1. Early Life and Background
1.1. Birth and Nationality
Juan was born as Juan Maldonado Jaimez Júnior on February 6, 1982, in São Paulo, Brazil. He holds dual nationality, being a citizen of both Brazil and Spain. Standing at 66 in (168 cm) tall and weighing 146 lb (66 kg), he was known for his left-footed play. In some English reports, his name has also been given as Juan Maldonado Duarte.
2. Club Career
Juan's club career spanned nearly two decades, beginning in Brazil before a move to England, and then a return to various prominent Brazilian clubs where he achieved significant success.
2.1. Arsenal
Juan began his career in the youth ranks of São Paulo FC before signing with English club Arsenal in 2001. He made only two first-team appearances for Arsenal. His debut came in the Football League Cup against Grimsby Town on November 27, 2001. His second and final appearance for the club was as a starter in the 5th Round of the FA Cup against Gillingham on February 16, 2002. Juan was scheduled to play in Arsenal's Third Round League Cup tie against Sunderland but sustained a knee injury prior to the game. He also scored in a pre-season friendly match against Stevenage in 2002. On November 8, 2002, a diagnosis confirmed an ACL knee injury, which effectively brought an end to his Arsenal career.
2.2. Millwall
Following his time at Arsenal, Juan had a brief two-month loan spell at Millwall in 2003. During this period, he made three league appearances and one League Cup appearance.
2.3. Fluminense
In 2004, Juan returned to Brazil, joining Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Fluminense FC. He played for Fluminense until 2005, contributing to the team's success by winning the Taça Guanabara and the Campeonato Carioca in 2005. Over his two seasons, he made 42 league appearances, scoring 1 goal, and accumulated 75 total appearances with 3 goals across all competitions.
2.4. Flamengo
Juan moved to Flamengo at the beginning of 2006, where he enjoyed a highly successful period until 2010. In his first year, he scored a crucial goal in the final of the Copa do Brasil against Vasco da Gama, earning him the "man of the match" award.
He was recognized as one of the best players in the 2007 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, receiving the second-place prize for the Bola de Prata (Silver Ball) award for best left-back, presented by the prestigious Brazilian football magazine Placar. Juan continued his strong performance in the 2008 season, once again winning the Bola de Prata award as the best player in his position and being named in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year for 2008.
During his tenure at Flamengo, Juan also secured multiple team honours, including the Copa do Brasil in 2006, the Taça Guanabara in 2007 and 2008, the Taça Rio in 2009, and three consecutive Campeonato Carioca titles from 2007 to 2009. His most significant club achievement came in 2009 when he helped Flamengo win the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.
On May 22, 2009, Juan received a 30-day ban for threatening Botafogo's Maicosuel during the 2009 Rio de Janeiro State League finals. Due to the presence of another prominent player named Juan who was also called up for the Brazil national team around this time, Juan Maldonado Jaimez Júnior was occasionally referred to as Juan Maldonado to avoid confusion.
2.5. São Paulo
In December 2010, as his contract with Flamengo was expiring, São Paulo expressed interest in signing Juan. He stated that returning to São Paulo, the club where he had played as a youth, felt "like moving home." Juan officially joined São Paulo at the start of the 2011 season. In his initial stint, he made 31 league appearances, scoring 4 goals, and played a total of 60 matches across all competitions.
After his loan spell at Santos FC concluded, Juan was initially not part of coach Ney Franco's plans for São Paulo. However, in May 2013, following a reorganization by president Juvenal Juvêncio and coach Ney Franco that saw seven players depart, Juan was reintegrated into the Tricolor squad. President Juvêncio commented that Juan "came with a flawless form and wishing to play."
The following month, Juan made his return debut for São Paulo against Atlético Mineiro in the 2013 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, coming on as a substitute for the injured Thiago Carleto. He expressed his happiness, stating, "I am very happy to defend São Paulo again." On June 5, 2013, Juan made his first full start since returning, in a match against Goiás which São Paulo lost 1-0. Following this game, Juan faced criticism from fans, which he struggled to understand. He remarked, "When we could not win, somebody always is faulted. One more time, I was the faulted. I would want to understand which the fans' problems with me. I try, I fight. I know I am not 100% conditioned, that I can play better, but in great club the things are this way, under pressure."
2.6. Santos
In February 2012, Juan joined Santos FC on a season-long loan after São Paulo signed left-back Bruno Cortês from Botafogo. This move proved beneficial for Juan, as he played regularly and contributed significantly to Santos's success, helping them win the 2012 Campeonato Paulista and the 2012 Recopa Sudamericana. During his time at Santos, he made 18 league appearances and scored 2 goals in 12 State League matches, totaling 43 appearances with 2 goals across all competitions.
