Cláudio Rafael Soares Braga (born 28 October 1999) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian.
Career Early career Born in Mafamude in Vila Nova de Gaia, Braga played for several local clubs at youth level, later telling A Bola that he was not considered a significant prospect at any of them.
Braga concluded his youth career at Rio Ave and made his senior debut with its reserve team in the Porto Football Association's district leagues in 2018. A year later, he signed for Valadares Gaia of what was then the third-tier Campeonato de Portugal. He transferred mid-season in January 2020 to Fátima, where his good start was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He then moved on to Sporting Ideal and Vila Meã, again in the same league.
Norway Ahead of the 2022 season, Braga's agent convinced him to sign for Norwegian Second Division side Moss. He helped the club achieve promotion to the Norwegian First Division, and was their top scorer and among the highest in the league in the 2023 season.
Braga believed his performances in Norway's second tier would lead to a transfer to the top-flight Eliteserien, but he instead joined Aalesund in 2024, a team who had been relegated from it.
Heart of Midlothian On 15 June 2025, Braga joined Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract.
Braga became a fan favourite at Heart of Midlothian with 14 goals and three assists in 33 games by April 2026, and was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the 2025–26 season having played a key role in Hearts' title challenge. Braga also won the 2025–26 PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year for his performances with the club, becoming the first Portuguese player to win the award.
Style of play Braga plays as a forward and is right-footed. Prior to signing for the club in July 2025, Heart of Midlothian newspaper Hearts Standard described him as a "versatile and multi-faceted forward who can play off the left or through the middle".
Career statistics https://int.soccerway.com/players/cl-udio-rafael-soares-braga/624672/
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsMoss FK2022Norwegian Second Division241132––27132023Norwegian First Division281030––3110Total522162––5823Aalesunds FK2024Norwegian First Division29921––31102025Norwegian First Division8321––104Total371242––4114Heart of Midlothian2025–26Scottish Premiership38141053–44172026–27Scottish Premiership72001160143Total44161064605820Career total13449114646015757
Honours
Individual PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year: 2025–26 PFA Scotland Team of the Year (Premiership): 2025–26 BBC Football Awards Scottish Premiership Player of the Year: 2025–26 SFWA Footballer of the Year: 2025–26 William Hill Premiership Player of the Year: 2025–26 Heart of Midlothian Players' Player of the Year: 2025–26 References
External links