Ryan Gauld

Ryan Gauld
Personal information
Full name Ryan Gauld
Date of birth (1995-12-16) 16 December 1995
Place of birth Aberdeen, Scotland
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Playing position Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Vitória de Setúbal
(on loan from Sporting)
Number 44
Youth career
2003–2006 Brechin City BC
2006–2012 Dundee United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Dundee United 42 (7)
2014– Sporting CP B 64 (8)
2014– Sporting CP 2 (0)
2016– → Vitória de Setúbal (loan) 2 (0)
National team‡
2012–2014 Scotland U19 10 (2)
2013– Scotland U21 11 (2)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 07:38, 27 November 2016 (UTC).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 3 November 2015

Ryan Gauld (born 16 December 1995) is a Scottish professional footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Portuguese club Vitória F.C., on loan from Sporting Clube de Portugal, and the Scotland national under-21 team.

He began his professional career at Dundee United, where he helped them reach the 2014 Scottish Cup Final, and his abilities on the ball earned comparisons to Lionel Messi from the Scottish media.[2] In July 2014, he transferred to Sporting for a fee of around £3 million, and has mainly appeared for the club's B team.

Gauld has represented Scotland at under-19 and under-21 level. He was called-up to the senior squad for the first time in September 2014.

Early life

Ryan Gauld was born on 16 December 1995 in Aberdeen and grew up in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire, where he was a pupil at Mearns Academy.[3][4]

In 2002, Gauld began to play for Brechin City Boys Club (now renamed Brechin City Youths), where he was part of a successful team alongside John Souttar and Euan Spark. The trio also developed their skills at coaching schools run in Dundee by Ian Cathro, before they all joined Dundee United's youth system in 2006 at the age of nine.[3][5]

Club career

Dundee United

He's a talent. He's one of a conveyor belt of young players that we need to breed and need to bring on. He can go past people as if they're not there.

“
”

— Dundee United manager Peter Houston praising 16-year-old Gauld in September 2012.[6]

Gauld made his Scottish Premier League debut as an 87th-minute substitute for Johnny Russell in the final match of the 2011–12 season, a 2–0 win away to Motherwell on 13 May.[7][8]

On 24 January 2013, Gauld signed an extended contract keeping him at the club until January 2016.[9] Later on in the 2012–13 season, on 1 April, he made his first start against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park and marked the occasion with his first senior goal to open a game which ended 1–1.[10][11]

On 4 November 2013, during the 2013–14 season, Gauld's contract was further extended, to run until May 2016.[12] Five days later, he scored twice in a 4–0 win against Motherwell at Fir Park.[13] On 15 December 2013, the Daily Record reported that Manchester United's Scottish manager David Moyes wanted to personally "scout" Gauld, and take the opportunity to run the rule over the potential of other young Dundee United players such as defenders John Souttar and Andrew Robertson.[14] However, the following day, also his 18th birthday, Gauld's contract was further extended until May 2017.[15] Around the same time, he was being tracked by English Premier League pair Everton and Liverpool, Italy's A.S. Roma and Spain's Real Madrid.[16]

On 12 April 2014, Gauld played in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Ibrox, as United defeated hosts Rangers 3–1 to advance to the Final. He made the run into the penalty area from which Stuart Armstrong scored the opening goal, and assisted the second from Gary Mackay-Steven.[17] Five days later, he was shortlisted for the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award,[18] which was eventually awarded to his teammate Robertson.[19] In the Cup Final on 17 May, Gauld replaced Mackay-Steven for the final 26 minutes as Dundee United lost 2–0 to St Johnstone at Celtic Park.[20] Gauld's season ended with eight goals in 38 games across all competitions, of which six were scored in his 31 league matches.[21]

Sporting Clube de Portugal

On 2 July 2014, Sporting Clube de Portugal announced the signing of Gauld from Dundee United,[22] for an undisclosed fee rumoured to be in the region of £3 million.[23] He signed a six-year contract with a €60 million buy-out clause.[22] He credited Sporting's track record of developing players such as Luís Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani for his decision to join them.[24] Despite being put into the club's B-team, Gauld was named in the 25-man squad to play in the UEFA Champions League after impressing manager Marco Silva during training sessions.[25][26]

