Rui Pires

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Guerra and the second or paternal family name is Pires.

Rui Pires
Pires in a press conference with Troyes in 2019
Personal information
Full name Rui Miguel Guerra Pires
Date of birth (1998-03-22) 22 March 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Mirandela, Portugal
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Lion City Sailors
Number 8
Youth career
–2008 Mirandela
2009–2015 Porto
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Porto B 69 (0)
2019–2022 Troyes 32 (0)
2021–2023 Paços de Ferreira 52 (0)
2023– Lion City Sailors 6 (0)
International career
2015–2016 Portugal U18 7 (0)
2016–2017 Portugal U19 5 (0)
2017–2018 Portugal U20 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 August 2024

Rui Miguel Guerra Pires (born 22 March 1998) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors.

Club career

Porto B

Rui began his journey in the acclaimed youth system of FC Porto, where he progressed through the ranks, featuring prominently in its Under-15, U17, and U19 sides. He was subsequently promoted to Porto's B side.

On 7 August 2016, Pires made his professional debut with Porto B in a 2016–17 LigaPro match against Aves.[1]

Troyes

On 9 July 2019, Pires moved on a free transfer to Ligue 2 side Troyes. He make his debut for the club on 26 July in 2–0 win over Chamois Niort. On 26 October, Pires assisted Lenny Pintor who then went on to scored the winner in the 85th minute in a 1–0 win over Lorient. In December, he suffered anterior cruciate ligament injury ending his season prematurely. He ended up making 13 appearances in his first season.[2]

Pires make his returned on 28 September 2020 coming on as a substitution in a 1–0 win over Clermont Foot. He won the French second-tier Ligue 2 with Troyes in the 2020–21 season where he make 19 appearances.

Paços de Ferreira

On 26 July 2021, Pires returned to Portugal and joined Paços de Ferreira on loan.[3] His loan was made permanent after a successful loan.

During his time with Paços Ferreira, Rui showed his capabilities on the European stage, making two appearances in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers against Tottenham Hotspurs.

Lion City Sailors

On 29 June 2023, it was reported by the Portuguese press that Pires had moved to Singapore to play for Lion City Sailors.[4] He was officially announced as the new signing for the team on 14 July 2023 signing a two-year contract however, as the foreign quota for the league slot is full, Pires will be registered in the club 2023–24 AFC Champions League matches instead.[5] On 26 July 2023, Pires make his debut for the club in a friendly match against Tottenham Hotspurs at the Singapore National Stadium. On 20 September 2023, Pires played his first official game for the club in the 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage fixture against Thai club Bangkok United in a 2–1 lost.

On 18 July 2024, Pires make his league debut in a 5–0 lost to Tampines Rovers. During the 2024–25 ASEAN Club Championship against Indonesian club Borneo Samarinda, he picked up his second yellow card 35 seconds after receiving the first yellow where he sees red for the first time of his career.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 September 2024[6]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Domestic Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Porto B 2016–17 LigaPro 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0
2017–18 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 0
2018–19 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 0
Total 69 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 69 0
Troyes 2019–20 Ligue 2 13 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 15 0
2020–21 19 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 20 0
Total 32 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 35 0
Paços de Ferreira 2021–22 Primeira Liga 21 0 3 0 2 0 2 0 28 0
2022–23 31 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 33 0
Total 52 0 4 0 3 0 2 0 61 0
Lion City Sailors 2023 Singapore Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 6 0
2024–25 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 [a] 0 8 0
Total 7 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 14 0
Career Total 160 0 6 0 4 0 9 0 179 0
  1. ^ 1 in ASEAN Club Championship and 0 in AFC Champions League Two

International

U20 International caps

No Date Venue Opponent Result Competition
1 31 August 2017 Estádio Municipal de Abrantes, Portugal  Czech Republic 0-3 (lost) 2017–18 Under 20 Elite League
2 4 September 2017 Sportpark Middelmors, Netherlands  Netherlands 0-1 (lost) 2017–18 Under 20 Elite League
3 5 October 2017 Stade des Arbères, Switzerland   Switzerland 1-1 (draw) 2017–18 Under 20 Elite League
4 9 November 2017 Stadion Miejsk, Poland  Poland 2-1 (won) 2017–18 Under 20 Elite League
5 22 March 2018 Estádio Municipal Sérgio Conceição, Portugal  Germany 0-1 (lost) 2017–18 Under 20 Elite League
6 27 March 2018 Academy Stadium, England  England 0-3 (lost) 2017–18 Under 20 Elite League

U19 International caps

No Date Venue Opponent Result Competition
1 6 October 2016 Estádio Municipal de Fátima, Portugal  Italy 1-2 (lost) Friendly
2 9 October 2016 Municipal da Marinha Grande, Portugal  Italy 2-1 (won) Friendly
3 15 November 2016 Stadion Beroe, Bulgaria  Denmark 2-1 (won) 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification
4 23 March 2017 Estádio da Mata Real, Portugal  Croatia 2-1 (won) 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification
5 28 March 2017 Estádio da Mata Real, Portugal  Poland 3-1 (won) 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification
6 2 July 2017 Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium, Georgia  Georgia 1-0 (won) 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship
7 5 July 2017 David Petriashvili Stadium, Georgia  Czech Republic 2-1 (won) 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship
8 12 July 2017 David Petriashvili Stadium, Georgia  Netherlands 1-0 (won) 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship
9 15 July 2017 Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium, Georgia  England 1-2 (lost) 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship

Honours

Club

Troyes

Lion City Sailors

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Aves 2-1 Porto B". ForaDeJogo. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Rui Pires (Ex-FC Porto) operado ao joelho direito".
  3. ^ "RUI PIRES CHEGA AO FC PAÇOS DE FERREIRA" (in Portuguese). Paços de Ferreira. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Piers leaves Paco for LCS".
  5. ^ "Rui Pires signs to power Sailors' second foray into AFC Champions League".
  6. ^ "Rui Pires". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Technical Report". UEFA.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.