Esmaël Gonçalves facts for kids
Gonçalves with Esteghlal in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Esmaël Ruti Tavares Cruz da Silva Gonçalves |
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| Date of birth | 25 June 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Bissau, Guinea-Bissau | ||
| Height | 1.84 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker, winger | ||
| Number | none | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2008 | Boavista | ||
| 2008–2011 | Nice | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2011–2012 | Nice | 18 | (2) |
| 2012–2015 | Rio Ave | 18 | (1) |
| 2013 | → St Mirren (loan) | 12 | (3) |
| 2013–2014 | → APOEL (loan) | 10 | (3) |
| 2014 | → Veria (loan) | 15 | (2) |
| 2015 | → Anorthosis Famagusta (loan) | 15 | (9) |
| 2015 | Al-Ettifaq | 0 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Anorthosis Famagusta | 33 | (9) |
| 2017–2018 | Heart of Midlothian | 35 | (13) |
| 2018 | Pakhtakor Tashkent | 21 | (16) |
| 2019 | Esteghlal | 13 | (3) |
| 2019–2020 | Matsumoto Yamaga | 9 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Chennaiyin | 16 | (4) |
| 2021–2022 | Sheikh Russel | 8 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | Livingston | 8 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Raith Rovers (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 2007–2008 | Portugal U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2018– | Guinea-Bissau | 1 | (0) |
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Esmaël Ruti Tavares Cruz da Silva Gonçalves (born on June 25, 1991), also known as Isma, is a talented footballer. He plays as a center forward (a player who scores goals) or a winger (a player who attacks from the sides). Esmaël was recently a free agent after leaving the Scottish club Livingston in September 2023. He also plays for the Guinea-Bissau national team.
Contents
Esmaël's Football Journey
Starting in Nice
Esmaël Gonçalves was born in Bissau, the capital city of Guinea-Bissau. When he was three years old, his family moved to Portugal. He started his football career at Boavista. After three years there, he moved to France to join Nice. He even had interest from the famous English club Liverpool before joining Nice.
Esmaël spent two years learning and growing in Nice's youth academy. Then, he moved up to the club's reserve team for the 2010–11 season. He did so well that he was called up to the main senior team in January 2011. He played his first professional game as a substitute against Bordeaux.
In June 2011, Esmaël signed his first professional contract with Nice, which was a three-year deal. He officially became part of the senior team and was given the number 24 shirt. During the 2011–12 season, he scored two goals. One of these was the winning goal in an exciting 4–3 victory against Lyon on the very last day of the season.
Moving to Rio Ave
On August 3, 2012, Nice announced that Esmaël would be moving back to Portugal. He joined Rio Ave, a club in the first division. Esmaël wanted to be closer to his family, which was a big reason for his move.
Loan to St Mirren
On January 22, 2013, Esmaël joined St Mirren, a club in the Scottish Premier League, on a loan deal. This meant he would play for them until the end of the 2012–13 season. He was very confident, even saying he could be "the next Drogba" (referring to famous footballer Didier Drogba).
Esmaël scored his first goal for St Mirren in his very first game! It was in the Scottish League Cup semi-final against Celtic. St Mirren won that game 3–2. A few days later, he played his first Scottish Premier League game and scored again. He also scored two goals in his first Scottish Cup game.
On March 17, 2013, Esmaël played in the Scottish League Cup final against Hearts. He scored a goal that helped St Mirren win the cup 3–2. This was their first major trophy since 1987! After scoring, he lifted his jersey to show a message for his friend, Fábio Faria, whose football career ended due to a heart condition.
Loan to APOEL
On July 3, 2013, Esmaël went on another loan, this time to APOEL, a team in Cyprus. He scored in his first game for APOEL in a Champions League qualifying match. He also scored in the UEFA Europa League group stage. In December, he scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against AEK Kouklia. His loan ended by mutual agreement on December 31.
In January 2014, Esmaël was loaned again, this time to Veria in Greece. He scored his first goal in the Superleague while playing for them.
Playing for Heart of Midlothian
After playing in Cyprus for Anorthosis, Esmaël joined Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian in January 2017. Hearts paid around £170,000 to sign him. He played his first game for Hearts in a 4–1 win against Rangers. Esmaël scored 15 goals in 42 games for Hearts. In January 2018, he was sold to Pakhtakor Tashkent for £350,000.
Adventures in Asia
Esmaël joined the Uzbek club Pakhtakor Tashkent in January 2018.
On January 26, 2019, he moved to Esteghlal in Iran, signing an 18-month contract. He wore the number 20 shirt. He made his debut on February 7 in a 4–0 win against Paykan. Amazingly, he scored his first goal for Esteghlal just two minutes after coming on as a substitute! On June 1, his contract with Esteghlal ended by agreement.
In September 2019, Esmaël signed with the Japanese club Matsumoto Yamaga. He made his debut for them in November.
On October 11, 2020, Esmaël joined Indian Super League club Chennaiyin FC. In his first game for Chennaiyin FC on November 24, he scored an important penalty kick, helping his team win 2–1 against Jamshedpur.
After that, Esmaël played for a season with Bangladesh Premier League side Sheikh Russel KC.
Return to Scotland with Livingston
On May 31, 2022, Esmaël returned to Scotland and signed a two-year deal with Scottish Premiership club Livingston. He was later loaned to Raith Rovers, a Championship club, on February 11, 2023. On the same day, he scored a goal in a Scottish Cup game against Motherwell.
On September 1, 2023, Esmaël left Livingston after he and the club agreed to end his contract. He did not score any goals for Livingston during his time there.
Playing for His Country
Even though Esmaël was born in Guinea-Bissau, he is also a citizen of Portugal. He played for the Portugal Under-17 team. In 2010, he was invited to train with the Portugal Under-20 team. They were getting ready for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. However, Esmaël wasn't in good shape, so he wasn't chosen for the tournament.
Later, he played one game for the Guinea-Bissau national team. This was on March 22, 2018, in a friendly match against Burkina Faso.
Awards and Achievements
Esmaël Gonçalves has won some important trophies and awards during his career:
St Mirren
- Scottish League Cup: 2012–13 (They won this cup!)
APOEL
- Cypriot Super Cup: 2013 (Another cup victory!)
Individual Award
- Uzbekistan Super League top goalscorer: 2018 (He scored the most goals in the league that year!)
Images for kids
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Moment of Isma first goal for Esteghlal against Paykan
See also
In Spanish: Esmael Gonçalves para niños
