HARRISON, N.J. (January 12, 2024) – The New York Red Bulls have transferred midfielder Luquinhas to Fortaleza Esporte Clube, the club announced today.
"We want to thank Luquinhas for his dedication and contributions to our club for the last two years,” said Head of Sport Jochen Schneider. “Luquinhas was a great representative of our club, and we wish him and his family all the best in this next step.”
Luquinhas, 27, has spent the last two seasons with New York, where he has made 56 career MLS appearances, with 44 of them being starts. He recorded eight goals and seven assists in his time with the club. In his first season with the club, Luquinhas scored five goals and added three assists, including his first career multi-goal game against D.C. United on May 28, 2022. He scored his first career MLS goal against Orlando City SC on April 24, 2022, in a 3-0 victory.
This past season, Luquinhas made 26 MLS appearances and totaled 2,012 minutes played. He recorded three goals and four assists in MLS play. Luquinhas recorded two assists in New York’s 5-2 win over Charlotte FC in the Wild Card match of the 2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and became the first Red Bulls player to record a multi-assist match in a playoff game since Thierry Henry in 2014.
Prior to New York, Luquinhas spent two-and-a-half seasons with Legia Warszawa, where he accrued 110 appearances and tallied 12 goals and 18 assists. He made eight Champions League qualifying appearances for the club and led Warszawa to back-to-back Ekstraklasa league titles. He was named the 2020-21 Ekstraklasa Midfielder of the Season. Luquinhas had stops at Benefica B and Desportivo Aves before joining Warszawa. He began his senior professional career with UD Vilafranquense at 18-years-old, where he made six starts during his first professional season and tallied two goals and an assist.