2.7. Vitória
On August 30, 2013, Juan was presented as a new player for Esporte Clube Vitória. He chose the Bahia-based club due to his desire to reunite with coach Caio Júnior, under whom he had previously worked at Flamengo, a period during which he earned his call-up to the Brazilian national team. Ironically, after Caio Júnior was dismissed, Juan found himself working again under Ney Franco, the coach who had excluded him from his plans at São Paulo earlier in 2013.
Juan scored his first goal for Vitória on September 4, 2013, in a 2-1 loss against his former club, Flamengo. On October 5, 2013, in a 3-2 loss against São Paulo, Juan scored a penalty against his former team. This goal drew strong criticism from São Paulo fans and even from São Paulo's captain, Rogério Ceni, who claimed Juan kicked the ball with both feet, which is against football rules.
2.8. Coritiba
Juan joined Coritiba in 2015, where he played for two seasons until 2016. He made 15 league appearances and scored 3 goals in 2015, and 27 league appearances with 4 goals in 2016. Overall, he played 62 matches and scored 13 goals for Coritiba.
2.9. Goiás
In 2017, Juan had a spell at Goiás. During his time with the club, he made 1 league appearance and 11 State League appearances, scoring 2 goals, for a total of 15 appearances and 2 goals.
2.10. Avaí
Later in 2017, Juan moved to Avaí FC. He made 22 league appearances for Avaí, scoring 1 goal during that season.
2.11. CSA
In 2018, Juan played for CSA. He made 18 league appearances for the club, scoring 1 goal.
2.12. Tombense
Juan joined Tombense in 2019. He made 10 State League appearances, scoring 2 goals, and 2 Cup appearances, scoring 2 goals, for a total of 12 appearances and 4 goals.
2.13. Boavista
His final club was Boavista, which he joined in 2019. He made 8 league appearances and 1 other appearance, totaling 9 matches for the club.
2.14. Retirement
On August 16, 2019, at the age of 37, Juan announced his retirement from professional football. He stated that a "weight had been lifted off his shoulders" with the decision.
3. International Career
Juan received his first call-up to the Brazil national football team on August 22, 2008, for the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers matches against Chile and Bolivia.
He made his debut for the Brazil national team on September 7, 2008, coming on as a second-half substitute for Ronaldinho in a 3-0 victory over Chile in a World Cup qualifier. Three days later, he played his first match as a starter for Brazil against Bolivia at Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, also as part of the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers. He earned a total of 2 caps for the national team, without scoring any goals.
4. Career Statistics
This section details Juan's professional appearances and goals across his club and international career.
4.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | State League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arsenal | 2001-02 | - | - | 2 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2002-03 | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Millwall | 2003-04 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Fluminense | 2004 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 0 | - | - | - | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2005 | 37 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | - | 59 | 3 | ||
| Total | 42 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 3 | |
| Flamengo | 2006 | 29 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | - | - | 47 | 6 | ||
| 2007 | 34 | 6 | 12 | 1 | - | 8 | 0 | - | 54 | 7 | |||
| 2008 | 33 | 4 | 15 | 3 | - | 8 | 1 | - | 56 | 8 | |||
| 2009 | 19 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 38 | 8 | |||
| 2010 | 33 | 1 | 12 | 0 | - | 10 | 1 | - | 55 | 2 | |||
| Total | 148 | 14 | 62 | 12 | 14 | 3 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 250 | 31 | |
| São Paulo | 2011 | 31 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 60 | 4 | |
| Santos | 2012 | 18 | 0 | 12 | 2 | - | 13 | 0 | - | 43 | 2 | ||
| São Paulo | 2013 | 5 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | - | 7 | 0 | |||
| Vitória | 2013 | 21 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 21 | 3 | ||||
| 2014 | 23 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | - | 6 | 3 | 40 | 9 | ||
| Total | 44 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 61 | 12 | |
| Coritiba | 2015 | 15 | 3 | - | 1 | 0 | - | - | 16 | 3 | |||
| 2016 | 27 | 4 | 13 | 6 | - | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 10 | ||
| Total | 42 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 62 | 13 | |
| Goiás | 2017 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 15 | 2 | ||
| Avaí | 2017 | 22 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 22 | 1 | ||||
| CSA | 2018 | 18 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 18 | 1 | ||||
| Tombense | 2019 | - | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | 12 | 4 | |||
| Boavista | 2019 | 8 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 382 | 31 | 160 | 30 | 33 | 6 | 55 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 639 | 73 | |
4.2. International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2008 | 2 | 0 |
5. Honours
Juan Maldonado Jaimez Júnior achieved several team and individual honours throughout his career.
5.1. Club Honours
Arsenal
- FA Cup: 2002
Fluminense
- Taça Guanabara: 2005
- Campeonato Carioca: 2005
Flamengo
- Copa do Brasil: 2006
- Taça Guanabara: 2007, 2008
- Taça Rio: 2009
- Campeonato Carioca: 2007, 2008, 2009
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2009
Santos
- Campeonato Paulista: 2012
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2012
5.2. Individual Honours
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2008
- Bola de Prata: 2008