PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: goalkeeper Bruno Varela shines for Vitória despite shameful racist abuse | OneFootball

Vitória goalkeeper Bruno Varela’s week thus far has showcased the good and the bad in Portuguese football, and it could yet encapsulate glory.

Thousands of the Guimarães club’s inimitable fans invaded Porto on Sunday evening to roar their team onto a 2-1 victory at Boavista, thus securing Vitória’s first back-to-back wins in the Primeira Liga since September.

The match was marred however by racial abuse directed at Varela, causing the match to be interrupted in the first half. The 30-year-old stopper went on to help his team collect the three points ahead of their crunch Conference League second-leg showdown against Real Betis this Thursday.

Kevin Fernandes profiles PortuGOAL Figure of the Week Bruno Varela.

Bruno Varela isn’t your standard goalkeeper. His CV speaks for itself.

The Cape Verde international was once called upon to represent Portugal (as an unused substitute). In his debut season for Benfica, two domestic trophies were won after three national championships were conquered at youth level. For Ajax, Bruno Varela provided the dependable emergency resource necessary to deliver another three trophies.

The connection between Varela and Vitória Sport Clube is uncommon, demonstrating the timeless purity of the bond between player and supporter, amidst the modern corporatisation which threatens to destroy the age-old tradition of football as a vehicle for bringing communities together. Earlier this season Varela took part in a novel initiative organised by his club, whereby he was mic’d up for the duration of the Liga Portugal game against Famalicão. The captain’s emotions throughout the 90 minutes only served to further endear him to the fanbase.

Varela mic’d up for unique insight into players’ on-pitch emotions

Varela escapes the typical mould, breaking barriers, giving us new perspective. A consistent protagonist, through right and wrong, thick and thin. The winner of the Liga Portugal goalkeeper of the month award on four separate occasions, Bruno Varela has emboldened Vitória for five seasons, becoming one of the reference points of the club.

He rejected the opportunity to represent Cape Verde at the Africa Cup of Nations early in 2024, explaining his decision publicly by saying it would be unfair to take the place of one of his international team-mates given that he did not participate in any of the qualifying campaign. Varela insisted no pressure had been applied by his club. Known for sticking to his principles, Varela has proven a true captain who leads by example.

It was another reason the vile racial slurs aimed at him on the weekend during the blockbuster encounter with local rivals Boavista were so loudly condemned throughout the Portuguese press. Visibly distressed, Varela showed remakable resilience and strength to provide strong foundations as Os Conquistadores came back from a 1-0 first-half deficit to conquer all three points, making three crucial saves along the way and looking globally composed in distribution.

Boavista 1-2 Vitória highlights

The rise of Bruno Varela

Bruno Miguel Semedo Varela was born in Lisbon, initiating his career at Ponte Frielas before commencing his 14-year journey connected to Benfica. Along the way, Varela represented Portugal at every youth level, from Under-16 to Under-21 and even at the 2016 Olympic Games.

He was highly touted to address Benfica’s issues between the sticks, which ever since Odysseas Vlachodimos and Anatoliy Trubin have hardly resolved in convincing fashion. An impressive loan spell at historical staple Vitória de Setúbal convinced the Benfica hierarchy that Bruno Varela could help Benfica secure a fifth consecutive title in the 2017/18 season, to match a feat that only FC Porto have achieved.

But disinvestment in the team resulted in a short-lived marriage between Varela and Benfica – 35 matches to be precise. He struggled to meet the sky-high expectations, and as seen by his career trajectory since, required more protection at the time to succeed.

Standing at 1.94m tall, Varela isn’t the most consistent and convincing when facing low forcefully driven efforts and lacks unquestionable levels of concentration, resulting in errors which have crept into his game in sporadic clusters. His inability to control the space behind his defensive line also cements his suitability for ‘smaller ponds’.

On the other hand, Varela is capable of demonstrating great shot-stopping ability which will always be the most important quality of any goalkeeper.

Finding a happy home in Guimarães

Following an uneventful spell at Ajax where Varela only made five appearances, the overwhelmingly positive story in Guimarães began to be written. Varela is currently the longest serving goalkeeper in Liga Portugal, a safe pair of hands worthy of the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week amidst a forgettable episode in Portuguese football.

“Vitória SC have the ability to go far in European competition,” said Varela as regards Vitória’s ambition and quality to build on a brilliant international season. Vitória are still unbeaten having played 13 matches in this season’s UEFA Conference League. Later today, they have the chance to create one of the most memorable nights at the fortress that is the Dom Afonso Henriques stadium, facing Real Betis in the second leg of the Round of 16.

If Vitória manage to advance, it will be partly down to the man who has stuck with the club through turmoil as a beautiful page looks to be written about one of Portugal’s greatest clubs.