Héldon Augusto Almeida Ramos (born 14 November 1988), known simply as Héldon and sometimes nicknamed Nhuck (pronounced [ɲuk]), is a Cape Verdean former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

He spent most of his career in Portugal, primarily in representation of Marítimo, and joined Sporting CP in 2014. In the Primeira Liga, he also appeared for Rio Ave and Vitória de Guimarães, for a total of 174 games and 25 goals.

A full international since 2008, Héldon played for Cape Verde at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

Club career Early career and Marítimo Born in Sal, Héldon made his professional debut in 2007 with C.F. Caniçal, in the Portuguese third division. He moved to C.D. Fátima ahead of the 2008–09 season, helping them to win promotion to the Segunda Liga.

In August 2010, Héldon signed with C.S. Marítimo of Primeira Liga. On 26 November 2011, he scored his second official goal for the Madeira club – first in the league – a last-minute penalty in a derby against C.D. Nacional (2–2 away draw, his team 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 CP On 31 January 2014, Héldon joined fellow league side Sporting CP in a €1.5 million deal. He made his debut on 11 February, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 Lisbon 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 1–0 away defeat against RC Celta de Vigo. He failed to find the net during his spell with the Andalusians, who suffered relegation; he was also the first player in their 60-year history to lose his first five games.

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 side on 19 September, a first-half brace in a 3–0 victory at F.C. Paços de Ferreira.

Héldon spent the following two years still on loan, at Rio Ave and Vitória de Guimarães. He scored his first goal for the latter on 24 September 2017, netting in the last minutes of a 2–1 home win against former club Marítimo.

Middle East On 2 July 2018, Héldon joined Al Taawoun FC on a two-year contract. He scored 11 competitive goals in his debut campaign in the Saudi Professional League, also winning the King's Cup.

Héldon agreed to a one-year deal at Shabab Al Ahli Club of the UAE Pro League on 26 September 2020. The following 12 July he moved back to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Orobah FC of the First Division League on a two-year contract, leaving on 1 February 2022 by mutual consent.

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. He scored his first goal in his next game, opening a 2–0 friendly win in Malta on 4 September 2009. He was the country's top scorer during the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, recording two goals in a 4–2 victory 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.

Héldon was also a gold medallist with the under-20 team at the 2009 Lusofonia Games in Portugal. He scored five goals in the tournament, including a hat-trick in a 7–1 win over India.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsCaniçal2007–08Segunda Divisão21000——210Fátima2008–09Segunda Divisão301031——33112009–10Liga de Honra1712231—224Total47115331—5515Marítimo2010–11Primeira Liga1501130001912011–12Primeira Liga2943040—3642012–13Primeira Liga2220021923352013–14Primeira Liga1692220—2011Total8215631119210821Marítimo B2010–11Segunda Divisão94———94Sporting CP2013–14Primeira Liga1010000—1012014–15Primeira Liga2010110041Total121101100142Córdoba (loan)2014–15La Liga14000——140Rio Ave (loan)2015–16Primeira Liga2443100—2752016–17Primeira Liga270113120332Total514423120607Vitória Guimarães (loan)2017–18Primeira Liga295210060376Career total2654017818417231754

International Scores and results list Cape Verde's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Héldon goal. + List of international goals scored by Héldon RamosNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 3 September 2009 National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta 1–0 2–0 Friendly2 9 February 2011 Municipal, Óbidos, Portugal 1–0 1–0 Friendly3 26 March 2011 Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde 1–0 4–2 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification4 3–15 14 October 2012 Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon 1–0 1–2 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification6 27 January 2013 Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth, South Africa 2–1 2–1 2013 Africa Cup of Nations7 15 June 2013 Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde 1–0 1–0 2014 World Cup qualification8 14 August 2013 Estádio do Real SC, Queluz, Portugal 1–0 1–1 Friendly9 15 October 2014 Estádio Nacional, Praia, Cape Verde 1–0 1–0 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification10 14 November 2014 Estádio Nacional, Praia, Cape Verde 2–1 3–1 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification11 7 January 2015 Estádio do Bravo, Seixal, Portugal 1–0 1–1 Friendly 12 10 January 2015 Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal 2–2 3–2 Friendly 13 18 January 2015 Estadio de Ebibeyin, Ebibeyin, Equatorial Guinea 1–1 1–1 2015 Africa Cup of Nations14 17 November 2015 Estádio Nacional, Praia, Cape Verde 1–0 2–0 2018 World Cup qualification15 2–0

Honours Al Taawoun King's Cup: 2019

Shabab Al Ahli UAE League Cup: 2020–21

References

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