Orlando City SC has announced the acquisition of Brazilian 24-year-old midfielder Francisco Wellington Barbosa de Lisboa, “Robinho”, from Columbus Crew SC in exchange for $50,000 in Targeted Allocation Money.
Robinho has made 19 regular-season appearances, with 13 starts in 2019 MLS regular-season competition with Columbus. Robinho appeared in two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches for Columbus, starting in a win over Pittsburgh, while coming off the bench in the Round of 16 contest against Atlanta United.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Robinho to Orlando City. He is a player that is extremely energetic on the pitch and has the ability to create opportunities for players around him,” Orlando City SC EVP of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi said. “As we make our push for the playoffs this summer we feel as though Robinho is a great addition to our roster.”
Before joining MLS, the Brazilian midfielder played for Ceara SC of Brazil’s First Division in the second half of the 2018 campaign. Prior to appearing in Brazil’s First Division, Robinho competed for Santa Cruz Futebol Clube of Brazil’s Third Division.
While at Santa Cruz, Robinho made 37 appearances across all competitions, scoring eight goals. In addition to making 18 appearances in league play, Robinho also made 11 appearances, all starts, in the Campeonato Pernambucano, one appearance in the Copa do Brasil and eight appearances in the Copa do Nordeste.
Robinho began his career with Itapipoca Esporte Clube, where he made nine appearances. From 2014-2018, Robinho made 37 appearances for Ceara Sporting Club, while also featuring for other clubs. In total, Robinho has made 119 appearances across all competitions in Brazil.