João Ananias

Club

Santos

Position

Defender

Nationality

Brazil

Date of birth

2007-02-12

Birthplace

São Paulo, Brazil

Height

1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)

João Paulo Ananias Bento (born 12 February 2007) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a centre-back for Santos.

Career
Born in São Mateus, a district of São Paulo, but raised in Mauá, Ananias joined Santos' youth setup in 2018, aged ten. On 28 September 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club, agreeing to a deal until August 2026.

Ananias began to play with the under-20 team in 2024, and further extended his link until June 2030 on 15 August 2025. On 16 November, he scored twice in the second leg of the 2025 Campeonato Paulista Sub-20 finals, to help the club to lift the trophy on penalties.

In April 2026, Ananias was definitely promoted to the first team by head coach Cuca. He made his professional – and Série A – debut on the 25th of that month, starting in a 2–2 away draw against Bahia.

International career
On 13 March 2026, Ananias and other two Santos teammates were called up to the Brazil national under-20 team for two friendlies against Paraguay. He was a start in both matches, both 3–1 wins.