Bruno Aguiar
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bruno João Morais Aguiar | ||
| Date of birth | 24 February 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Lisbon, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Free agent | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–2000 | Benfica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2005 | Benfica B | 47 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | Benfica | 18 | (0) |
| 2002 | → Gil Vicente (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2002–2004 | → Alverca (loan) | 46 | (6) |
| 2006 | FBK Kaunas | 0 | (0) |
| 2006–2009 | Hearts | 61 | (10) |
| 2009–2014 | Omonia | 73 | (6) |
| National team | |||
| 2001–2002 | Portugal U20 | 11 | (1) |
| 2001–2004 | Portugal U21 | 6 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 January 2014. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Bruno João Morais Aguiar (born 24 February 1981) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder.
After an unsuccessful spell with Benfica, although he contributed to the team's first Primeira Liga title in over one decade, he left the club in 2005, going on to play professionally in Scotland and Cyprus.
Club career
Benfica
Born in Lisbon, Aguiar grew in local S.L. Benfica's youth system, but spent the vast majority of his spell as a senior with the B-side. Additionally, he also served two loans, at Gil Vicente FC – six months – and F.C. Alverca, helping former Benfica farm team return to the top level in the second of his two full seasons, after which he returned to his alma mater.
Under Giovanni Trapattoni, hired for the 2004–05 campaign, Aguiar would make all of his appearances for Benfica's main squad, his first being a UEFA Champions League third qualifying round against R.S.C. Anderlecht on 10 August 2004 (1–0 home win, 1–3 aggregate loss). He also contributed with 18 matches (840 minutes) as the Reds won the domestic league for the first time since 1994; however, after the Italian was replaced by Ronald Koeman, he fell out of favour and was released from contract.
Hearts
In January 2006 Aguiar signed for FBK Kaunas, who immediately loaned him to Heart of Midlothian,[1] both clubs being owned by Vladimir Romanov. He made his club debut in a 1–2 defeat to Aberdeen in February, and made a further 11 appearances before the end of the season, helping the side finish in second place in the Scottish Premier League, with the addition of the Scottish Cup.[2]
2006–07 did not start so well for Aguiar, as he was sent off in the first leg of Hearts' Champions League third round qualifier against AEK Athens F.C., after receiving a second yellow card for throwing the ball away, when his team was leading 1–0 – the Greek utilised their subsequent one-man advantage to win it 2–1.[3]
A lengthy eighteen-month injury layoff soon followed for Aguiar, and he made his return to first team action in October 2008, in the Edinburgh Derby where he scored a free-kick to earn Hearts a draw. On 9 December he was awarded the Clydesdale Bank Premier League Player of the Month award for the previous month,[4] and ended the 2008–09 season as Hearts' top goal scorer with seven goals.
On 1 June 2009, Hearts confirmed Aguiar's departure following the expiration of his contract, leaving him free to sign with another club. He stated that he had enjoyed his time at the Tynecastle club, with the Scottish Cup victory and second-place finish in the league in 2006 being personal highlights, as well as wishing them the best for the future.[5]
Omonia
A free agent, Aguiar signed for AC Omonia from Cyprus in June 2009.[6] He left five years later at the age of 33, after helping the Nicosia club to five major titles, including the 2009–10 edition of the First Division championship where he appeared in 15 games, scoring one goal.
International career
Aguiar was a member of the Portugal under-21 team that finished third at the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, and qualified for the Athens Olympics, along with several future full internationals, such as Raul Meireles, Bruno Alves, José Bosingwa, Hugo Viana, Hugo Almeida and Danny; he did not make however, the final cut for the latter competition.
Honours
Club
- Primeira Liga: 2004–05
- Scottish Cup: 2005–06
- Cypriot First Division: 2009–10
- Cypriot Cup: 2010–11, 2011–12
- LTV Super Cup: 2010, 2012
Individual
- Scottish Premier League: Player of the Month November 2008[7]
References
- ↑ Romanov delivers big style; Scotsman, 1 February 2006.
- ↑ Hearts 1–1 Gretna (4–2 on pens); BBC Sport, 13 May 2006
- ↑ Hearts 1–2 AEK Athens; BBC Sport, 9 August 2006
- ↑ Aguiar given monthly player award; BBC Sport, 9 December 2008
- ↑ Bruno wishes Hearts well; Hearts' official website, 1 June 2009
- ↑ Aguiar joins Omonia after Old Firm fail to make bid; Scotsman, 9 June 2009
- ↑ "Nov 08 Awards". CB Football. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
External links
- Stats and profile at Zerozero
- Stats at ForaDeJogo
- Bruno Aguiar career stats at Soccerbase
- London Hearts profile