Klauss (footballer)
João Klauss de Mello (born 1 March 1997), commonly known as Klauss, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Belgian First Division A club Sint-Truiden, on loan from 1899 Hoffenheim. In July 2022, Klauss will join St. Louis CITY SC.
 Klauss with LASK Linz in 2020 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | João Klauss de Mello | ||
| Date of birth | 1 March 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Criciúma, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team |
Sint-Truiden (on loan from 1899 Hoffenheim) | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2010 | Internacional | ||
| 2010–2011 | Juventude | ||
| 2011–2016 | Grêmio | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017– | Hoffenheim II | 24 | (5) |
| 2018 | → HJK Helsinki (loan) | 33 | (21) |
| 2019–2020 | → LASK (loan) | 42 | (15) |
| 2020– | 1899 Hoffenheim | 4 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → Standard Liège (loan) | 33 | (7) |
| 2022– | → Sint-Truiden (loan) | 8 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 April 2022 | |||
Early life
João Klauss de Mello was born in Criciúma, Santa Catarina. He began his career with Internacional in Porto Alegre, joining the club at the age of 9. Klauss moved with his mother to Porte Alegre after his parents separated. Both parents supported his football career from early on. At the age of 13, he was released from Internacional's youth program and moved to Juventude in Caxias do Sul. After a year he moved back to Porto Alegre and joined the Grêmio's youth academy.[1]
Club career
Klauss signed for his first European club in January 2017 when he moved to Hoffenheim in Germany. He initially struggled with the cultural change. He played 17 matches and scored 4 goals for Hoffenheim II in the Regionalliga Südwest. He was loaned to HJK in March 2018.[2] On 8 April, he scored in his debut in the Veikkausliiga against Ilves.
On 8 January 2019, Klauss was loaned out to LASK until 30 June 2020.[3]
On 31 January 2022, Klauss joined Sint-Truiden on loan.[4]
On 3 March 2022, it was announced that Klauss would join Major League Soccer side St. Louis CITY SC in July 2022 following the conclusion of his loan at Sint-Truiden. He would become the club's first ever designated player.[5]
Personal life
Born in Brazil, Klauss is of German descent through his father, and Italian descent through his mother. He holds an Italian passport.[6][7]
Career statistics
- As of match played 9 April 2021[8]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II | 2016-17 | Regionalliga | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 7 | 1 | ||
| 2017-18 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 | ||
| HJK (loan) | 2018 | Veikkausliiga | 33 | 21 | 3 | 2 | – | 6 | 1 | 42 | 24 | |
| Total | 33 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 42 | 24 | ||
| LASK (Loan) | 2018-19 | Austrian Bundesliga | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 16 | 4 | ||
| 2019-20 | 28 | 12 | 4 | 3 | – | 13 | 5 | 45 | 20 | |||
| Total | 42 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 61 | 24 | ||
| TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II | 2020–21 | Regionalliga | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 1 | ||
| Total | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | ||
| TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | 2020-21 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Standard Liège (loan) | 2020-21 | Belgian First Division A | 12 | 4 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 16 | 5 | ||
| Total | 12 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 5 | ||
| Career Total | 118 | 46 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 6 | 156 | 59 | ||
References
- "HJK:n uusi hyökkääjä valitsi jalkapallouran 10-vuotiaana ja juoksi suurkaupungissa ahdistelijoitaan karkuun: "Ajattelin koko ajan, että minusta tulee ammattijalkapalloilija"". Helsingin Sanomat. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- "KLAUSS DE MELLO ON HJK:N UUSI HYÖKKÄÄJÄ". HJK.fi. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- VERSTÄRKUNG FÜR DEN LASK!, lask.at, 8 January 2019
- "JOÃO KLAUSS IS EEN KANARIE!" (Press release) (in Dutch). Sint-Truiden. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- "St. Louis CITY SC Signs Forward João Klauss as Designated Player | St. Louis SC".
- "Verstärkung für den LASK!". January 8, 2019.
- "Klauss will beim LASK nicht nur Deutsch lernen". nachrichten.at.
- Klauss at Soccerway