Gilson ‘Benchimol’ Tavares #9

Profile

Born in Praia, Tavares moved to Portugal as a child, playing for various local clubs in Lisbon as a right-back. It wasn’t until he was signed by Estoril that he was moved up front to play as a forward as a 19-year-old. A strong start to life in Estoril led to links to clubs around Europe, including Nice, Monaco, Milan and Juventus. Eventually he signed for Benfica on a loan before making the unexpected move to Russian side Akron Tolyatti in 2024. Despite the left-field career choice, Benchimol has been a mainstay of Bubista’s side. In March 2022 he became the first and only player to score a hat-trick for the Blue Sharks when he put three past Liechtenstein in a friendly.

Key stats