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Joel Castro Pereira warming up at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. Photo by Daniel Hong-

Top 10 Little Known Facts about Joel Castro Pereira

Joel Castro Pereira is a professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Eredivisie club RKC Waalwijk and Portugal national team and wears the number 44 jersey.

He was born in Switzerland, starting his football career in a local club. He started working with well-known football clubs such as Manchester United.

Learn more about Joel Castro Pereira in these top 10 little-known facts.

1. Joel Castro Pereira Was Born in 1996

Joel Castro Pereira was born Joel Castro Dinis Castro Pereira. He was born on June 28, 1996, in Boudevilliers in the Swiss Canton of Neuchatel and grew up in Le Locle. 

Pereira started his football career in the youth ranks of local club FC Le Locle before joining Neuchatel Xamax at the age of 13.

2. Pereira Joined Neuchatel Xamax in 2009

At the age of 13, Pereira joined Neuchatel Xamax. Neuchatel Xamax is a Swiss football club based in Neuchatel, and this is where Pereira started his professional football career and got noticed by other clubs. He played for the club from 2009 to 2013.

3. Pereira Was Signed in Manchester United in 2012

Pereira during Manchester United v Burton Albion (4-1), Carabao Cup, Old Trafford, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, 20 September 2017. Photo by Ardfern-

In 2012 he was signed for Manchester United. Pereira was part of the team that won the 2014 to 2015 Under-21 Development League title, and his contract was extended on August 13, 2015, amidst a goalkeeping saga at the club.

On June 4, 2021, Manchester United announced Joel Pereira’s contract was expiring. He had his first call-up to a senior Manchester United on February 25, 2016, and he sat on the bench for their 5-1 home win over FC Midtjylland in the 32-second leg of the UEFA Europa League.

On January 29, 2017, Pereira made his Manchester United debut in a FA Cup fourth-round tie against Wigan Athletic, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute for Sergio Romero. Pereira started for the first time in the Premier League against Crystal Place on May 21, 2017.

Pereira signed a new contract at Manchester United, a four-year deal, on July 1, 2017, and the contract was to last until 2021. On September 20, 2017, he appeared as a substitute against Burton Albion in the EFL Cup and conceded a last-minute goal.

4. He Played for Rochdale on a Loan

Pereira was loaned to Rochdale (a professional football club based in the town of Rochdale, Lancashire, England) in Football League one for a month on October 17, 2015. Later that day, he had his first senior call-up remaining an unused substitute as the team drew 0-0 away to Bury.

In the quarter finals of the Football League Trophy, he made his debut in a loss to Morecambe at Spotland. The manager Keith Hill praised the goalkeeper’s performance after he was named man of the match and saved a penalty kick.

On November 19, 2015, Pereira extended his loan until January 3, 2016. Two days later, he made his Football League debut in a 2-0 away win against Doncaster Rovers. Pereira totaled eight appearances for Rochdale, six in the league. 

5.  Pereira Joined Hearts in 2019

Joel Castro Pereira warming up at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. Photo by Daniel Hong-

Hearts of Midlothian Football Club, simply the Hearts, is a professional football club in Edinburgh, Scotland. He joined Hearts on loan from Manchester United for the 2019 to 2020 season and joined Scottish Premiership club Hearts on August 13, 2019.

Three days after August 13, he made his debut in the second round of the Scottish League Cup, a 2-1 win at Motherwell. On August 25, 2019, Pereira played for the first time in the Scottish Premiership losing 3-1 away to reigning champions Celtic.

In February 2020, Hearts were at the bottom of the Premiership table; Pereira was criticized for a series of mistakes, especially the defeat to Celtic. The Hearts manager Daniel Stendel admitted replacing him. Pereira made 25 appearances for Hearts.

6. Pereira Played for Portugal’s Olympic Football team

In July 2016, he was selected for the Portugal squad for the 2016 Olympic Games. Pereira was an unused substitute in all four of Portugal’s matches in the tournament. Pereira was selected in Portugal under the 2-1 squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in May 2017.

7. Pereira Plays for RKC Waalwijk

RKC Waalwijk Maandemakers Stadion. Photo sourced from

Pereira is a Dutch professional football club based in Waalwijk. It currently competes in the Eredivisie.

In July 2016, he was confirmed as a new signing at the Mandemakers Stadion on a one-year deal with RKC Waalwijk with the option to extend for another year.

8. Pereira Played for Huddersfield Town

On August 29, 2020, Pereira signed on loan for EFL Championship club Huddersfield Town for the 2020 to 2021 season. Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

On April 6, 2021, Pereira was in goal as Norwich City thrashed Huddersfield 7-0. He was a last-minute replacement for Ryan Schofield, who was unwell.

9. Pereira Played for Several Clubs on Loan

On August 31, 2016, Pereira joined Primeria Liga club Belenenses on Loan from Manchester United. His loan spell ended on January 5, 2017.

Pereira joined Vitoria de Setubal (a Portuguese sports club) on August 2, 2018. He joined the club on loan for the 2018 to 2019 season.

After making ten appearances in all competitions, his loan at Vitoria de Setubal was terminated in January 2019, and he returned to Manchester United.

In January 019, Manchester United again sold him on loan. This time he joined Kortrijk (a professional football club in Belgium). He made five appearances for the club in the Europa League playoffs.

10. Pereira Zodiac Sign is Cancer

Cancer season is from June 21 to July 22. Cancers tend to be domestically oriented. When Cancers invest in someone emotionally, they risk blurring the line between attentive nurturing and controlling behavior.

They love to create cozy, safe spaces that serve as their sanctuaries and spend lots of time in them. Cancers care deeply about their families and are quick to adopt caregiver roles. Cancers attract friends and lovers through loyalty, commitment, and emotional depth.

 These crustaceans make excellent hosts and enjoy entertaining with comfort food and free-flowing libations. It may be difficult to convince a Cancer to talk openly about what’s bothering them, but if you can do it without making them feel threatened, you’ll build long-lasting trust.