After a successful loan at Paços de Ferreira, he spent three years in Spain with as many teams, totalling 74 games and 12 goals in La Liga. He then spent eight seasons for Benfica, making 360 appearances, scoring 93 goals and winning ten domestic honours including four Primeira Liga titles, three of which consecutively.
Born in Bragança, Pizzi earned his nickname from playing as a child in a replica Barcelona jersey when Juan Antonio Pizzi was the Spanish club's striker.[3] He began his career with hometown club Braganca in the third tier in 2007. A year later, he joined Primeira Liga club Braga, spending most of his time out on loan and making his first professional appearances with Covilhã of the Segunda Liga in 2009. On 10 January 2010, he joined top-flight club Paços de Ferreira.[4]
In 2010–11, Pizzi scored seven league goals for Paços, only missing three league matches. On 8 May 2011, he netted a hat-trick in a 3–3 draw at Porto, which turned out to be the only home league game that the eventual champions failed to win during the season.[5] He scored twice on 3 March in a 4–3 win at Nacional to qualify the team for the 2011 Taça da Liga Final.[6]
Spain
Pizzi celebrating a goal against rivals Celta Vigo in October 2012
On 30 August 2011, Pizzi moved to Spanish team Atlético Madrid, on loan until the end of the year, after which the Colchoneros had an option to buy the player permanently for €13.5 million,[7][8] which they did in October of the following year.[9][10] He made his La Liga debut on 18 September 2011, replacing also newly signed Radamel Falcao midway through the second half of a 4–0 home win against Racing de Santander.[11] He scored his only Atlético goal to open a 3–2 win over Levante also at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on 20 November,[12] totalling 15 appearances of which three were in the victorious UEFA Europa Leaguecampaign.
Along with several compatriots, initially still under contract with Braga, Pizzi moved to Deportivo de La Coruña for the 2012–13 campaign. In only his second appearance, through a penalty kick, he helped the Galicians come back from 1–3 at Valencia for a final 3–3 draw, scoring his team's last goal;[13] he added a brace against Barcelona on 20 October 2012 – one of the goals coming through a free kick – but his team lost 4–5 at the Riazor Stadium.[14]
On 26 July 2013, Pizzi signed a six-year contract with Benfica, for a fee of €6 million for half of his economic rights,[15] being immediately loaned to Espanyol also in Spain's top flight.[16][17]
Benfica
In the 2014–15 season, Pizzi joined Portuguese champions Benfica and was converted from winger to central midfielder, like his predecessor Enzo Pérez. On 5 October 2014, Pizzi debuted in a 4–0 win against Arouca in Primeira Liga.[18][19] On 14 January 2015, Pizzi scored his first goal for Benfica, from a penalty kick, in another 4–0 home win against Arouca, this time in the third round of league cup.[20] On 28 February, Pizzi scored his first goal for Benfica in the league, in the thrashing of Estoril (6–0).[21]
Pizzi scored 12 times in 48 games over the 2016–17 season as Benfica won a domestic double. He was voted Player of the Month consecutively from October/November to December,[22] and eventually Player of the Season at the LPFP Awards.[23]
On 10 August 2018, Pizzi scored a first-half hat-trick in a 3–2 home win over Vitória de Guimarães in the opening (league) match of the 2018–19 season,[26] and was again voted Player of the Month for August 2018.[27] He scored 15 goals and made 23 assists in 55 matches overall that season as Benfica regained the league title, and at its conclusion he signed a new contract until 2023.[28]
On 16 December 2020, Pizzi made his 300th Benfica appearance in a penalty shootout win over Vitória de Guimarães in the league cup quarter-finals; he scored a late spot-kick to draw the game 1–1.[32] The following 23 November, he reached 350 games when he came on as a substitute in a goalless draw at Barcelona in the Champions League group stage; he was used more often from the bench in the 2021–22 season.[33]
On 8 February 2022, after a controversial discussion and conflict with manager Jorge Jesus, Pizzi was loaned to İstanbul Başakşehir until the end of the Turkish Süper Ligseason.[34] He scored his only goal on his debut four days later, opening a 2–0 home win over Gaziantep.[35]
Al Wahda
In the summer of 2022, Pizzi was not in the plans of new Benfica manager Roger Schmidt and was courted by several Middle Eastern clubs; he signed for Al Wahda of the UAE Pro League under compatriot manager Carlos Carvalhal as they offered him a two-year contract worth a net amount of €2 million per year.[36]
Braga
On 30 January 2023, Pizzi returned to Portugal's top flight, having rescinded his contract with Al Wahda to join Braga on an 18-month deal.[37] He scored his first goal on 8 April in a 4–1 home win over Estoril, nearly 16 years after first joining the club and 12 years after his first professional appearance for them;[38] four days later he scored and assisted Simon Banza in a 5–0 win at Nacional in the first leg of the Taça de Portugal semi-final.[39]
^"Pizzi jugará en el Benfica" [Pizzi will play in Benfica]. Atlético Madrid (in Spanish). 26 July 2013. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
^"Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF). CMVM (in Portuguese). 31 July 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
^"Pizzi i Sidnei, nous reforços" [Pizzi and Sidnei, new signings]. RCD Espanyol (in Catalan). 29 July 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
^ ab"Pizzi vence prémio de jogador do mês" [Pizzi wins best player of the month award]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 17 September 2018. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
