Hélio Varela
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Hélio Sandro Oliveira Alves Varela | ||
Date of birth | 3 May 2002 | ||
Place of birth | Almada, Portugal | ||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
Position(s) | Winger | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Gent | ||
Number | 29 | ||
Youth career | |||
2010–2012 | Monte Caparica | ||
2012–2014 | Charneca Caparica | ||
2014–2018 | Vitória Setúbal | ||
2018–2020 | Cova da Piedade | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2020–2021 | Amora | 8 | (0) |
2021–2022 | Sintrense | 26 | (5) |
2022–2024 | Portimonense | 34 | (6) |
2024– | Gent | 6 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2023– | Cape Verde | 11 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:21, 10 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:11, 18 October 2024 (UTC) |
Hélio Sandro Oliveira Alves Varela (born 3 May 2002) is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a winger for Belgian Pro League club Gent. Born in Portugal, Varela plays for the Cape Verde national team.
Club career
[edit]Varela is a youth product of Monte Caparica, Charneca Caparica, Vitória Setúbal and Cova da Piedade. He began his senior career with Amora in 2020, before joining Sintrense for the 2021–22 Liga 3 season.[1] He moved to the reserves of Portimonense in the summer of 2022. He made his professional debut with them in a 0–0 (5–4) Taça da Liga penalty shootout loss to Leixões on 30 July 2023.[2] He scored his first league goal in a 1–1 Primeira Liga tie with Arouca on 26 August 2023.[3]
On 16 August 2024, Varela joined Gent.[4] On 30 October, Varela made his debut with Gent in the Croky Cup against Union Rochefortoise, he immediately scored 2 goals.
International career
[edit]Born in Portugal, Varela is of Cape Verdean descent. He was called up to the Cape Verde national team for a set of friendlies in October 2023.[5] He debuted with Cape Verde as a substitute in a 5–1 friendly loss to Algeria on 12 October 2023.[6]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played 12 December 2024
Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Amora | 2020–21 | Campeonato de Portugal | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
Sintrense | 2021–22 | Campeonato de Portugal | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 5 | |||
Portimonense | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 37 | 6 | |
2023–24 | Liga Portugal 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
Total | 34 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 38 | 6 | |||
Gent | 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | 4[b] | 0 | — | 11 | 2 | ||
Career total | 74 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 83 | 12 |
- ^ Appearances in relegation play-offs
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
References
[edit]- ^ ""Liga 3 está mais perto da II Liga do que do Campeonato de Portugal"". www.ojogo.pt. 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Leixões SC vs Portimonense". SAPO Desporto.
- ^ "Nasce de um lançamento lateral. Hélio Varela adianta assim o Portimonense". Notícias ao Minuto. 26 August 2023.
- ^ "Helio Varela versterkt aanval van KAA Gent" (in Dutch). K.A.A. Gent. 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Portimonense: Hélio Varela em estreia na seleção de Cabo Verde | Abola.pt". Abola.pt. 5 October 2023.
- ^ "Portimonense: primeira internacionalização para Hélio Varela | Abola.pt". Abola.pt. 12 October 2023.
External links
[edit]- Hélio Varela at Soccerway
- Hélio Varela at BDFutbol
- Hélio Varela at National-Football-Teams.com
- 2002 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Almada
- Cape Verdean men's footballers
- Men's association football wingers
- Cape Verde men's international footballers
- Portuguese men's footballers
- Portuguese sportspeople of Cape Verdean descent
- Amora F.C. players
- S.U. Sintrense players
- Portimonense S.C. players
- K.A.A. Gent players
- Primeira Liga players
- Liga 3 (Portugal) players
- Cape Verdean expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
- Cape Verdean expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
- 21st-century Portuguese sportsmen