PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Paciência is a virtue for Santa Clara | OneFootball

Gonçalo Paciência celebrates after scoring for Santa Clara in the season-opener against Nacional. (EDUARDO COSTA/LUSA ©)

Oh, how we missed you, Liga Portugal.

In Gameweek 1 of the 2026/2027, it was business as usual:

Futebol Clube do Porto saw out their 2-0 lead against FC Alverca with a stellar performance from Diogo Costa, who needs no introduction.

Sporting Clube de Portugal did not manage to see out their 2-0 lead at the perilous ‘Reboleira’ of Estrela da Amadora. It was the sixteenth (!) time the Lions had failed to win after leading under the stewardship of Rui Borges.

Sport Lisboa e Benfica dropped points in the inaugural fixture of the league campaign for the fourth straight year, ever since 2022/2023 when they won the entire thing under Roger Schmidt.

And another Dérbi das Ilhas (Island derby) did not disappoint as Azorean giants Santa Clara were evenly matched by Nacional da Madeira in an entertaining 2-2 draw.  Gonçalo Paciência’s brace was cancelled out by two efforts from Liziero and Baeza in a first-half comeback that featured all four goals.

Fun fact: Out of the 32 players used in a derby of the Portuguese archipelagos, 19 were of Brazilian nationality.

The 32-year-old Paciência was in good spirits after the game, telling Sport TV: “I’m the top goalscorer in Liga Portugal? Then let’s end the season here!”

The man with patience as his surname did not have to be very patient in this encounter, as he fired in two goals in the space of two minutes. However, it has not often been the case in a career often blighted by injury.

For the return of the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week series, this is the story of the journeyman veteran. Kevin Fernandes reports.

Porto in his blood

Gonçalo Mendes Paciência spent around 13 years at Futebol Clube do Porto from the age of eight, following in the footsteps of his father Domingos, also a striker who played 34 times for Portugal and scored 9 goals.

Young Gonçalo had quite the example to follow as Domingos left a legacy of over 100 goals scored and 18 titles won for Os Dragoes. Heavy expectation was placed on the technically sound forward, not due to nepotism, but his rise through the youth ranks for club and country.

In 53 caps from U-16 to U-23 level, Gonçalo scored 23 goals, racking up multiple youth titles and notable goal-scoring seasons domestically.

However, eventually deemed surplus to requirements by Sérgio Conceição in 2018, Gonçalo would depart Porto having scored just a single goal for the senior side.

The apple didn’t fall that far from the tree.

From Académica de Coimbra to Olympiakos to Rio Ave, these numerous loan spells would not convince the most successful club in Portugal of Gonçalo’s inconsistent goal-scoring ability and limited mobility, despite his undimmed ambition: “I only wanted to play for Porto, no-one else.”

His stretch in 2017/2018 at Vitória FC (Setúbal) would prove to be the most efficient in his career, one of two occasions in which he scored ten goals or more in a season, the other at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Thankful for Frankfurt

The pinnacle of his career was at the German club, where he conquered the UEFA Europa League, contributing with crucial goals along the unforgettable 2021/2022 campaign.

Five assists and twenty goals in 86 appearances did not exactly set the world alight, but Gonçalo is remembered fondly in the history of ‘Die Adler’.

In the league where Harry Kane currently operates, Gonçalo Paciência operated in a similar style. An apparent brute who could link play silkily. The stature of a target man but quite the underrated and unexpected technician.

Despite the evident quality and perceived potential, many believe that we never got to see the best of Gonçalo Paciência. In his own words, speaking to Portuguese outlet ZeroZero, he admitted his career has been “one of constant ups and downs.”

Checkered injury history

It is estimated (via Transfermarkt) that Paciência has been unavailable for over 700 accumulated days during his professional career for various injuries including recurring knee problems in Germany, Spain, Japan, Brazil and back in the motherland.

It is safe to say that Paciência has forged a respectable career in extremely unfavourable circumstances.

Perhaps we are about to witness the renaissance of PortuGOAL’s latest Figure of the Week in the twilight years of his career.

Kevin Fernandes’ Liga Portugal Team of the Week (GW1)