Jordi

Jordi Martins Almeida arrived at Vasco da Gama's academy. He trained regularly with the senior squad under Carlos Germano and performed for the youth teams, and by September 2013 he had a first professional contract, running to 2016. His senior debut followed in 2014.

The competition never eased. Vasco extended his deal in 2016 for five more years, to 2021, but the loans came anyway: Tractor of Tabriz in 2018, then CSA of Alagoas in 2019, in Brazil's Série A. That season in Alagoas he was among the leaders for saves, with nine difficult stops to his name.

His time at Vasco ended in court. Wages and bonuses went unpaid, and in 2020 the contract was terminated through the courts, with the club ordered to pay him compensation of more than one million reais. The move that followed was registered as a free transfer.

In August 2020 he joined Paços de Ferreira in Portugal, and in 2022 he extended there until 2024. He left as a free agent instead, and in February 2023 signed with Novorizontino on terms running to 31 December 2027.

The medals came early: the Campeonato Carioca with Vasco in 2015 and 2016, and the Taça Guanabara in 2019.

Asked about Brazil in a 2021 interview, Jordi said a call-up remained his dream, while acknowledging what stood in the way. "Alisson, Ederson, Weverton," he noted — the goalkeepers ahead of him. He has not been called up to the senior national team.