Dionatan Teixeira

Dionatan Teixeira

Teixeira with Dukla Banská Bystrica in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Dionatan do Nascimento Teixeira
Date of birth	(1992-07-24) 24 July 1992 (age 24)
Place of birth	Londrina, Brazil
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position	Centre-back
Club information
Current team	Sheriff Tiraspol
Number	23
Youth career
2006–2008	Londrina
2008–2009	Košice
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2012	Košice	2	(0)
2011–2012	→ Slovan Bratislava (loan)	0	(0)
2012	Baník Ružiná	9	(1)
2013–2014	Dukla Banská Bystrica	35	(3)
2014–2017	Stoke City	2	(0)
2015	→ Fleetwood Town (loan)	8	(0)
2017–	Sheriff Tiraspol	7	(0)
National team‡
2013–2014	Slovakia U21	6	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:23, 9 May 2017 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11:40, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

Dionatan do Nascimento Teixeira (born 24 July 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Sheriff Tiraspol.

Teixeira began playing football with local side Londrina EC in Brazil before he was given the opportunity to play in Europe with Slovakian side MFK Košice in 2008. He played in the youth teams at Košice and went on trials with a number of clubs in England. A failure to gain a work permit ended any chances of him joining an English club and after playing on loan for Slovan Bratislava in 2011–12 he was released by Košice. After briefly playing amateur football he moved on to Baník Ružiná and then to Slovak Super Liga side Dukla Banská Bystrica. In 2013 Teixeira was granted Slovak citizenship and after impressing Stoke City whilst on trial he joined them on a three-year contract in June 2014. However, he failed to make any impact at Stoke and left in January 2017 and later joined Moldavian side Sheriff Tiraspol.

Teixeira began his career with local team Londrina EC in his native Brazil. At the age of 16 he decided to move into European football and earned a youth contract with Slovak side MFK Košice. In 2009 Teixeria went on trial with a number of English teams inducing Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and Manchester City.

He returned to Košice in April 2009 and made his first team debut on 18 April 2009 against MFK Dubnica. After a lack of opportunity at Košice he went on loan to Slovan Bratislava for the 2011–12 season but spent his time in Bratislava playing in the B team. He left Košice in the summer of 2012 and after spending time playing for local amateur side Slovan Čeľadice he joined 2. Liga side Baník Ružiná. In March 2013 he joined Slovak Super Liga side Dukla Banská Bystrica.