He made his debut for Sporting B on 10 August 2014, replacing Palhinha at half time in a 1–0 defeat away to Farense.[27][28] Seventeen days later, in his fourth match for the club, he scored for the first time, netting the second in a 3–0 home victory over Desportivo Aves.[29] On 7 December, he scored a second goal, opening a 4–3 win at Lisbon neighbours Clube Oriental de Lisboa with a 20-yard volley.[30] On 21 December, he was sent off for two bookings in a 3–1 triumph at Vitória de Guimarães B.[31] He finished the season with three goals from 26 games for the B-team,[32] the third coming on 7 February 2015, when he equalised as the team came from behind to win 2–1 against SC Olhanense.[33]

Gauld made his debut for the first team on 29 December 2014 in a Taça da Liga game against Vitória S.C., playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 win.[34] On his second start for the Sporting first team on 14 January 2015, Gauld was named man of the match in a 1–0 win in the same competition, against Boavista. Having been fouled by goalkeeper Daniel Monllor, he won the penalty converted by Junya Tanaka for the only goal.[35] Four days later, he made his Primeira Liga debut, replacing André Martins for the last 25 minutes of a 4–2 win over Rio Ave at the Estádio José Alvalade.[36] Gauld scored twice for the first team in a 3–2 defeat away to neighbours Belenenses in a Taça da Liga group game on 21 January.[37]

In his second season in the Portuguese capital, Gauld scored his first goal of the B-team's campaign on 26 August 2015, the only one of the away match at S.C. Covilhã in the 84th minute.[38] He followed this on 12 September with a strike in a 4–0 triumph at Oriental.[39] Gauld matched his goal tally in Segunda Liga from the previous season on 3 October, when he opened a 1–1 draw at FC Famalicão,[40] and succeeded it on 28 November with his fourth goal of the campaign, assuring the same result at Gil Vicente F.C.[41]

Loan to Vitória Setubal

On 20 July 2016, amidst interest from England's Sheffield Wednesday, Gauld was loaned to Portuguese top-flight team Vitória de Setúbal for the upcoming season, alongside his teammate André Geraldes.[42] He made his debut for Setúbal on 26 October 2016 in a Taça da Liga tie against lower-league Santa Clara, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 win.[43] He made his league debut three days later, coming on as a late substitute for Nenê Bonilha in a scoreless draw at home to FC Porto, his first game in Primeira Liga for 20 months.[44]

International career

Gauld has been capped ten times at under-19 level, scoring two goals.[45] He made his debut on 9 October 2012 against Armenia, replacing Matthew Kennedy after 66 minutes of an eventual 4–0 win in a European qualifier at New Douglas Park in Hamilton.[46] He scored his first goal on his fourth cap on 3 September 2013, against Iceland at the Forthbank Stadium in Stirling, a 20-yard free kick to equalise in a 1–1 draw.[47]

On 6 November 2013, Gauld was called into the Scotland under-21 squad for the first time, for the match against Georgia later that month.[48] He scored his first goals for the under-21 team on his third cap on 8 September 2014, a brace in a 3–0 win away to Luxembourg at the Stade Municipal de Differdange, at the end of a failed European qualification campaign.[49] On 30 September 2014, Gauld was called up to the senior Scotland national football team for Euro 2016 Group D qualifying matches against Georgia and Poland,[50] but did not play.[51][52] On 10 October 2015, Gauld was sent off for a foul on Marcus Coco in a 2–1 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification loss to France at Pittodrie in his hometown.[53]

Style of play

In times of trouble, mediocre prospects are routinely heralded above their actual level of ability. Glasgow pubs, let alone Scotland's amateur leagues, are filled with individuals once tipped as the latter-day Denis Law or Kenny Dalglish. Yet in the case of Gauld, the hype seems justified. Time spent in the teenager's company illustrates that the level-headed young Scot is capable of dealing with it.

