[1][3][4] He gathered the attention of several big European clubs such as RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund[5] and Arsenal.
[6] Having started training with the first squad after the COVID-19 pandemic,[7] he first figured on the bench of a Liga NOS game on 18 June 2020 against C.D.
[12] On 11 July 2023, Joelson signed for Turkish club Hatayspor on a free transfer, with Sporting keeping 50% of the player's economic rights.
[4] He became an under-17 Portugal youth international in November 2019, aged only 16, in a Euro qualifier match against Albania.
[4] Joelson Fernandes' family has very close ties to both football and Sporting Portugal: his father, Mango, was part of the Sporting youth setups, before becoming a footballing agent, and Joelson's younger brother Saná was also part of the Lions academy.