Joao Virginia is hoping to continue his love affair with Everton after an “amazing” 18 months in which he fulfilled his dream of playing in front of Blues supporters.
A popular figure at Finch Farm, he is central to the goalkeeping unit that has inspired Jordan Pickford to the form that has saved the club from relegation. He has also emerged as an able deputy who has produced a series of good displays for the first team.
With just months left on his current deal, his ambition is now to earn a new contract so he can be part of the squad that makes the transition to the stunning new stadium, revealing: “I love the club, I love everything around it.”
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Eighteen months ago, Virginia was unsure about his future at Everton. Signed from Arsenal back in 2018, he was initially part of the double-winning Under-23s side that clinched Premier League 2 and the Premier League Cup. He then made his first team debut in 2020, keeping a clean sheet in a Carabao Cup win over Salford City before replacing the injured Pickford against Burnley in a Premier League encounter then starting the FA Cup tie with Manchester City days later.
But a series of loan spells then followed, Virginia heading out to Reading, Sporting - where he earned Champions League exposure - and then SC Cambuur in the Netherlands. The latter was a turbulent spell in which he impressed in a struggling side but was a casualty of a change in management.
When he returned to Merseyside in the summer of 2024, the club then under Sean Dyche, it felt like make or break for a player who won honours at two different age groups with Portugal. Speaking to the ECHO that June, he said: “I want to show myself and prove myself to the new staff and the new manager because I have been away for so long.”
At the time, Virginia’s ambition was to play in front of Everton supporters - his first team appearances for the club had been made in the empty stadiums of the pandemic.
Last season, after signing an extension in pre-season, he achieved that dream when Dyche started him in the FA Cup ties against Crystal Palace and Luton Town. On the first occasion, the third round tie under the lights of Selhurst Park and in treacherous conditions, he excelled despite only finding out he would be playing hours before kick-off.
Reflecting on a big day in his career, Virginia said: “I found out in the morning I was playing. I was working hard at the time to get on the teamsheet and I was happy when the manager picked me for that game. I went into it with confidence - I felt good. We struggled because we had the red card in the second half. I was called up into some action and we got the draw and we took the game to Goodison.”
‘Some action’ was an understatement by Virginia. A controversial red card to Dominic Calvert-Lewin - one that was later overturned - led to Palace putting pressure on the visitors in the final stages. The highlight for the goalkeeper was a full-stretch fingertip save to deny Eberechi Eze late in the game and keep Everton in the cup.
When Palace travelled north for the replay, Virginia again started and he kept another clean sheet as Andre Gomes sealed a narrow win with a free-kick, denying Tyrick Mitchell with a reflex stop before keeping out Jeffrey Schlupp with a stunning reaction save to help his side hold on to the win.
Smiling as he recalls a game that significantly enhanced his reputation, he said: “Before a game you always feel anxious, but once you're there at the stadium you get confident and you forget about it and you just focus on your job.
“There was a little rush through my body [when he walked out to Z-Cars]. It's a great feeling, really. I think I've read somewhere that footballers get this adrenaline rush when they play football, and that's exactly what you feel when you walk onto the pitch and you hear Z-Cars and everyone shouting at you. There's nothing to replace it for sure.
“And I think that I had an even better game in that one [than the first tie]. That was my first game at Goodison with the full crowd and it was like a dream debut with the crowd there. It was a moment that I will remember forever.”
Virginia had been able to turn to Pickford and club captain Seamus Coleman in preparation for that appearance. Once it was over, he felt he had earned the trust of the dressing room - something he is confident he has retained even with the change in the dugout this season.
He said: “You want to have the confidence of your manager. And I think for a goalkeeper, that's really, really important. I felt that the team trusted me [after that] and they all still trust me. It's a good place to be at. It is hard that I don't play as much as I want to but to have the confidence from everyone around you, it's definitely good and motivates you.”
Virginia went on to start again at Goodison when Everton lost to Luton in the fourth round. This season, he started against Southampton in the Carabao Cup and Peterborough United in the FA Cup, keeping another clean sheet in the latter.
Each game provided another jolt of confidence for Virginia, who is one of the club’s longest serving players yet is only 25.
They have also been experiences that have allowed him to live out that dream of playing in front of Blues. Comparing that to the quiet of the lockdown games, he said: “It's such a big difference. Without the crowd, everything is silent, everything is quiet, you can hear everyone shouting at each other. The game is a bit slower, I don't know why, I think it is because the emotions are not there as much, the adrenaline is not there because of the noise. It is hard to compare, I think it's much better when we have our supporters, for sure.”
Virginia said he has an affinity for Blues - one that seems to be mutual, with a recent ECHO poll finding eight in every 10 supporters polled wanted him to stay beyond the end of his current contract. That is due to expire in the summer but the club does have an option to trigger a 12 month extension.
Virginia would love greater opportunities to play but feels like a big part of the success of the team’s defensive heroics given his role behind the scenes. He said: “Jordan has been brilliant the last couple of years, he's been one of the best keepers in the league and that's something great to see because I work so closely with him, day to day, to push him to be at his best.
“We have an amazing goalkeeping group. Last year with Andy Lonergan and this year with Asmir [Begovic], plus the two of us. We go out in training and we have great sessions and we push each other to the limit. We have a great team of defenders as well, everyone defends, everyone puts their body in front of the line.”
Having firmly established himself as Everton’s number two, Virginia’s next ambition is to secure his future at the club he has grown so fond of.
He said: “It's Everton that has to trigger the option. I'm hoping they do, to be fair, because I love the club, I love everything around it. I'm very settled on Merseyside. My priority would be playing more games, and if I can do that, Everton would be amazing.
“It is not an easy spot to be in, being a backup. It's something that weighs on your mind, it's tough, it gets you tired because ideally you want to be playing more and more, but it is the role I have here at the club and I feel good with it and I feel prepared when I'm called upon… I have had an amazing last couple of years here. I feel like I've really been part of the team. To play at Goodison with the full crowd was amazing. It is such an amazing stadium, with such an amazing atmosphere and I feel like I have a great connection with Everton's supporters. That's something I really cherish.”
