“João impressed us mainly in tough international matches. He’s a fast, technically gifted, and very active attacking player. He can play in wide areas as well as between the lines. He brings value to the team both in combination play and in one-on-one situations thanks to his strong dribbling,” says Tomáš Rosický, the Sporting Director of AC Sparta Praha.
From one suburb of Lima to another, young Joao moved several times during his childhood before eventually settling at Sporting Cristal. At one of the traditional giants of Peruvian football, he made his senior debut at just seventeen years of age. Thanks to that early start, he can also boast the title of Peruvian champion, which Sporting Cristal won in 2020.
On the South American continent, Grimaldo continued to gain experience not only in his home country, but also in the Copa Libertadores and in matches for the Peruvian national team, for whom he made his debut in September 2023 against Brazil. He also featured in World Cup qualification and was named in Peru’s squad for the Copa América in June 2024.
It was after this tournament that the time came for the then 21-year-old winger to move to European football. He was claimed by Partizan Belgrade, for whom he eventually made ten appearances across all competitions. However, he did not receive more significant opportunities and therefore moved on loan to Riga.
Under Slovak coach Adrian Guľa, Grimaldo featured in 36 competitive matches, recording five goals and ten assists. With Riga, he was also able to celebrate victory in the Latvian top flight. However, progression to the league phase of European competition narrowly escaped him – as we know well – at the expense of Sparta. In both head-to-head matches, the Peruvian international started in the starting lineup.
Joao, we are looking forward to your performances in the most beautiful jersey of all!
.JPG?width=-&height=336&quality=75)