“
”

— Ewan Murray, of The Observer, on Gauld in December 2013[54]

Gauld's ability on the ball, and his small and slight stature, led him to be compared to Lionel Messi,[2] a comparison made by the British press since 2013.[16][54][55][56] At Dundee United, he was tutored by Ian Cathro, who favoured creativity and passing over the physicality often expected in Scottish football.[2] After his transfer to Sporting, BBC Sport columnist Richard Wilson predicted that Gauld would be better suited to the style of football in Portugal, due to its slower tempo and its concentration on a passing game.[2] Gauld himself has spoken of his preference for Portuguese football over its Scottish equivalent, and expressed relief at the lower media interest in him at Sporting, opining that comparisons with Messi were exaggerated and premature.[57]

Career statistics

As of match played on 25 November 2016[32]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dundee United 2011–12[58] Scottish Premier League 1000000010
2012–13[59] 101100000111
2013–14[21] Scottish Premiership 3164131—388
Total 427513100509
Sporting CP B 2014–15 Segunda Liga 263———263
2015–16 385———385
Total 648———648
Sporting CP 2014–15 Primeira Liga 2000320052
2015–16 0000000000
2016–17 0000000000
Total 2000320052
Vitória de Setúbal (loan) 2016–17 Primeira Liga 201010—40
Career total 1101561730012319

