Bruno Pinheiro

Bruno Filipe Tavares Pinheiro is a professional footballer from Portugal. Born on 21st August 1987 in Paranhos, the Portuguese in known for his ability to read the game and ball control.

Currently playing for FC Goa in the Indian Super League, the midfielder has also represented Portugal in the U19, U20, U21 and U23 formats.

Initially playing as the sweeper in a team, whose job is to construct the game from the defense, Pinheiro moved to the position of a midfielder as the former position slowly died out.

Early days

Hailing from a well off family, Pinheiro had no lack of opportunities.

His grandfather, who was an ardent fan of the Portuguese club Boavista, used to take him to the club’s youth training academy right from the age of 6.

He climbed up the stairs quickly and broke into the club’s senior team at the age of 16.

Debut

Bruno Pinheiro made his professional debut in 2006 in the 2005-06 edition of the Portuguese league, Primeira Liga.

He spent almost all of the season on the bench, appearing in only one match. The next season was better for him as he made appeared on 16 occasions.

However the club was relegated to the second division in the 2008-2009 season following which Pinheiro decided to end his ties with club.

Pinheiro’s international debut came in the U19 format, where he represented his side in the World Cup qualifiers in 2005. Pinheiro appeared in 3 matches and Portugal could not qualify.

Rise to Glory

Pinheiro tasted success from his time at Maccabi Netanya in the Israeli Premier League. Joining the team in 2012, he was an integral part of the team as they climbed up to Israel’s top division in 2013.

In the next season, he transferred to Greece’s second division team Niki Volos before moving to FC Goa in the inaugural season of the ISL in 2014.

Having a passing accuracy of 81%, Pinheiro carried the team to the semifinals and was hugely popular with the fans.

He joined Apollon Smyrni which is a club in Greece’s top division league in the next season, before moving to Israel Premier League again.

Pinheiro joined Hapoel Haifa F.C and was a key player in the team as he appeared in over 55 matches across 2 seasons.

Bruno Pinheiro transferred back to FC Goa in the ongoing season and is expected to take the team forward with his experience and exceptional skill.

Club Career