Having once been in the shadow of his eldest brother Giovani, Jonathan dos Santos has established himself as a professional footballer in both his home country of Mexico and his adopted country of Spain.
A graduate of Barcelona’s La Masia academy is now a Mexico international despite qualifying to represent Brazil and Spain. He currently plays in Major League Soccer club football for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
the biography
Jonathan dos Santos was born Jonathan dos Santos Ramírez to Liliana Ramírez and Geraldo Francisco dos Santos on April 26, 1990 in Monterrey, Mexico. His father being a professional footballer, Jonathan’s path seemed to have already been decided before he even learned to kick a ball.
He joined a local academy as a schoolboy, playing for them until he was scouted by FC Barcelona scouts. Jonathan was on the same team as his older brother Giovani when they traveled to France to compete in a youth tournament. They were approached by the famous La Masia scouts, who offered them trials at the Catalan club.
At 10, Jonathan seized the opportunity and never looked back. In 2008, he was named captain of Barcelona’s Juvenil A team. He was also offered a Spanish passport and European citizenship, which allowed him to play in the first team.
For the 2008-09 season, Jonathan was promoted to the FC Barcelona side by Luis Enrique who was then in charge. He was part of the second team where he continued to impress, catching the eye of his team manager Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola called Jonathan up to the senior team and gave him his senior team debut on October 28, 2009 in a Copa del Rey game against Cultural Leonesa. He replaced Seydou Keita in the 80th minute during the match. About a month later, he made his Champions League debut against Inter Milan as a 92nd-minute substitute for Andres Iniesta. His La Liga debut came at the end of the year, on January 2, 2010, in a game against Villareal.
Jonathan became a member of the senior team in the 2011-12 season which started with a good number of games in pre-season tournaments and some league games, which led to him signing a contract extension with the club . His run with the first team continued throughout this season, although not as often as he had hoped.
Rumors of a possible move to another Spanish club were muted the following campaign but Jonathan opted to stay back and fight for his place. The Jonathan dos Santos – Barcelona marriage ended in the summer of 2014, when he announced that he was joining Villarreal to play alongside his brother again.
Jonathan played for the Yellow Submarines from 2014 to 2017, making 125 appearances and scoring 7 goals before being sold again to LA Galaxy to be reunited with his brother Giovani.
National Career
Jonathan dos Santos made his international debut for the Mexican national team in 2009, even before playing his first game with his club FC Barcelona. The move was widely seen by the public as a ploy by the Mexican FA to tie down the future star and not let him feature in the Spanish national team in the future.
He has since made just 25 appearances for El Tricolor, with his only major tournament being the 2015 Gold Cup.
Jonathan dos Santos salary
According to information gathered by Jonathan Galaxy, Jonathan dos Santos earns between $2-3 million a year following his move to the United States from Spanish club Villarreal.
Family – Father, Brother
As mentioned above, Jonathan dos Santos’ father, nicknamed Zizinho, was a professional footballer from Brazil. He started his professional career in Mexico in 1980, before playing for the heavyweight club of the Mexican club, among others.
Two of his older brothers, Eder and Giovani, also played professional football. Eder, like his father, played for Club America before hanging up in 2009, while Giovani currently plays in Los Angeles for the Galaxy alongside Jonathan.
Is he gay?
Jonathan dos Santos has been accused of being gay after the relationship between him and Spanish influencer Marta Carriedo was called off. An unconfirmed source said Jonathan told his daughter he was bisexual, prompting her to call off their engagement.
The source added that Jonathan was in a relationship with his teammate Mateo Musacchio. Neither Musacchio nor Jonathan confirmed this story.
Height, weight, measurements and other facts
Birth name: Jonathan dos Santos Ramirez
Place of birth: Monterrey, Mexico
Date of birth: April 26, 1990
Height: 5 feet 8 inches (172 cm)
Weight: 74kg
Chest: Not available
Biceps: Not available
Size: Not available
Nationality: Mexico
Occupation: Footballer