rather than for a disclosed fee.

Escoval returned home in 2023, signing for Vizela, before leaving Portugal again in June 2024 to join Akron Tolyatti in the Russian Premier League, once more as a free agent. He has represented Portugal at Under-19 level but has not been capped by the senior national team.

His market value has fluctuated between €300,000 and €800,000 in recent years.