Mauro Vilhete
Santomean footballer (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mauro Alexandre da Silva Vilhete (born 10 May 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. He plays for Hemel Hempstead Town. Born in Portugal, he plays for the São Tomé and Príncipe national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mauro Alexandre da Silva Vilhete[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 10 May 1993[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Rio de Mouro, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in)[2] | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Hemel Hempstead Town | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2010 | Barnet | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2020 | Barnet | 199 | (19) |
| 2011 | → Hendon (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Boreham Wood (loan) | 10 | (5) |
| 2012–2013 | → Boreham Wood (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 2015 | → Boreham Wood (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Wingate & Finchley | 7 | (1) |
| 2021 | Hampton & Richmond Borough | 3 | (1) |
| 2021–2023 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 65 | (8) |
| 2023–2024 | Hayes & Yeading United | 2 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Southend United | 13 | (0) |
| 2024 | Hornchurch | 11 | (3) |
| 2024–2025 | Hampton & Richmond Borough | 36 | (11) |
| 2025– | Hemel Hempstead Town | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | São Tomé and Príncipe | 7 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:52, 1 June 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:43, 26 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Career
Club
Born in Rio de Mouro, Sintra, Portugal,[3][4] Vilhete moved to Barnet, England at a young age. He attended The Ravenscroft School, where he was tasked with analysing data from Barnet F.C. matches.[5] He joined Barnet's youth team in 2009 after turning down an offer of a scholarship from Aston Villa. Following a series of injuries to first-team regulars, manager Ian Hendon called him into the first-team squad in November 2009, however he only appeared on the bench during this time. In April 2010, he signed a two-year professional contract with the Bees. He made his debut on 1 May 2010 in a 2–0 away defeat to Grimsby Town aged 16,[6] becoming Barnet's youngest ever Football League player, breaking the record of 17 years and 46 days set by Kofi Lockhart-Adams against Cheltenham Town on 24 November 2009,[7] before losing the record to Mathew Stevens on 6 September 2014.[8]
Vilhete scored his first goal for Barnet in October 2010 against Southend United in the Football League Trophy.[9] He agreed a new contract with the club in March 2011.[10] Vilhete joined Hendon on a one-month loan on 4 November 2011, where he made six appearances.[11][12] He then joined Boreham Wood on another one-month loan on 17 February 2012,[13] and on 20 March agreed a loan until the end of the season with Boreham Wood.[14]
On 31 August 2012, Vilhete joined Boreham Wood on loan again until January 2013.[15]
On 25 April 2015, Vilhete scored both goals in a 2–0 win over Gateshead to secure the Conference title for Barnet and promotion back to League Two. He was also awarded the Conference Player of the Month award for April.[16]
Vilhete was loaned to Boreham Wood for a third time on 30 October 2015.[17] He scored a day later, in a 2–3 home defeat against Gateshead.[18]
Martin Allen made Vilhete available on a free transfer at the end of the 2015-16 season,[19] but no move materialised and he worked his way back into first-team contention.
In the 2019-20 season, he made his 200th appearance for the Bees and scored in the National League playoffs against Yeovil Town.[20] He left the club at the end of the season, having scored 25 goals in 235 games across eleven seasons.[21]
On 19 September 2020, Vilhete joined Isthmian League side Wingate & Finchley.[22] In January 2021, he joined Hampton & Richmond Borough on dual registration basis.[23]
On 12 March 2021, Vilhete signed for National League side Dagenham & Redbridge.[24] He spent two years with the club before being released in the summer of 2023.[25]
Vilhete joined Hayes & Yeading United on 9 September 2023. Ten days later he joined Southend United on dual registration,[26] making a brief substitute appearance against Maidenhead United the same day.[27] On 9 February 2024, Southend announced that they had terminated his dual-registration contract and he had left the club.[28] Later that day, he signed for Hornchurch.[29] ending up departing the club in the summer.[30]
In May 2025, Vilhete joined National League South side Hemel Hempstead Town.[31]
International career
Vilhete was born in Portugal to Santomean parents, and moved to England at a young age. In November 2010, Vilhete said he wanted to play international football for either England or Portugal, but said "it would probably be Portugal in the end".[32] In March 2011, he was called up for a training camp with the Portugal national under-18 football team.[33]
In November 2023, he was called up by São Tomé and Príncipe for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[34]
Style of play
Vilhete has played on both the left and right sides as a full-back and winger, and has also played central midfield for Barnet. He has also played as a forward. He has been described as a utility player.[35][36]
Career statistics
Club
- As of end of 2024–25 season
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barnet | 2009–10[37] | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010–11[38][9][39][40][41][42] | League Two | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[a] | 4 | 26 | 4 | |
| 2011–12[43][44] | League Two | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2012–13[45] | League Two | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14[46] | Conference Premier | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 33 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15[46] | Conference Premier | 30 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 33 | 5 | ||
| 2015–16[47] | League Two | 15 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17[48] | League Two | 40 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 43 | 3 | |
| 2017–18[49][50] | League Two | 32 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4[e] | 0 | 39 | 4 | |
| 2018–19[51] | National League | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20[52][53] | National League | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 8[f] | 1 | 31 | 4 | ||
| Total | 199 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 5 | 235 | 25 | ||
| Hendon (loan) | 2011–12[54] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Boreham Wood (loan) | 2011–12[46] | Conference South | 10 | 5 | — | — | — | 10 | 5 | |||
| 2012–13[55] | Conference South | 14 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 3[c] | 1 | 20 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16[46] | National League | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 12 | 1 | ||
| Total | 39 | 8 | 5 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 | 48 | 10 | |||
| Wingate & Finchley | 2020–21 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| Hampton & Richmond Borough | 2020–21[46] | National League South | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 2020–21[46] | National League | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | 13 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22[46] | National League | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | 39 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23[46] | National League | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | ||
| Total | 65 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 67 | 8 | |||
| Hayes & Yeading United | 2023–24 | SFL Premier Division South | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Southend United | 2023–24[46] | National League | 13 | 0 | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| Hornchurch | 2023–24[56] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | |
| Hampton & Richmond Borough | 2024–25[46] | National League South | 36 | 11 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 1 | 40 | 12 | |
| Career total | 374 | 51 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 7 | 429 | 60 | ||
- One appearance and one goal in Football League Trophy, four appearances and three goals in Herts Senior Cup
- One appearance in Football League Trophy, one appearance in Herts Senior Cup
- Appearances in EFL Trophy
- Three appearances in EFL Trophy, one appearance in Middlesex Senior Cup
- Five appearances in FA Trophy, two appearances and one goal in National League play-offs, one appearance in Middlesex Senior Cup
International
- As of match played 24 March 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| São Tomé and Príncipe | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 0 | |
Honours
- Barnet
- Conference Premier
- Champions: 2014–15
