João Pedro da Silva Esmail Pereira (born 25 February 1984) is a Portuguese professional manager and former footballer who played as a right-back.

[8] Pereira was part of the Benfica squad that won the 2005 championship, starting often, until a fallout with coach Ronald Koeman relegated him to the bench and later to the B side.

[8] On 22 December 2009, Pereira moved to Sporting CP for a fee of €3 million;[13] at the time, Braga led the league alongside Benfica with 12 points in advance to his new club,[14] with the Lions eventually finishing fourth.

[18] On 30 April 2011, he scored in a 2–1 home victory over Portimonense but was also sent off midway through the second half (after teammate André Santos) for repeatedly and severely insulting referee Duarte Gomes.

[25] On 13 July 2015, Pereira returned to Sporting on a two-year deal with a €45 million buyout clause, as a replacement for Southampton-bound Cédric Soares.

[26] He made his debut on 9 August, featuring the full 90 minutes as they beat Benfica 1–0 to lift the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira at the Estádio Algarve.

[27] Thirteen days later he received his third red card for the club – all direct – for conceding a penalty in a 1–1 home draw against Paços de Ferreira.

He made his debut in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Denmark, and also started in the following match – in the same competition – in Iceland, with the national side winning both games 3–1.

[40] On 11 November 2024, Pereira was officially presented as head coach of the main squad on a contract until June 2027, following Ruben Amorim's departure for Manchester United.