Bruno João Morais Aguiar (born 24 February 1981) is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a central midfielder.
After an unsuccessful spell with Benfica, although he contributed to the team's first Primeira Liga title in over one decade, he left the club in 2005, going on to play professionally in Scotland and Cyprus.
Club career
Benfica
Born in Lisbon, Aguiar grew in local S.L. Benfica's youth system, but spent the vast majority of his spell as a senior with their reserves. Additionally, he also served two loans, at Gil Vicente FC – six months – and F.C. Alverca, helping the former farm team return to the Primeira Liga in the second of his two full seasons, after which he returned to his alma mater.[1]
2006–07 did not start so well for Aguiar, as he was sent off in the first leg of Hearts' Champions League third round qualifier against AEK Athens FC, after receiving a second yellow card for throwing the ball away with a 1–0 lead – the Greek utilised their subsequent one-man advantage to win it 2–1.[8] A lengthy eighteen-month injury layoff soon followed for the player,[9] and he made his return to first-team action in October 2008, in the Edinburgh Derby where he scored a free-kick to earn his team a draw;[10] on 9 December he was awarded the Clydesdale Bank Premier League Player of the Month award for the previous month,[11] and ended the 2008–09 season as top scorer in the squad with seven goals.[12]
On 1 June 2009, Hearts confirmed Aguiar's departure following the expiration of his contract, leaving him free to sign with another club. He stated that he had enjoyed his time at the Tynecastle Stadium, with the Scottish Cup victory and second-place finish in the league in 2006 being personal highlights, as well as wishing them the best for the future.[13]