João Pedro Toca

João Pedro de Sousa Rodrigues has spent most of his football life inside one building. He joined Corinthians' academy in 2019 and never really left it, working his way through the youth ranks until the club extended his contract through to 2025 — and then, in December 2025, tore that up in favour of a deal running to the end of 2030, a vote of confidence in a player still in his early twenties.

The one break in that story came in August 2024, when Corinthians sent him out on loan to Ceará for Série B. João Pedro Tchoca played his part in getting the club promoted, then returned to Corinthians in January 2025 when Ceará could not agree terms to sign him permanently or extend the arrangement.

A move abroad nearly followed. In January 2025 Corinthians reached an agreement with Torino to loan him out with an option to buy, but the transfer fell apart after he failed the Italian club's medical. He was back in Corinthians colours by 30 January 2026.

Domestically, the wait for silverware has not been long. He has won the Copa do Brasil and the Campeonato Paulista, both in 2025, added the Supercopa do Brasil in 2026, and picked up the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior with the youth side in 2024.

At international level, his involvement has been brief. Brazil's under-20 side called him up for friendlies in April 2023, but an ankle injury forced him to withdraw after just three days with the squad. He has not featured for the senior national team.

Now wearing number 4 for Corinthians, the right-footed defender from Sete Lagoas remains a product of the club's own academy — a status the fresh contract through 2030 was designed to protect.