Kristopher Santos Da Graca (born 16 January 1998) is a footballer who plays as a centre back for Sirius.[1] Born in Sweden, he plays for the Cape Verde national team.

Kristopher Da Graca
Personal information
Full name Kristopher Santos Da Graca
Date of birth (1998-01-16) 16 January 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Gothenburg, Sweden
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
Sirius
Youth career
0000–2013 Hisingsbacka FC
2013–2017 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2020 IFK Göteborg 51 (0)
2021–2022 VVV-Venlo 35 (0)
2022– Sirius 30 (0)
2023HJK (loan) 5 (0)
2024KuPS (loan) 11 (0)
International career
2013–2014 Sweden U17 4 (1)
2015–2016 Sweden U19 3 (0)
2020 Sweden 1 (0)
2023– Cape Verde 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 October 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:24, 19 October 2023 (UTC)

Club career

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On 6 January 2021, Da Graca was transferred from Swedish side IFK Göteborg to Dutch club VVV-Venlo.[2]

On 29 January 2022, Da Graca returned to Sweden and signed with IK Sirius.[3]

On 27 July 2023, Da Graca was loaned out to Finnish club HJK Helsinki for the rest of the 2023 season with a purchase option. After the season, he returned to Sirius.[4][5] On 1 March 2024, Da Graca was loaned out to Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) in Veikkausliiga for the 2024 season, with a purchase option.[6]

International career

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Da Graca was born in Sweden to parents from Cape Verde.[7] He was a youth international for Sweden. In January 2020, he was selected for the Swedish national a-team's international training matches in Doha, Qatar against Moldova and Kosovo by head coach, Janne Andersson. He is still eligible to represent Cape Verde due to his heritage.

He made his international debut for the Sweden national team on 12 January 2020 in a friendly game against Kosovo.[8]

On 4 October 2023, Da Graca got a call-up to Cape Verde national team for friendly matches against Algeria and Comoros, on 12 and 17 October 2023, respectively.[9] On 17 October, he debuted with the Cape Verdean national side and was included in the starting lineup in a friendly match against Comoros hosted at Stade Parsemain in Fos-sur-Mer, France. His side lost the match 2–1.[10]

Career statistics

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As of 23 October 2024.
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
IFK Göteborg 2017 Allsvenskan 7 0 1 0 8 0
2018 Allsvenskan 4 0 0 0 4 0
2019 Allsvenskan 22 0 2 0 24 0
2020 Allsvenskan 18 0 0 0 0 0 18 0
Total 51 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 54 0
VVV-Venlo 2020–21 Eredivisie 20 0 2 0 22 0
2021–22 Eerste Divisie 15 0 1 0 16 0
Total 35 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 38 0
Sirius 2022 Allsvenskan 22 0 1 0 23 0
2023 Allsvenskan 8 0 2 0 10 0
Total 30 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 33 0
HJK Helsinki (loan) 2023 Veikkausliiga 5 0 0 0 0 0 4[c] 0 9 0
KuPS (loan) 2024 Veikkausliiga 11 0 4 0 2 0 1[d] 0 18 0
KuPS Akatemia (loan) 2024 Ykkönen 1 0 1 0
Career total 133 0 13 0 2 0 5 0 153 0
  1. ^ Includes Svenska Cupen, KNVB Beker and Suomen Cup
  2. ^ Includes Finnish League Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League
  4. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Conference League

Honours

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HJK

KuPS

References

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  1. ^ Kristopher Da Graca at Soccerway
  2. ^ "VVV-Venlo sign Swedish centre-back with Arsenal past". Football Oranje. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Kristopher Da Graca klar för Sirius Fotboll" (Press release) (in Swedish). IK Sirius. 29 January 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  4. ^ Kristopher Da Graca Ruotsista lainalle Klubiin, hjk.fi, 26 July 2023
  5. ^ Pelaajasiirrot 2023-24 seuroittain, Veikkausliiga, 15 December 2023
  6. ^ KuPSille kova vahvistus – tervetuloa Kuopioon Da Graca!, kups.fi, 1 March 2024
  7. ^ "Kristopher da Graça o filho de cabo-verdiano que joga no Arsenal - DTudo1Pouco". dtudo1pouco.com. 8 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Kristopher Da Graca — svenskfotboll.se". www2.svenskfotboll.se. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Seleção Masculina defronta Argelia e Comores em compromisso amigável". 4 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Cape Verde vs. Comoros 2023-10-17". NationalFootballTeams.com. 18 November 2023.
  11. ^ Kuopio villiintyi KuPSin mestaruudesta – Eini ilmestyi juhlahumuun, Yle, 19 October 2024
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