Rui Fonte
Rui Pedro da Rocha Fonte (born 23 April 1990) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was born in Penafiel, Portugal, and is 1.81 m tall. He represented Portugal at every youth level and earned 69 caps with 26 goals for the youth teams.
Club career
Fonte began with Sporting CP’s youth system before joining Arsenal at 16. He made one competitive appearance for Arsenal and then spent time on loan at Crystal Palace. After returning to Portugal, he had several loan spells, including Espanyol, where he later joined permanently in 2011. In 2013 he signed with Benfica, but injuries limited his time with the first team, and he mostly played for Benfica B. He was loaned to Belenenses and Braga, and in 2016 Braga made his stay permanent. He had a standout season with Braga, scoring 11 league goals and helping the team win the Taça de Portugal in 2016.
In 2017 Fonte moved to Fulham in England. He spent the 2018–2019 season on loan at Lille in France, where he scored once. He returned to Braga in 2019 and played there until 2021, then joined Estoril, Famalicão, and Paços de Ferreira in subsequent seasons. Across his club career, he played 348 league games and scored 69 goals.
International career
Fonte played for Portugal from the U16 through U21 levels, earning 69 youth caps and scoring 26 goals. He made his Portugal U21 debut against Spain in 2008, scoring the opening goal. He was called up to the senior Portugal squad in 2015 but did not appear in a game. He is the younger brother of José Fonte, who is also a professional footballer.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:49 (CET).