Jovane Eduardo Borges Cabral (; born 14 June 1998) is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Grêmio and the Cape Verde national team.

Club career Sporting CP Born in Assomada, Sotavento Islands, Cabral joined Sporting CP's youth academy at the age of 16 from Grémio Nhagar. On 20 August 2016 he made his senior debut with the reserve side, coming on as a 61st-minute substitute in a 2–4 home loss against Fafe in the LigaPro. His first goal in the competition came on 19 March 2017, netting through a free kick in a 2–1 away victory over Leixões. Still that year, he helped the juniors win the national championship.

Cabral was called by first-team manager Jorge Jesus for the 2017 pre-season, but eventually returned to the B team. He made his competitive debut for the former on 12 October, replacing Mattheus Oliveira for the final 12 minutes of the 4–2 victory at Oleiros in the third round of the Taça de Portugal.

Cabral scored his first official goal for Sporting on 1 September 2018, his 88th-minute strike earning the hosts a 1–0 Primeira Liga home win against Feirense. On 3 December, in what was new manager Marcel Keizer's first match in charge, he netted through a 20-meter curl to close the score in a 3–1 defeat of Rio Ave at the Estádio dos Arcos; the goal was later named as the best of the season at the annual awards ceremony.

In June 2020, after the season resumed following the COVID-19 shutdown, Cabral scored four goals over three consecutive games. This concluded with two in a 3–1 win at B-SAD on 26 June, when he was replaced injured at half-time; he was named the league's Player of the Month.

On 19 January 2021, after having replaced fellow youth graduate Tiago Tomás late into the second half, Cabral scored twice to help his team come from behind and beat Porto 2–1 in the semi-finals of the Taça da Liga. One year later, he was loaned to Italian Serie A club Lazio with an option to buy. He made his debut for the latter on 17 February, playing ten minutes in the 2–1 away loss against Porto in the knockout play-offs of the UEFA Europa League. He totalled four games for the Romans, scoring in a 3–3 home draw with Hellas Verona on 21 May in the last fixture of the campaign.

Cabral was supposed to join Real Valladolid on loan in the January 2023 transfer window, but the deal fell through due to bureaucratic reasons. On 24 August, also on loan, he signed for one season with Italian top-flight Salernitana, with a buying option reported to be around €3.5 million.

On 1 February 2024, Cabral's loan was cancelled. Hours later, Sporting loaned him to Super League Greece club Olympiacos until the end of the campaign, with a reported €3 million buying option.

Estrela Amadora Cabral signed a two-year contract with Estrela da Amadora on 2 September 2024, for €800,000 and 90% of his sporting rights. In July 2026, having scored nine league goals as his team consecutively managed to remain in the top tier, he left.

Grêmio On 12 July 2026, Cabral joined Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Grêmio on a two-year deal.

International career Cabral won his first cap for Cape Verde on 28 March 2017, in a 2–0 friendly win over Luxembourg. However, in October 2018 he announced he was applying for Portuguese nationality and that he intended to represent its national team.

On 23 March 2022, five years after his debut, Cabral scored his first goal, in the 2–0 friendly defeat of Guadeloupe in Orléans, France. He was selected by Bubista for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Cabral was named in Cape Verde's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the country's first-ever participation in the tournament. He made his first appearance in the competition on 15 June, starting the 0–0 draw against Spain in Atlanta.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsSporting CP B2016–17LigaPro201————2012017–18LigaPro141————141Total34200000000342Sporting CP2018–19Primeira Liga182302072—3042019–20Primeira Liga166001030002062020–21Primeira Liga245112210—2882021–22Primeira Liga101211030111732022–23Primeira Liga40104010—100Total7214721021521110521Lazio (loan)2021–22Serie A3100—10—41Salernitana (loan)2023–24Serie A12111———132Olympiacos (loan)2023–24Super League Greece40——00—40Estrela Amadora2024–25Primeira Liga26200———2622025–26Primeira Liga27700———277Total53900———539Grêmio2026Série A6130—00—91Career total184281131021621122236

International

+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsCape Verde2017102022412023102024121202571202680Total333

Scores and results list Cape Verde's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cabral goal. + List of international goals scored by Jovane CabralNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 23 March 2022 Stade de la Source, Orléans, France 1–0 2–0 Friendly2 26 March 2024 Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1–0 1–0 Friendly3 4 September 2025 Côte d'Or National Sports Complex, Saint Pierre, Mauritius 1–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Sporting CP Primeira Liga: 2020–21 Taça de Portugal: 2018–19 Taça da Liga: 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2021

Individual Primeira Liga Goal of the Season: 2018–19

References

External links