| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hélio Sandro Oliveira Alves Varela | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-05-03) 3 May 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Almada, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Maccabi Tel Aviv | ||
| Number | 29 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2012 | Monte Caparica | ||
| 2012–2014 | Charneca Caparica | ||
| 2014–2018 | Vitória Setúbal | ||
| 2018–2020 | Cova da Piedade | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Amora | 8 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Sintrense | 26 | (5) |
| 2022–2024 | Portimonense | 34 | (6) |
| 2024–2025 | Gent | 13 | (0) |
| 2025– | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 30 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Cape Verde | 23 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:28, 20 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 27 June 2026 | |||
Hélio Sandro Oliveira Alves Varela (Portuguese: [ˈɛ.li.u ˈsɐ̃.dɾu o.li.ˈvej.ɾɐ ˈal.vɨʒ vɐ.ˈɾɛ.lɐ]; born 3 May 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv. Born in Portugal, Varela plays for the Cape Verde national team.
Club career
Varela is a youth product of Monte Caparica, Charneca Caparica, Vitória Setúbal and Cova da Piedade. He began his senior career with Amora in 2020, before joining Sintrense for the 2021–22 Liga 3 season.[1] He moved to the reserves of Portimonense in the summer of 2022. He made his professional debut with them in a 0–0 (5–4) Taça da Liga penalty shootout loss to Leixões on 30 July 2023.[2] He scored his first league goal in a 1–1 Primeira Liga tie with Arouca on 26 August 2023.[3]
On 16 August 2024, Varela joined Gent.[4] On 30 October, Varela made his debut with Gent in the Croky Cup against Union Rochefortoise, he immediately scored 2 goals.
International career
Born in Portugal, Varela is of Cape Verdean descent. He was called up to the Cape Verde national team for a set of friendlies in October 2023.[5] He debuted with Cape Verde as a substitute in a 5–1 friendly loss to Algeria on 12 October 2023.[6]
On 18 May 2026, he was called up by Cape Verde's head coach Bubista for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[7][8]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 20 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Amora | 2020–21 | Campeonato de Portugal | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Sintrense | 2021–22 | Campeonato de Portugal | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 5 | |||
| Portimonense | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 37 | 6 | |
| 2023–24 | Liga Portugal 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 34 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 38 | 6 | |||
| Gent | 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | 4[b] | 0 | — | 15 | 2 | ||
| 2025–26 | Belgian Pro League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 13 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | ||||
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 2025–26 | Israeli Premier League | 30 | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | 8[c] | 0 | — | 42 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 111 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 132 | 18 | ||
- Appearances in relegation play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 26 June 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | 2023 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 23 | 1 | |
- As of match played 21 June 2026. Cape Verde's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Varela goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 June 2026 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States | 21 |  Uruguay | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
References
- ""Liga 3 está mais perto da II Liga do que do Campeonato de Portugal"". www.ojogo.pt. 11 August 2021.
- "Leixões SC vs Portimonense". SAPO Desporto.
- "Nasce de um lançamento lateral. Hélio Varela adianta assim o Portimonense". Notícias ao Minuto. 26 August 2023.
- "Helio Varela versterkt aanval van KAA Gent" (in Dutch). K.A.A. Gent. 16 August 2024.
- "Portimonense: Hélio Varela em estreia na seleção de Cabo Verde | Abola.pt". Abola.pt. 5 October 2023.
- "Portimonense: primeira internacionalização para Hélio Varela | Abola.pt". Abola.pt. 12 October 2023.
- https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/articles/cabo-verde-squad-announcement-world-cup-bubista
- https://www.beinsports.com/en-us/soccer/fifa-world-cup-2026/articles/bubista-s-official-cabo-verde-squad-for-the-2026-fifa-world-cup-2026-05-19
External links
- Hélio Varela at Soccerway
- Hélio Varela at BDFutbol
- Hélio Varela at National-Football-Teams.com