Name Francisco Soares Current team Nacional | Playing position Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | |
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Full name Francisco das Chagas Soares dos Santos Date of birth (1991-01-17) 17 January 1991 (age 24) | ||
Place of birth Sousa, Paraiba, Brazil | ||
Francisco das Chagas Soares dos Santos (born 17 January 1991), known as Tiquinho Soares or Soares, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Portuguese club FC Porto.
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Brazil
Born in Sousa, Paraíba, but raised in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Soares started his career with Palmeiras FC das Rocas. After impressing with the side he moved to América Futebol Clube (RN) in 2009, initially assigned to the youth setup.
Soares made his professional debut for the latter club on 14 August 2010, coming on as a substitute in a 1–2 Série B home loss against Vila Nova Futebol Clube. He only appeared in one further match in the championship, before being released.
Soares subsequently represented Botafogo Futebol Clube (PB), Sousa Esporte Clube, Centro Sportivo Paraibano, Caicó EC, Visão Celeste EC, Cerâmica Atlético Clube, Treze Futebol Clube, Veranópolis Esporte Clube Recreativo e Cultural, Esporte Clube Pelotas and Lucena SC.
Nacional
On 27 January 2015, Soares moved abroad for the first time in his career after signing with Primeira Liga side C.D. Nacional, still owned by CSP. He made his debut for the club on 21 February, replacing Lucas João in a 1–3 away loss against S.C. Braga.
Soares scored his first goal abroad on 20 April 2015, netting the equalizer in a 1–1 Madeira derby at C.S. Marítimo. The following 20 March, he scored a brace in a 3–2 home win over Vitória de Guimarães.
Vitória Guimarães
On 25 May 2016, Soares signed for Vitória de Guimarães. He made his debut for his new team on 14 August, starting in a 0–1 home loss to Braga, and scored his first goal 12 days later in a 5–3 win against F.C. Paços de Ferreira also at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, through a penalty.
On 4 November 2016, Soares scored a double in a 2–1 home success over former club Nacional. He finished his spell in Minho with 22 official appearances, and nine goals.
Porto
On 23 January 2017, Soares signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with FC Porto, with a € 40 million clause. His first game took place on 4 February, starting and netting twice in a 2–1 home win against Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Soares made his UEFA Champions League debut on 22 February 2017, starting in a 0–2 home loss to Juventus F.C. for the round of 16.
Soares ended the season for FC Porto by scoring impressive 12 goals in 15 league appearances.