Early career Born in
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau as the oldest child of Quinta Djata, a nurse, Pereira and his family moved to Portugal when he was five. He played his youth football with three clubs in the
Lisbon area, finishing his development with
Benfica. Benfica subsequently decided against signing Pereira to a professional contract, and Italian side
Parma acquired him on a
free transfer. He spent the second half of the 2010–11 season on loan to
Aris in Greece and, upon his return to the
Stadio Ennio Tardini, made his first appearance in
Serie A on 21 December 2011, coming on as a late
substitute in a 3–3 home draw against
Catania. Pereira was loaned again for
2012–13, spending the campaign with
Roda in the
Eredivisie and being first choice to help his team narrowly avoid relegation.
Marítimo On 1 August 2013, Pereira returned to Portugal, signing with
Marítimo. He made his
Primeira Liga debut 17 days later in a 2–1 home victory over his former club Benfica, and scored his first goal on 19 December in the 2–2 home draw with
Braga. He made 32 competitive appearances during
the season, helping his team to a sixth-place finish to narrowly miss out on
qualification for the
UEFA Europa League. Pereira played his last match for the
Madeirans on 29 May 2015 in
the final of the
Taça da Liga, lost 2–1 against Benfica.
Porto On 2 July 2015, Pereira agreed to a four-year contract with
Porto for a transfer fee of €4.5 million, the highest sale in Marítimo's history, with a
buyout clause of €40 million. He scored a career-best six goals – from 33 appearances – in his
first year, in a runner-up finish. In October 2016, he was named Porto's footballer of the year after winning the "Dragão de Ouro" award. Pereira was elected the Primeira Liga's midfielder of the month in September 2017, a feat he replicated in December. He suffered a calf injury during a League Cup game at
Sporting CP on 24 January 2018, going on to be sidelined for several months. In
the final of the
Taça de Portugal, on 25 May 2019 against Sporting, following a 2–2 draw after
extra time and despite Pereira converting his attempt, Porto lost the
penalty shootout 5–4. After the departure of
Héctor Herrera for
Atlético Madrid, he became the
captain. His team won the league title
that season, and he opened the scoring in the 2–0 home win over Sporting that sealed the crown on 15 July 2020.
Paris Saint-Germain On 5 October 2020, Pereira joined
Paris Saint-Germain on a one-year loan for a reported fee of €4 million with a conditional obligation to buy at the end of the season for €16 million. He made his debut 15 days later, in a 2–1 home loss against
Manchester United in the
group stage of the
UEFA Champions League. His
Ligue 1 bow was also that month, in the 4–0 rout of
Dijon also at the
Parc des Princes, where he featured as a
central defender. His first goal came in the reverse fixture against the latter adversary on 27 February 2021, when he headed in a cross from a corner (same score). PSG eventually
finished second to
Lille in the league. This triggered the obligation to make the move permanent, and Pereira therefore became linked to the club until 2025. On 6 February 2022, he scored a brace for the first time in his career to help his team to a 5–1 away win over Lille, and won his first league title
that campaign contributing five goals. On 22 August 2023, Pereira was elected vice-captain by his teammates.
Al-Ittihad Having fallen out of favour in PSG and having not featured in any of
Luis Enrique's matchday squads for the new season, on 2 September 2024 Pereira was signed by
Saudi Pro League club
Al-Ittihad for a reported fee of €5 million. He claimed the
double in his
first season, scoring two of his four goals in the
semi-finals of the
King's Cup to help the hosts come from behind 2–1 in injury time and defeat
Al Shabab 3–2. ==International career==