Jonathan dos Santos, who once stood in the shadow of his older brother Giovani, has made a name for himself as a professional footballer both in his native Mexico and in his adopted country Spain.
A graduate of the La Masia Barcelona Academy, he is now a fully-fledged Mexican international, despite having qualified for both Brazil and Spain. He currently plays with his club in Major League Soccer for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Jonathan dos Santos Biography
Jonathan dos Santos was born in Monterrey, Mexico, on April 26, 1990, the son of Liliana Ramírez and Geraldo Francisco dos Santos, as Jonathan dos Santos. Since his father was a professional footballer, Jonathan dos Santos’ path seemed to have been decided before he had even learned how to kick a ball.
As a student, he joined a local academy and played for them until he was discovered by FC Barcelona scouts. Jonathan was on the same team as his older brother Giovani when they traveled to France to play in a youth tournament. The famous “La Masia” scouts approached them and offered them a trial period with the Catalan club.
At the age of 10, Jonathan took the opportunity and never looked back. In 2008, he was named captain of the Barcelona Juvenil A team and was also awarded a Spanish passport and European Union citizenship, which enabled him to play in the first team.
For the 2008-09 season, Jonathan was promoted to the FC Barcelona B team by Luis Enrique, who was then captain of the FC Barcelona B team. He was a member of the second team, where he continued to impress, attracting the attention of the team manager Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola brought Jonathan into the senior side and gave him his senior debut on 28 October 2009 in a Copa del Rey game against Cultural Leonesa. In the 80th minute, he was substituted for Seydou Keita in this game. About a month later he made his Champions League debut against Inter Milan in the 92nd minute as a substitute for Andres Iniesta. He made his La Liga debut at the turn of the year, on 2 January 2010, in a game against Villareal.
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In the 2011-12 season, Jonathan joined the senior national team, where he played numerous matches in pre-season tournaments and a few league games, after which he signed a contract extension with the club. His career with the first team continued throughout the season, although not as often as he had hoped.
Rumors of a possible move to another Spanish club were muted the following season, but Jonathan decided to stay behind and fight for his place. The marriage between Jonathan dos Santos and Barcelona ended in the summer of 2014 when he announced he would be moving to Villarreal to play alongside his brother again.
Jonathan played for the yellow submarines from 2014 to 2017, completing 125 missions and scoring 7 goals before being sold back to LA Galaxy to reunite with his brother Giovani.
National Career
Jonathan dos Santos made his international debut for the Mexican national team in 2009, even before he played his first game for his club FC Barcelona. This move was widely regarded by the public as a ploy by the Mexican Football Association to retain the future star and prevent him from playing for the Spanish national team in the future.
Since then, he has played only 25 appearances for El Tricolour, with his only major tournament being the 2015 Gold Cup.
Family – Father, Brother
As already mentioned, the father of Jonathan dos Santos, nicknamed Zizinho, was a professional footballer originally from Brazil. He began his professional career in 1980 in Mexico, where he played for the Mexican heavyweight team Club America, among others.
Two of his older brothers, Eder and Giovani, also played professional football. Like his father, Eder played for Club America before hanging up his boots in 2009, while Giovani currently plays for Galaxy in Los Angeles alongside Jonathan.
Is He Gay?
Jonathan dos Santos was accused of being gay after the relationship between him and Spanish influencer Marta Carriedo was severed. An unconfirmed source said Jonathan had told his girl that he was bisexual, which prompted her to break off her engagement.
The source also stated that Jonathan was in a relationship with his teammate Mateo Musacchio. Neither Musacchio nor Jonathan confirmed this story.
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Jonathan dos Santos’ Salary
According to reports, Jonathan dos Santos earns between 2 and 3 million dollars each year through LA Galaxy after his move from the Spanish club Villarreal to the USA.
Height, Weight, Measurements and Other Facts
Birth Name: Jonathan dos Santos Ramirez
Place of Birth: Monterrey, Mexico
Date of Birth: April 26, 1990
Height: 5 feet 8 inches (172 cm)
Weight: 74kg
Chest: Not Available
Biceps: Not Available
Shoe Size: Not Available
Nationality: Mexico
Profession: Footballer
