Hélio José Vaz (born 19 December 1990) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for C.D. Cova da Piedade as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Club career

Born in Montijo, Setúbal District, Vaz started playing with hometown club

C.D. Montijo Clube Desportivo de Montijo commonly known as simply as Montijo was a football club from the city of Montijo, Setúbal. The club was founded in 1948 and folded in 2007 due to financial problems. As Clube Desportivo de Montijo, it played in the P ...

, whose academy he joined at the age of 12. In 2008, for his last year as a junior, he signed with S.L. Benfica. Upon his arrival, he said that representing the latter was always a dream of his, and that he hoped it would also open the doors of the under-18 national team. At the end of his youth career, and as Vaz was one of highest goalscorers throughout the season only behind

Nélson Oliveira Nélson Miguel Castro Oliveira (; born 8 August 1991) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Super League club PAOK. Formed at S.L. Benfica, he made 24 appearances and scored three goals for the club, whil ...

, Benfica decided to offer him a professional contract and loan him. He started out at

C.D. Mafra Clube Desportivo Mafra is a Portuguese football club, currently playing in the Liga Bwin. They are based in the town of Mafra and own Campo Doutor Mário Silveira stadium, but the games are played in Estádio Municipal de Mafra. Founded in 1965 ...

, whom he represented in the opening stages of 2009–10. Due to the lack of playing time, he moved to fellow

third division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

team

C.D. Tondela Clube Desportivo de Tondela () is a Portuguese professional football club that plays in Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. They are based in the town of Tondela, located in Viseu District, and play in the Estádio João Cardoso ...

for the remainder of the season. Vaz was a regular fixture in the early training sessions of Benfica's main squad the following campaign, but in January 2011 he was loaned to

Casa Pia A.C. Casa Pia Atlético Clube is a Portuguese multi-sports founded in 1920 and based in Lisbon, Portugal, best-known for its football team, that competes in the Primeira Liga. The club is named after Casa Pia, a Portuguese children's charity, and many ...

of the third tier. For 2011–12, in also on loan, he joined Segunda Liga's

Atlético Clube de Portugal Atlético Clube de Portugal is a Portuguese club, located in the city of Lisbon, more precisely in the parish of Alcântara. It was founded on 18 September 1942 due to the merger of two clubs of Alcântara (Carcavelinhos Football Club) and Santo ...

, making his professional debut on 7 August 2011 by coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute in a 1–1 away draw against

Portimonense S.C. Portimonense Sporting Clube is a Portuguese sports club based in Portimão. Founded on 14 August 1914, it is most notable for its professional association football, football team, which currently plays in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...

in the first round of the

Taça da Liga The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual football club competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the Primeira Liga and LigaPro, the top two tier ...

. Subsequently, Vaz opted to terminate his contract with Benfica and join division three club U.D. Leiria, scoring ten goals in his debut season to help to a seventh-place finish. His performances attracted interest abroad, and he signed with Doxa Katokopias FC in the Cypriot First Division on a two-year deal, only to return to his previous team three months later. Vaz moved to

G.D. Peniche Grupo Desportivo de Peniche is a Portuguese football club located in Peniche, Portugal. The club was founded on January 30, 1941 and currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal (''Serie C''), holding home matches at Estádio do G.D. Peniche ...

still in the third division at the beginning of the 2016 winter transfer window.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaz, Helio 1990 births Living people People from Montijo, Portugal Portuguese footballers Association football forwards Liga Portugal 2 players Segunda Divisão players C.D. Montijo players Clube Olímpico do Montijo players S.L. Benfica footballers C.D. Mafra players C.D. Tondela players Casa Pia A.C. players Atlético Clube de Portugal players U.D. Leiria players G.D. Peniche players S.C.U. Torreense players GS Loures players Lusitano G.C. players C.D. Cova da Piedade players Doxa Katokopias FC players Portuguese expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Cyprus Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Sportspeople from Setúbal District