Ryan Stewart Gauld was born on 16 December 1995 and is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps, whom he captains, and the Scotland national team.
30 Facts About Ryan Gauld
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Ryan Gauld mainly appeared for the club's B team, and was loaned to Vitoria de Setubal, Aves, Farense and Hibernian.
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In July 2019, Ryan Gauld moved to Farense on a permanent basis, winning promotion in his first season and scoring nine goals in each of his two years.
4.
Ryan Gauld made his debut for the senior team in September 2024, a decade after first being called up.
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Ryan Gauld grew up in Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire, where he attended Laurencekirk Primary before becoming a pupil at Mearns Academy.
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In 2002, Ryan Gauld began to play for Brechin City Boys Club, where he was part of a successful team alongside John Souttar and Euan Spark.
7.
Ryan Gauld can go past people as if they're not there.
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On 24 January 2013, Ryan Gauld signed an extended contract keeping him at the club until January 2016.
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On 15 December 2013, the Daily Record reported that Manchester United's Scottish manager David Moyes wanted to personally "scout" Ryan Gauld, and take the opportunity to run the rule over the potential of other young Dundee United players such as defenders John Souttar and Andrew Robertson.
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However, the following day, his 18th birthday, Ryan Gauld's contract was further extended until May 2017.
11.
Ryan Gauld made the run into the penalty area from which Stuart Armstrong scored the opening goal, and assisted the second from Gary Mackay-Steven.
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Ryan Gauld's season ended with eight goals in 38 games across all competitions, of which six were scored in his 31 league matches.
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Ryan Gauld credited Sporting's track record of developing players such as Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani for his decision to join them.
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On 20 July 2016, amidst interest from England's Sheffield Wednesday, Ryan Gauld was loaned to Portuguese top-flight team Vitoria de Setubal for the upcoming season, alongside his teammate Andre Geraldes.
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Ryan Gauld made his league debut three days later, coming on as a late substitute for Nene Bonilha in a scoreless draw at home to Porto, his first game in Primeira Liga for 20 months.
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On 5 January 2017, it was reported that Ryan Gauld had been recalled from loan to train with Sporting B, due to Sporting being eliminated from the Taca da Liga by Vitoria in controversial circumstances.
17.
On 24 July 2017, Ryan Gauld was loaned to Primeira Liga newcomers Aves.
18.
On 31 August 2018, Ryan Gauld joined LigaPro side Farense on a season-long loan.
19.
Ryan Gauld suffered a hamstring injury and consequently only collected 371 minutes of game time from six first team games in his half-season loan at Easter Road.
20.
Ryan Gauld finished the season as the team's top scorer and was voted as the top player in the Portuguese second tier.
21.
On 31 July 2021, Ryan Gauld signed with Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps on a three-and-a-half-year deal, becoming one of the club's Designated Players.
22.
Ryan Gauld scored his first goal for the Whitecaps on 21 August 2021 against Los Angeles FC, an 89th-minute winner.
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Nineteen days later, Ryan Gauld was named MLS Player of the Matchday for Week 21 of the 2023 season, for recording a goal and two assists against Los Angeles.
24.
On 25 January 2024, Ryan Gauld signed a three-year contract extension with the Whitecaps.
25.
On 23 February 2024, Ryan Gauld was named the 25th club captain in Whitecaps history, replacing Russell Teibert.
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Ryan Gauld was capped 10 times for Scotland at under-19 level, scoring two goals.
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Ryan Gauld scored two goals in 11 appearances for the under-21 team.
28.
On 30 September 2014, Ryan Gauld was called up to the senior Scotland national football team for Euro 2016 Group D qualifying matches against Georgia and Poland, but did not play.
29.
In October 2022, Ryan Gauld admitted that he had pretty much given up hope of being called up to the Scotland squad again.
30.
Ryan Gauld himself has spoken of his preference for Portuguese football over its Scottish equivalent, and expressed relief at the lower media interest in him at Sporting, opining that comparisons with Messi were exaggerated and premature.