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Esmaël Gonçalves

Esmaël Gonçalves
Personal information
Full name Esmaël Ruti Tavares Cruz
da Silva Gonçalves
Date of birth (1991-06-25) 25 June 1991 (age 25)
Place of birth Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Striker / Winger
Club information
Current team
Heart of Midlothian
Number 77
Youth career
2005–2008 Boavista
2008–2011 Nice
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Nice 18 (2)
2012–2015 Rio Ave 21 (1)
2013 St Mirren (loan) 12 (3)
2013–2014 APOEL (loan) 10 (3)
2014 Veria (loan) 15 (2)
2015 Anorthosis Famagusta (loan) 14 (8)
2015 Ettifaq FC 2 (1)
2016–2017 Anorthosis Famagusta 33 (9)
2017– Heart of Midlothian 9 (4)
National team
2007–2008 Portugal U17 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 8 April 2017.

Esmaël Ruti Tavares Cruz da Silva Gonçalves (born 25 June 1991), known as Esmaël Gonçalves or "Isma", is an Portuguese footballer who plays as a striker/winger for Heart of Midlothian.

Gonçalves was born in Bissau, the capital city of Guinea-Bissau, but moved to Portugal with his family at the age of three. He began his football career with Boavista. Since leaving Boavista, Gonçalves claims the club never paid him his wages, which he described this as "very hard". Gonçalves spent three years at the club before venturing to France to sign with Nice after being invited to trial at the club. Prior to signing with the club, he drew interest from English club Liverpool. Gonçalves spent two years in Nice's youth academy before earning promotion to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur 2 for the 2010–11 season. Following a successful first half at reserve level, he was called up to the senior team in January 2011 and made his professional debut in a 2–0 defeat to Bordeaux appearing as a substitute. That was his only senior team appearance of the campaign.

On 30 June 2011, Gonçalves signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal until 2014. He was officially promoted to the senior team by manager Éric Roy and assigned the number 24 shirt for the 2011–12 season. Gonçalves made his season debut on 14 August appearing as a substitute in a 1–0 loss to Evian. Two weeks later, he made another appearance from the bench in a 0–0 draw with Brest. His most famous moment with the French side came in a famous 4–3 away win v Olympique Lyonais, where'Isma' netted the winner.


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