Stéfano Yuri


Stéfano Yuri Gonçalves Almeida, known as Stéfano Yuri, is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a striker.

Career

Born in Vazante, Minas Gerais, Stéfano Yuri was named after Alfredo Di Stéfano, and joined Santos FC's youth setup in March 2012, after starting his youth career with Uberlândia EC in 2009, aged 15. He soon earned plaudits for his performances with the under-20s, being the club's top goalscorer in 2014 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior with nine goals.
On 29 January 2014 Stéfano Yuri made his first-team debut, coming on as a second-half substitute for Gabriel in a 5–1 home routing over Corinthians for the Campeonato Paulista championship. On 6 February he scored his first professional goal, netting the winner in a 2–1 away success over Linense.
Stéfano Yuri also scored the winner in a 3–2 home win against Penapolense on 30 March 2014, granting his team's qualification to the finals of Paulistão. He made his Série A debut on 26 April, again replacing Gabriel in 0–0 draw at Coritiba.
On 20 January 2015 Stéfano Yuri was loaned to Série B's Náutico. He only appeared in four league matches during the campaign, after struggling with injuries.
On 22 January 2016, Stéfano Yuri joined Botafogo-SP, on loan until the end of the year's Paulistão. Upon returning, he was assigned to the B-team, and on 23 March of the following year, he joined Vila Nova also in a temporary deal.
On 23 February 2018, after spending a period training with the main squad, Stéfano Yuri was loaned to São Caetano for two months. His loan was later extended until 31 August, when his contract with Santos expired; subsequently, he signed for Azulão permanently, but was unable to play due to a serious knee injury.
Sidelined in the entire 2019 season due to another knee injuries, Stéfano Yuri moved abroad for the first time in his career in 2020, joining Thai side Muangkan United. He later moved to Pattani in the same country, but only featured rarely after having an Achilles tendon rupture.
Back to Brazil for the recovery, Stéfano Yuri was announced at Goiânia on 9 December 2022, but other injuries prevented him to play in that campaign. He moved to Jataiense on 17 January 2024, but again featured rarely and signed for URT in April.
On 6 December 2024, Samambaia announced the signing of Stéfano Yuri for the ensuing season. He only played three matches before leaving the club, and subsequently became a youth coach in his home state before officially announcing his retirement at the age of 31.

Honours

;Santos