| Kaio Jorge | |
| Full Name: | Kaio Jorge Pinto Ramos[1] |
| Birth Date: | 24 January 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil |
| Height: | 1.82 m |
| Position: | Striker |
| Currentclub: | Cruzeiro |
| Clubnumber: | 9 |
| Youthyears1: | 2013–2018 |
| Youthclubs1: | Santos |
| Years1: | 2018–2021 |
| Clubs1: | Santos |
| Caps1: | 60 |
| Goals1: | 8 |
| Years2: | 2021–2024 |
| Clubs2: | Juventus |
| Caps2: | 9 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs3: | Juventus U23 |
| Caps3: | 2 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Years4: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs4: | → Frosinone (loan) |
| Caps4: | 20 |
| Goals4: | 3 |
| Years5: | 2024– |
| Clubs5: | Cruzeiro |
| Caps5: | 3 |
| Goals5: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2017 |
| Nationalteam1: | Brazil U15 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 4 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam2: | Brazil U17 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 11 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 7 |
| Pcupdate: | 16:48, 11 June 2024 (UTC) |
Kaio Jorge Pinto Ramos (born 24 January 2002), known as Kaio Jorge (pronounced as /pt-BR/) or simply Kaio, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro.
Born in Olinda, Pernambuco, Kaio joined Santos' under-11s in 2013. In November 2017, aged only 15, he was promoted to the under-20 squad.[2]
On 21 September 2018, Kaio was promoted to the first-team by manager Cuca.[3] He made his professional – and Série A – debut nine days later, coming on as a second-half substitute for Bruno Henrique in a 1–0 home defeat of Atlético Paranaense,[4] becoming the sixth youngest to debut in Santos' history.[5]
On 11 January 2019, after lengthy negotiations, Kaio signed his first professional contract with the club, agreeing to a three-year deal.[6] He scored his first goal for Peixe on 3 March of the following year, netting his team's second in a 2–1 Copa Libertadores away win against Defensa y Justicia; it was also his debut match in the competition.[7]
On 26 July 2021, Kaio reportedly agreed to a pre-contract with Italian side Juventus, effective as of 1 January.[8] On 2 August, Santos announced an agreement with Juventus for his immediate transfer,[9] with the Italian side paying a rumoured fee of €3 million.[10] Juventus officially announced Kaio's transfer on 17 August, signing him on a five-year contract.[11]
On 23 August, Kaio suffered a medium-grade injury to the rectus femoris.[12] On 1 September, Kaio was excluded from Juventus' 23-man squad for the UEFA Champions League group stage.[13] He played his first match since this injury (and the first one for Juventus) on 2 October, in a 1–0 away win against cross-city rivals Torino, coming on as substitute in the 89th minute.[14]
On 20 October, Kaio played a match with Juventus U23 — the reserve team of Juventus — in a 2–2 Serie C away draw against AlbinoLeffe, where he missed a penalty and scored a goal.[15] In January 2022, Kaio refused a loan move to Sassuolo.[16] On 2 February, Juventus' coach Massimiliano Allegri did not include Kaio in the UEFA Champions League knock-out stage squad.[17] Kaio was called up by Juventus U23 again on 22 February, for a match against Pro Patria set to be played the following day,[18] where he injured his patellar tendon.[19] He ended the 2021–22 season early, having only played 125 minutes in nine matches with the first team (none as a starter).
On 29 August 2023, Kaio joined newly promoted side Frosinone on a season-long loan.[20]
On 6 June 2024, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro announced an verbal agreement with Juventus and Kaio Jorge's staff for the transfer of the player.[21] The deal was officially confirmed five days later after the completion of the medical exams, with Kaio Jorge signing a five-year contract with the club.[22]
Kaio was called up to the Brazil U15 team for the 2017 South American U-15 Championship, scoring four goals in three matches during the tournament.[2] On 21 September 2018, he was called up to the U17 team for a friendly tournament in Nantwich and Telford, England.[23]
On 20 September 2019, Kaio was included in Guilherme Dalla Déa's 21-man list for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[24] He scored five goals in the competition, including one in the final (a 2–1 defeat of Mexico),[25] and was awarded the Bronze Boot.
Kaio's father Jorge Ramos was also a footballer and a forward who notably represented Chaves and Gama.[26]
| Club | Season | League | State league | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Santos | 2018 | Série A | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2019 | Série A | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | Série A | 28 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 48 | 9 | ||
| 2021 | Série A | 10 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 28 | 8 | ||
| Total | 42 | 5 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 8 | 84 | 17 | |||
| Juventus | 2021–22 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Juventus U23 | 2021–22 | Serie C | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Frosinone (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie A | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 65 | 9 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 8 | 111 | 21 | |||
Brazil U17
Individual