References

  1. ↑ "Ryan Gauld". Dundee United F.C. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Wilson, Richard (2 July 2014). "Lionel Messi and Ryan Gauld have more in common than their size". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 Marjoribanks, Brian (5 December 2013). "The Gauld standard: Dundee United's Baby Messi first wowed at Brechin Under-Nines (and wasn't their sole star of the future)". Mail Online. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Mearns youngsters extend contracts for Dundee United". Mearns Leader. Stonehaven. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Former Players with Senior Clubs". Brechin City Youths F.C. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Dundee United manager Peter Houston impressed by Ryan Gauld". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Motherwell 0–2 Dundee United". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 May 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  8. ↑ McGowan, Stephen (27 September 2013). "Watch out Gareth! After Bale, next Real target is 17-year old Scottish star Gauld". Daily Mail. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ryan Gauld and John Souttar extend contracts". BBC Sport. BBC. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  10. ↑ Campbell, Andy (1 April 2013). "St Johnstone 1–1 Dundee United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  11. ↑ McLean, Sarah (8 October 2014). "Generation Next: Ryan Gauld – Scotland's brightest young star". Just Football. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Dundee Utd: Ryan Gauld and John Souttar extend their contracts". BBC Sport. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  13. ↑ Campbell, Andy (9 November 2013). "Motherwell 0–4 Dundee Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  14. ↑ Guidi, Mark (15 December 2013). "Manchester United boss David Moyes to personally scout Dundee United starlet Ryan Gauld". Daily Record. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "Dundee United prolong terms for Ryan Gauld". BBC Sport. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  16. 1 2 Smith, Rory (10 January 2014). "A star is born: Baby Messi Ryan Gauld growing into his nickname". The Times. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  17. ↑ Wilson, Richard (12 April 2014). "Rangers 1–3 Dundee United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "Three Celtic players make player of year shortlist". BBC Sport. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  19. ↑ "Andrew Robertson: Dundee United defender wins PFA prize". BBC Sport. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  20. ↑ Wilson, Richard (17 May 2014). "St Johnstone 2–0 Dundee Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  21. 1 2 "Games played by Ryan Gauld in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  22. 1 2 "Ryan Gauld". www.sporting.pt. Sporting Clube de Portugal. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  23. ↑ McArthur, Euan (1 July 2014). "Ryan Gauld completes Sporting Lisbon transfer". The Scotsman. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  24. ↑ Perrin, Charles (31 March 2015). "Manchester United legend convinced me to SNUB three teams for Sporting – Ryan Gauld". Daily Express. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  25. ↑ "Ryan Gauld included in Sporting's Champions League squad". BBC Sport. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  26. ↑ "Ryan Gauld included in Sporting Lisbon's Champions League squad..despite being moved to the B team". Daily Record. 3 September 2014.
  27. ↑ "Farense 1–0 Sporting B". Segunda Liga. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  28. ↑ "II Liga: Farense vence Sporting B, que falha penálti" [Farense defeat Sporting B, who miss penalty] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  29. ↑ "Sporting B 3–0 Aves". Segunda Liga. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  30. ↑ Clark, Andrew (8 December 2014). "VIDEO: Ryan Gauld nets stunning strike for Sporting Lisbon". Press and Journal. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  31. ↑ "V. GUIMARÃES B-SPORTING B, 1–3: TERCEIRA VITÓRIA SEGUIDA PARA OS LEÕES" [THIRD CONSECUTIVE VICTORY FOR THE LIONS]. Record (in Portuguese). 21 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  32. 1 2 "R. Gauld". Soccerway. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  33. ↑ "SPORTING B-OLHANENSE, 2–1: GAULD E RUBIO DÃO VITÓRIA" [GAULD AND RUBIO GIVE VICTORY]. Record (in Portuguese). 7 February 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  34. ↑ "Ryan Gauld: Scot makes top team debut for Sporting Lisbon". BBC Sport. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  35. ↑ "Ryan Gauld named man of the match in Sporting Lisbon cup win". The Courier. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  36. ↑ Clark, Andrew (19 January 2015). "Scots abroad: Ryan Gauld stars in league debut for Sporting Lisbon". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  37. ↑ "Ryan Gauld scores first Sporting Lisbon goals as Scottish youngster bags brace in Portuguese League Cup". Daily Mail. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  38. ↑ "Sporting B vence na Covilhã (1–0) com golo de Gauld" [Sporting B defeat Covilhã (1–0) with goal from Gauld]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 26 August 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  39. ↑ "Sporting B goleia Oriental (4–0)" [Sporting B thrash Oriental]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 12 September 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  40. ↑ "Sporting B empata em Famalicão (1–1)" [Sporting B draw in Famalicão]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 3 October 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  41. ↑ "Sporting B empatou em Barcelos com golo de Ryan Gauld" [Sporting B drew in Barcelos with goal from Ryan Gauld] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  42. ↑ "Ryan Gauld joins Vitória Setúbal on loan from Sporting". The Scotsman. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  43. ↑ "'Segundas linhas' do Vitória eliminam Santa Clara" [Vitória's 'second string' eliminate Santa Clara]. Setúbal na Rede (in Portuguese). 27 October 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  44. ↑ Armstrong, Gary (29 October 2016). "Ryan Gauld plays first game in 20 months as Scots starlet turns out for Vitoria Setubal against Porto". Daily Record. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  45. ↑ "Ryan Gauld". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  46. ↑ "Scotland 4–0 Armenia". Scottish FA. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  47. ↑ "Scotland U19s draw with Iceland in Stirling". Scottish FA. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  48. ↑ "Dundee United's Ryan Gauld called up to Scotland Under-21s". BBC Sport. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  49. ↑ "Gauld doubles up as Scotland Under-21s end campaign with win". The Herald. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  50. ↑ "Ryan Gauld and Stevie May called up for Scotland". BBC Sport. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  51. ↑ Murray, Keir (11 October 2014). "Scotland 1–0 Georgia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  52. ↑ Lamont, Alasdair (14 October 2014). "Poland 2–2 Scotland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  53. ↑ Dowden, Martin (10 October 2015). "European Under-21 Championship Qualifying: Scotland 1–2 France". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  54. 1 2 Murray, Ewan (7 December 2013). "Dundee United's Ryan Gauld handling the hype of 'baby Messi' label". The Observer. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  55. ↑ Ruthven, Graham (1 December 2013). "Ryan Gauld profile: Lowdown on the Manchester United target dubbed 'Baby Messi'". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  56. ↑ "United rumour mill: The Aberdeen Messi and Rooney stay". Manchester Evening News. 17 November 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  57. ↑ Forsyth, Roddy (8 October 2014). "Scotland's Ryan Gauld relieved to escape 'Mini Messi' tag". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  58. ↑ "Games played by Ryan Gauld in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  59. ↑ "Games played by Ryan Gauld in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
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