Caio Lucas Fernandes (born 19 April 1994), known as Caio Lucas or just Caio , is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for UAE Pro League club Sharjah. Born in Brazil, he represents the United Arab Emirates at international level.
Club career Born in Araçatuba, São Paulo, Caio Lucas started playing football in 2002, aged 8, at local clubs SMER Bosque Araçatuba and América-SP.
He then played for São Paulo's youth teams from 2005 to 2009 but could not become professional, so he left the club and unsuccessfully tried to join rivals Santos and Palmeiras before returning to América.
In 2011, when he was prepared to give up on football, he was discovered by a Japanese university that was playing in Birigui, Brazil. Almost aged 17, he moved to Japan that year to enroll in Chiba Kokusai High School in Kimitsu, where he played for three years.
After his graduation, Caio Lucas joined the J1 League club, the Kashima Antlers in 2014. In his first professional season, under the coaching of Toninho Cerezo, Caio scored eight goals as Kashima Antlers qualified for the AFC Champions League. Moreover, he was named J. League's Young Player of the Year in 2014 and won the 2016 J1 League and 2015 J.League Cup.
In 2019, following a three-year spell with Emirati club Al Ain, with whom he reached the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup Final, Caio signed a four-year contract with Portuguese club Benfica.
On 23 January 2020, Sharjah signed Caio Lucas from Benfica on loan for 18 months.
International career Born in Brazil, Caio Lucas became a naturalized Emirati and was called up to the United Arab Emirates national team for the first time by manager Paulo Bento in March 2025 for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. He made his debut for the UAE in a 2–0 loss to Iran on 20 March.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsKashima Antlers2014J1 League3081160——3792015J1 League3210004260—42122016J1 League1650051——216Total78231115360—10027Al Ain2016–17UAE Pro League2412205162—37152017–18UAE Pro League1953354103—38152018–19UAE Pro League2271167715241182019–20UAE Pro League———30—30Total65246416122665211848Benfica2019–20Primeira Liga4120203000111Sharjah2019–20UAE Pro League262210062—3452020–21UAE Pro League216312051—3182021–22UAE Pro League20145341721037202022–23UAE Pro League2294241—1031122023–24UAE Pro League22112120821035142024–25UAE Pro League23124434125004225Total13454201215638123021084Career total28110229174821731882439160
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsUnited Arab Emirates2025123Total123
United Arab Emirates score listed first, score column indicates score after each Caio Lucas goal
+ List of international goals scored by Caio LucasNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition111 October 2025Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar42–12–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification218 November 2025Basra International Stadium, Basra, Iraq71–01–22026 FIFA World Cup qualification36 December 2025Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar91–12025 FIFA Arab Cup
Honours Kashima Antlers J1 League: 2016 J.League Cup: 2015
Al Ain UAE Pro League: 2017–18 UAE President's Cup: 2017–18 FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2018
Sharjah UAE President's Cup: 2021–22, 2022–23 UAE League Cup: 2022–23 UAE Super Cup: 2022, 2025 AFC Champions League Two: 2024–25 Qatar-UAE Super Cup: 2026
Individual J.League Rookie of the Year: 2014 FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2018 AFC Champions League Two Most Valuable Player: 2024–25
References
External links