Joao Bandaro

João Bandaró arrived in Bulgarian football without a senior appearance to his name in Brazil, joining Cherno More Varna as a free agent after his contract situation at Red Bull Bragantino ran its course. He had spent 2023 and 2024 with the Bragantino under-20 side, making a single appearance in the Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-20, before moving on to Ibrasi, a club in Ibirá, São Paulo, in March 2024. There he featured for the youth ranks in the Campeonato Paulista U20 and the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, better known as the Copinha. In four appearances in the Paulista U20 he scored three goals, a return that stands out for a defender, along with one yellow card, and he added a single outing in the Copinha.

No transfer fee changed hands for his move to Bulgaria, with neither Bragantino nor Ibrasi compensated, confirming he left South America as a free agent. Left-footed and standing at 186 cm, Bandaró now takes on a new role in Cherno More Varna's defence, after a career so far built almost entirely in youth football rather than at senior level.