Quick Facts
Biography
Héldon Augusto Almeida Ramos (born 14 November 1988), known simply as Héldon and sometimes nicknamed Nhuck (pronounced [ɲuk]), is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays for Portuguese club Rio Ave F.C. on loan from Sporting Clube de Portugal as an attacking midfielder.
He spent most of his career in Portugal, primarily in representation of Marítimo, and joined Sporting in 2014.
A full international since 2008, Héldon played for Cape Verde at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Club career
Early career / Marítimo
Born in Sal, Héldon made his professional debut in 2007 with C.F. Caniçal, in the Portuguese third division, moving to C.D. Fátima – in the same league – the following year and helping them win promotion to the second level.
In August of the following year, he signed with C.S. Marítimo in the Primeira Liga. On 26 November 2011 Héldon scored his second official goal for the Madeira club – first in the league – netting a last-minute penalty in a derby against C.D. Nacional (2–2 away draw, Marítimo played the entire second half with ten players).
On 8 December 2013, against the same opponent but in a home fixture, Héldon scored twice for the same result, as Nacional in turn played nearly 30 minutes with one man less.
Sporting
On 31 January of the following year, Héldon joined fellow league club Sporting Clube de Portugal in a €1.5 million deal. He made his debut on 11 February, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–2 derby loss at S.L. Benfica. He scored his tenth goal of the season and first for his new team on 12 April, when he came on as a substitute for Diego Capel with two minutes remaining and confirmed a 2–0 win over Gil Vicente F.C. at the Estádio José Alvalade.
Héldon signed with Córdoba CF on 28 January 2015, on loan until the end of the campaign. He made his La Liga debut three days later, starting and being booked in a 0–1 away loss against Celta de Vigo. He failed to find the net during his spell with the Andalusians, who suffered relegation.
On 8 August 2015, Héldon was loaned to Rio Ave F.C. for the upcoming top flight season. He attained his first goals for the Vila do Conde-based club on 19 September, a first-half brace in a 3–0 triumph at F.C. Paços de Ferreira.
International career
Héldon made his international debut for Cape Verde on 11 October 2008, replacing Ronny Souto during half-time of a 1–3 away loss against Tanzania for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In his next game, on 4 September 2009, he scored his first goal, opening a 2–0 friendly win in Malta. He was the country's top scorer during the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, recording two goals in a 4–2 win over Liberia on 26 March 2011.
Héldon was named to the squad that participated in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations held in South Africa, and featured in every game as the nation reached the quarter-finals. In their final group against Angola, he came on as a 46th-minute substitute and scored a last-minute winner, making it 2–1 and causing his team to advance. He was also selected for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, where he won and converted a penalty to equalise in a 1–1 draw against Tunisia in the team's opening game.
International goals
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 3 September 2009 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta |  Malta | Friendly | ||
| 2. | 9 February 2011 | Municipal, Óbidos, Portugal |  Burkina Faso | Friendly | ||
| 3. | 26 March 2011 | Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde |  Liberia | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | ||
| 4. | ||||||
| 5. | 14 October 2012 | Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon |  Cameroon | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | ||
| 6. | 27 January 2013 | Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth, South Africa |  Angola | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations | ||
| 7. | 15 June 2013 | Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde |  Sierra Leone | 2014 World Cup qualification | ||
| 8 . | 14 August 2013 | Estádio do Real SC, Queluz, Portugal |  Gabon | Friendly | ||
| 9. | 15 October 2014 | Estádio Nacional, Praia, Cape Verde |  Mozambique | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | ||
| 10. | 14 November 2014 | Estádio Nacional, Praia, Cape Verde |  Niger | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | ||
| 11. | 7 January 2015 | Estádio do Bravo, Seixal, Portugal |  Equatorial Guinea | Friendly | ||
| 12. | 10 January 2015 | Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal |  Congo | Friendly | ||
| 13. | 18 January 2015 | Nuevo Estadio, Ebebiyín, Equatorial Guinea |  Tunisia | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations | ||
| 14. | 17 November 2015 | Estádio Nacional, Praia, Cape Verde |  Kenya | 2018 World Cup qualification | ||
| 15. |
Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Caniçal | 2007–08 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||||
| Fátima | 2008–09 | 30 | 10 | 3 | 1 | — | 33 | 11 | |||
| 2009–10 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 22 | 4 | ||
| Total | 47 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 55 | 15 | ||
| Marítimo | 2010–11 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| 2011–12 | 29 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 37 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 33 | 5 | |
| 2013–14 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 21 | 11 | ||
| Total | 82 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 110 | 21 | |
| Marítimo B | 2010–11 | 9 | 4 | — | 9 | 4 | |||||
| Total | 9 | 4 | — | 9 | 4 | ||||||
| Sporting | 2013–14 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
| Córdoba (loan) | 2014–15 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 185 | 31 | 14 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 223 | 42 | |