Heriberto Tavares
Cape Verdean footballer (born 1997)
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Heriberto Moreno Borges Tavares (Portuguese: [e.ɾi.ˈbɛɾ.tu mu.ˈɾe.nu ˈbɔɾ.ʒɨʃ ta.ˈva.ɾɨʃ]; born 19 February 1997), also known as Heri Tavares, is a professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Liga I club Universitatea Craiova]. Born in Portugal, he plays for the Cape Verde national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Heriberto Moreno Borges Tavares[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 February 1997[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Amadora, Portugal[1] | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Universitatea Craiova | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Estrela Amadora | ||
| 2007–2015 | Sporting CP | ||
| 2015–2016 | Belenenses | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2020 | Benfica B | 78 | (25) |
| 2018–2019 | → Moreirense (loan) | 32 | (6) |
| 2019–2020 | → Boavista (loan) | 28 | (4) |
| 2020–2021 | Brest | 4 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Famalicão (loan) | 17 | (2) |
| 2021–2023 | Famalicão | 20 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | → Ponferradina (loan) | 19 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Estoril | 32 | (2) |
| 2024–2026 | Maccabi Netanya | 60 | (8) |
| 2026– | Universitatea Craiova | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | Portugal U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Portugal U16 | 4 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Portugal U20 | 5 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | Portugal U21 | 9 | (6) |
| 2025– | Cape Verde | 6 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025 | |||
Club career
Benfica
Born in Amadora, Lisbon metropolitan area of Cape Verdean descent,[2] Tavares played youth football with three clubs in the country's capital, including Sporting CP from ages 10 to 18.[3] He made his senior debut with S.L. Benfica's reserves on 6 August 2016, featuring 71 minutes in the 1–1 LigaPro home draw against C.D. Cova da Piedade.[4]
Tavares scored a career-best 14 goals in the 2017–18 season, but the B team could only finish in 13th position.[3] Highlights included braces in home victories over Varzim SC (2–1),[5] Real Massamá (3–0)[6] and C.F. União (2–1).[7]
On 25 July 2018, Tavares was loaned to Moreirense FC.[8] He played his first match in the Primeira Liga on 12 August, scoring in a 1–3 home loss to Sporting and also committing a penalty which resulted in the opposition's second goal.[9] He repeated the feat the following round, helping to a 2–1 away defeat of C.D. Nacional.[10]
For the 2019–20 campaign, Tavares signed with Boavista F.C. also on loan.[11][12]
Brest
Tavares moved to the French Ligue 1 on 2 August 2020, signing a four-year contract with Stade Brestois 29 on a free transfer.[13] He made his league debut 21 days later, playing 22 minutes in the 4–0 loss at Nîmes Olympique.[14]
Famalicão
On 11 January 2021, Tavares was loaned to F.C. Famalicão until 30 June.[15] He was bought outright in July, fracturing his left foot in December and being sidelined for three months.[16]
On 31 August 2022, Tavares was loaned to Spanish side SD Ponferradina for one year.[17]
Estoril
Tavares returned to Portugal and its top division in July 2023, on a three-year deal at G.D. Estoril Praia.[18] He totalled 41 games and four goals in his only season,[19] his first in the league coming on 10 December to close the 4–0 home win over G.D. Chaves.[20]
Later career
On 6 July 2024, Tavares agreed to a contract at Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Netanya FC. Estoril remained entitled to a percentage on a future transfer.[19]
International career
Portugal
Across all youth levels, Tavares won 20 caps for Portugal and scored seven goals. He made his under-21 debut on 14 November 2017, coming on as a second-half substitute for Diogo Jota in a 2–1 home win against Switzerland for the 2019 UEFA European Championship qualifiers.[21] The following 11 October, in the same stage, he netted four times in the 9–0 demolition of Liechtenstein.[22]
Cape Verde
Tavares was called up to the Cape Verde national team for a set of friendlies on 20 May 2025.[23] He made his debut nine days later, in a 1–1 draw with Malaysia.[24] On 3 June, against the same opposition and also in Kuala Lumpur, he closed the 3–0 win.[25]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 18 May 2026[26]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Benfica B | 2016–17 | LigaPro | 41 | 11 | — | — | — | — | 41 | 11 | ||||
| 2017–18 | 37 | 14 | — | — | — | — | 37 | 14 | ||||||
| Total | 78 | 25 | — | — | — | — | 78 | 25 | ||||||
| Moreirense (loan) | 2018–19 | Primeira Liga | 32 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 7 | ||
| Boavista (loan) | 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 4 | ||
| Brest | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Famalicão (loan) | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 17 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 2 | ||||
| Famalicão | 2021–22 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 3 | |||
| 2022–23 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 37 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 40 | 5 | ||||
| Ponferradina (loan) | 2022–23 | Segunda División | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| Estoril | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 32 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 41 | 4 | ||
| Maccabi Netanya | 2024–25 | Israeli Premier League | 30 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 3 | ||
| 2025–26 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 37 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 60 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 2 | — | — | 71 | 11 | ||||
| Universitatea Craiova | 2026–27 | Liga I | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 290 | 48 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 320 | 56 | |||
- Includes Taça de Portugal, Copa del Rey, Israel State Cup
- Includes Taça da Liga, Toto Cup
International
- As of match played 17 November 2025.
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | |||
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 6 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Cape Verde's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tavares goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 June 2025 | Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia | 2 |  Malaysia |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Estoril
- Taça da Liga runner-up: 2023–24
