Jair Tavares
Portuguese footballer (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jair Veiga Vieira Tavares (born 13 February 2001) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a winger.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jair Veiga Vieira Tavares | ||
| Date of birth | 13 February 2001 | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2022 | Benfica | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2022 | Benfica B | 37 | (4) |
| 2022–2025 | Hibernian | 34 | (2) |
| 2024–2025 | → Motherwell (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2025 | Kauno Žalgiris | 7 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016–2017 | Portugal U16 | 12 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | Portugal U17 | 14 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Portugal U18 | 7 | (3) |
| 2019 | Portugal U19 | 7 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 2 February 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 3 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Career
Tavares came through the Benfica youth system, and played for their B team during the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons.
On 15 June 2022 Tavares joined Scottish club Hibernian for an undisclosed fee[1] on a contract until the summer of 2026.[2] Tavares made limited appearances under the management of Lee Johnson, but he became a first team regular following the appointment of Nick Montgomery.[3][4]
On 30 August 2024, Tavares joined Motherwell on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season.[5] He was released from his contract with Hibs in June 2025.[6]
On 22 August 2025, Tavares joined Kauno Žalgiris.[7][8] On 15 August 2025 he made debut in A Lyga against FK Riteriai. FK Kauno Žalgiris won 6-1.[9][10][11] On 2 November 2025 he scored first goal in A Lyga against FK Panevėžys and FK Kauno Žalgiris won 3–2.[12][13][14] On 1 February 2026 officially announced that Jair Tavares left Kauno Žalgiris Club.[15]
Personal life
Born in Portugal, Tavares is of Cape Verdean descent.[16] He hails from a footballing family, with both of his brothers, Cláudio and Miguel, as well as cousin Renato Sanches, all being professional footballers.[17]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Benfica B | 2020–21 | LigaPro | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | 24 | 4 | — | — | — | 24 | 4 | |||||
| Total | 37 | 4 | — | — | — | 37 | 4 | |||||
| Hibernian | 2022–23 | Scottish Premiership | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | |||
| Total | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 38 | 2 | |||
| Motherwell (loan) | 2024–25 | Scottish Premiership | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| Career totals | 79 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 87 | 6 | |||
- Notes
- Includes Scottish Cup
- Includes Scottish League Cup
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