Ryan Gauld
The latest in our series of interviews with Scottish footballers who play outside of the UK. Ryan Gauld talks to John Walker about playing in Portugal.
About Ryan Guald
We talk to Ryan about growing up in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire. He tells us about the people that influenced his playing early and his first steps with Brechin City.
Aged 11 he joined a renowned Dundee United youth system. He then spent the next 6 years working his way up to the first team, first appearing as a substitute on the last day of the 2011-12 season.
Media interest around the attacking midfielder then increased, earning him the label “The Scottish Messi” we discuss the added pressure this placed on Ryan, still a teenager, and how, while flattering, the comparison has cast a shadow over his development.
In 2014 he signed for Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon, where he made an instant impression as part of the B-team. Gauld tells us about his development plan with the club that saw him earn loan deals.
Loaned out to Vitoria de Setubal, he tells us the story around it’s cancellation after the club knocked Sporting out the cup. A few months later he joined Aves where he got his first taste of Portuguese top flight football. He then signed for Farense and then, in January 2019, he returned to Scotland and joined Hibs on loan. Unfortunately a hamstring injury saw him play only 6 games.
That summer he left Sporting Lisbon to re-join Farense on a permanent basis to try to regain promotion to the LigaPro. An impressive run has seen the team be successful and Ryan Gauld be both the teams top scorer and voted the leagues best player.
We also discuss his his youth international career and hopes for more Scotland caps in the future.
The podcast
Scots Abroad interviews are available to listen on The Trampled Bet Podcast from all podcasting apps including Apple Podcasts. You can also find them on Spotify and YouTube. Each episode John Walker speaks to a Scottish sports person about their upbringing and career in Scotland. This is followed by discussing the reasons and decisions that led to them choosing to move outside the UK to further their career.
