Bruno Aguiar

This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Morais and the second or paternal family name is Aguiar.
Bruno Aguiar
Personal information
Full nameBruno JoΓ£o Morais Aguiar
Date of birth24 February 1981
Place of birthLisbon, Portugal
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Club information
Current team
Oriental
Number6
Youth career
1990–2000Benfica
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2000–2005Benfica B47(4)
2004–2005Benfica18(0)
2002β†’ Gil Vicente (loan)3(0)
2002–2004β†’ Alverca (loan)46(6)
2006FBK Kaunas0(0)
2006–2009Hearts61(10)
2009–2014Omonia73(6)
2014–Oriental10(1)
National team
2001–2002Portugal U2011(1)
2001–2004Portugal U216(0)
2005Portugal B2(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 07:03, 20 February 2015 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).

Bruno JoΓ£o Morais Aguiar (born 24 February 1981) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder in Oriental.

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 32, after helping the Nicosia club to five major titles.

But he returned to Portugal in 2014, singing for Oriental after spending 5 years with Omonia.[7]

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, JosΓ© Bosingwa, Hugo Viana, Hugo Almeida and Danny; he did not make however, the final cut for the latter competition.

Career statistics

Club

As of 20 February 2015
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Benfica 2001–02[8] Primeira Liga 0000β€”00β€”00
2004–05[8] Primeira Liga 19050β€”6[lower-alpha 1]0β€”300
2005–06[8] Primeira Liga 0000β€”00β€”00
Total 19050β€”60β€”300
Gil Vicente (loan) 2001–02[8] Primeira Liga 3000β€”β€”β€”30
Alverca (loan) 2002–03[8] Segunda Liga 29420β€”β€”β€”314
2003–04[8] Primeira Liga 17200β€”β€”β€”172
Total 46620β€”β€”β€”486
Hearts 2005–06[9] Scottish Premier League 1012000β€”β€”121
2006–07[10] Scottish Premier League 25210215[lower-alpha 1]0β€”333
2007–08[11] Scottish Premier League 00000000β€”00
2008–09[12] Scottish Premier League 2671000β€”β€”277
Total 6110402150β€”7211
Omonia 2009–10[13] Cypriot First Division 151 β€”4[lower-alpha 2]0β€”191
2010–11[13] Cypriot First Division 19100β€”001[lower-alpha 3]0201
2011–12[13] Cypriot First Division 18352β€”2[lower-alpha 2]01[lower-alpha 3]0265
2012–13[13] Cypriot First Division 13120β€”2[lower-alpha 2]000171
2013–14[13] Cypriot First Division 8000β€”00β€”80
Total 73672β€”8020908
Oriental 2014–15[13] Segunda Liga 1011020β€”β€”131
Career total 21223192411902025626
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Appearances in UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Appearances in Cypriot Super Cup

Honours

Club

Benfica
Hearts
Omonia

Individual

References

  1. ↑ Romanov delivers big style; Scotsman, 1 February 2006.
  2. ↑ Hearts 1–1 Gretna (4–2 on pens); BBC Sport, 13 May 2006
  3. ↑ Hearts 1–2 AEK Athens; BBC Sport, 9 August 2006
  4. ↑ Aguiar given monthly player award; BBC Sport, 9 December 2008
  5. ↑ Bruno wishes Hearts well; Hearts' official website, 1 June 2009
  6. ↑ Aguiar joins Omonia after Old Firm fail to make bid; Scotsman, 9 June 2009
  7. ↑ "Bruno Aguiar issues word of warning to Ryan Gauld". Scotsman. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 "Foradejogo profile". Foradejogo. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Matches played by Bruno Aguiar in 2005/06". Soccerbase. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "Matches played by Bruno Aguiar in 2006/07". Soccerbase. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "Matches played by Bruno Aguiar in 2007/08". Soccerbase. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  12. ↑ "Matches played by Bruno Aguiar in 2008/09". Soccerbase. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 "Soccerway profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Nov 08 Awards". CB Football. Retrieved 3 March 2011.

External links