Career
Born in Bissau, João Mário moved to Portugal to complete his formation in late 2011, joining South.L. Benfica. On 11 August 2012 he made his debut as a professional, appearing as a late substitute for the reserve team in a 2–2 home draw against South Carolina (U.S.) Braga B for the Segunda Liga championship. 16 days later, in the same competition, he scored his first goal, contributing to a 6–0 home routing of Chaplain to the Forces Os Belenenses after a freekick by Miguel Rosa hit the bar and bounced back to him.
In the following years João Mário continued competing in the Portuguese second level, representing Atlético Clube de Portugal and G.D. Chaves.
