Junior Fernandes facts for kids
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Fernandes with Dinamo Zagreb in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antenor Junior Fernandes da Silva Vitoria | ||
| Date of birth | 10 April 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Tocopilla, Chile | ||
| Height | 1.84 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Esenler Erokspor | ||
| Number | 78 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–2006 | Cobreloa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007–2009 | Cobreloa | 51 | (2) |
| 2007 | → Municipal Mejillones (loan) | 20 | (12) |
| 2010 | Magallanes | 25 | (10) |
| 2011 | Palestino | 35 | (9) |
| 2012 | Universidad de Chile | 17 | (8) |
| 2012–2014 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | → Dinamo Zagreb (loan) | 28 | (13) |
| 2014–2017 | Dinamo Zagreb | 74 | (25) |
| 2017 | → Alanyaspor (loan) | 14 | (6) |
| 2017–2020 | Alanyaspor | 80 | (26) |
| 2020–2021 | Ittihad Kalba | 13 | (3) |
| 2021 | İstanbul Başakşehir | 9 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Universidad de Chile | 34 | (4) |
| 2023 | Manisa | 14 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Adanaspor | 0 | (0) |
| 2024– | Esenler Erokspor | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011– | Chile | 20 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Antenor Junior Fernandes da Silva Vitoria (born 10 April 1988), known as Junior Fernandes, is a Chilean professional football player. He plays as a forward for the Turkish club Esenler Erokspor.
Club Career Highlights
Early Days at Cobreloa
Junior Fernandes was born in Tocopilla, Chile. When he was six, his family moved to Calama. There, he joined the youth teams of Cobreloa, a famous football club. He played in all their youth groups. He even played for Cobreloa's B team in 2006. During this time, he was teammates with another famous Chilean player, Alexis Sánchez.
In 2007, he was loaned to Municipal Mejillones, another team. Later that year, he joined Cobreloa's main team. His first professional game was a 2–1 win against Deportes La Serena. He scored three goals in a game against Deportes Melipilla, which was a big win for him!
Playing for Magallanes and Palestino
In 2010, Junior played for Deportes Magallanes. He was a key player for them. His team won the championship and moved up to a higher league. His great playing caught the eye of C.D. Palestino. He joined Palestino in 2011. His good performances here even led to him being considered for the national team!
Time at Universidad de Chile
On 2 December 2011, Junior Fernandes joined Club Universidad de Chile. This was a big move for him. He wanted to help the team win the 2012 Apertura tournament. He also hoped to play in the Copa Libertadores, a major South American tournament.
He started strong, scoring a goal and helping with another in his first game. In the league, he scored five goals. He even scored three goals in a big 4–0 win against Colo-Colo. In the Copa Libertadores, he scored three goals in one game and two goals in another!
Moving to Europe: Bayer Leverkusen
On 6 July 2012, Junior Fernandes moved to Germany. He signed a five-year contract with Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen. He scored in his very first game for them in a cup match. However, he didn't play as much as he hoped in his first season.
Success with Dinamo Zagreb
On 26 May 2013, Junior Fernandes moved to Croatia. He joined Dinamo Zagreb on a one-year loan. He played well there. Because of his good performance, he signed a six-year contract with Dinamo Zagreb in 2014. He helped them win many league titles and cups!
Playing in Turkey
In January 2017, he was loaned to Alanyaspor in Turkey. He played well and scored goals. Later, he moved back to Alanyaspor permanently. He played for them until 2020.
After Alanyaspor, he played for Ittihad Kalba in the United Arab Emirates. Then, he returned to Turkey to play for İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. in 2021. In 2023, he joined Manisa F.K. and later Adanaspor. Currently, he plays for Esenler Erokspor.
International Career
Junior Fernandes has also played for the Chile national football team. He was first called up in 2011 for friendly matches. His official debut for the national team was on 11 September 2012. This was a qualifying match for the 2014 FIFA World Cup against Colombia.
He was part of the team that played in the 2019 Copa América, which is a big tournament for South American national teams.
Honours and Achievements
Club Trophies
- Magallanes
- Tercera División de Chile: 2010 (This is a league championship)
- Universidad de Chile
- Primera División de Chile: 2012 Apertura (Another league championship)
- Dinamo Zagreb
- Croatian First League: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18 (Many league championships!)
- Croatian Cup: 2014–15, 2015–16 (Cup wins)
- Croatian Super Cup: 2013 (Another cup win)
National Team Trophies
- Chile
- China Cup: 2017 (An international tournament win)
Individual Awards
- SIFUP Best Right Forward: 2013 Torneo de Transición (He was named the best right forward in the Chilean league!)
See also
In Spanish: Junior Fernandes para niños
