Wesley Lopes da Silva (born 10 November 1980), known mononymously as Wesley, is a Brazilian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a striker. Apart from his native country, he represented teams in Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Colombia. Wesley spent the most successful part of his career with Romanian club

Vaslui Vaslui (), a city in eastern Romania, is the seat of Vaslui County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia. The city administers five villages: Bahnari, Brodoc, Moara Grecilor, Rediu, and Viișoara. History Archaeological surveys indicate t ...

between 2009 and 2013, netting 61 times to become the

Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...

top foreign goalscorer. He went on to add three more goals to his record with a later spell at Politehnica Iași, before being surpassed by compatriot Eric de Oliveira in 2020. For his performances in the latter country, Wesley was twice named the league's Foreign Player of the Year. He won his only team trophy, the

Crown Prince Cup The Saudi Crown Prince's Cup () was the oldest Saudi Arabian annual cup competition. History The cup was the oldest and first domestic football competition in Saudi Arabia; the first edition was held in 1956–57; five editions were played betwe ...

, with Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Career

Wesley joined

Penafiel Penafiel ( or ) is a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality and former bishopric (now a Latin Catholic titular see) in the Norte Region, Portugal, northern Portugal, Portuguese Porto District, district of Porto. Capital of the Tâmega Subregion ...

who were then playing in the

Liga de Honra The Liga Portugal 2 (), also known as Liga Portugal Meu Super for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division of the Portuguese football league system. At the end of each season, the two top-finishing teams are promoted to the top-tier ...

on 14 August 2003. He scored 9 goals in his first season alongside Roberto who scored 20 goals and Hamilton dos Santos Júnior who scored 9 goals. This helped

top win promotion by finishing in third place. In his second season, he was the fourth top-scorer of the

Portuguese Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

. He crossed the border to join

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

newcomer

Deportivo Alavés Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D. (; ''Sporting Alavés''), usually known as Alavés, is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Basque ...

in August 2005. Wesley returned to Portugal in 2007 joining Paços Ferreira. In the 2007/08 season, he scored 11 goals. Wesley has moved to

Leixões The Port of Leixões (, ) is one of Portugal's major seaports, located 4 km north of the mouth of the Douro River, in Matosinhos municipality, near the city of Porto. Leixões Sport Club, commonly known simply as ''Leixões'', is Matosinh ...

for the 2008/09 season. On 24 November Wesley announced in a press conference that he would be moving to the Dubai club Al-Wahda at the end of December.

Vaslui

2009

Wesley completed his move to

SC Vaslui Fotbal Club Vaslui, commonly known as FC Vaslui, or simply as Vaslui (), was a Romanian professional football club based in Vaslui, Vaslui County, founded in 2002 and dissolved in 2014. Its official club colours were yellow and green, hence th ...

on a two-and-a-half-year contract on 22 January 2009 for an undisclosed fee reported to be $1m, which set a new record for

FC Vaslui Fotbal Club Vaslui, commonly known as FC Vaslui, or simply as Vaslui (), was a Romanian professional football club based in Vaslui, Vaslui County, founded in 2002 and dissolved in 2014. Its official club colours were yellow and green, hence t ...

and made him the most expensive footballer for the club. On 6 February, he made his unofficial debut for

, in the friendly match against

Standard Baku FK Standard Sumgayit () was an Azerbaijani football club. They played in the AFFA Supreme League, the top division in Azerbaijani football. Founded in Baku, the club moved to Sumgayit on 12 June 2009, which changed also club's name to Standard Su ...

. At the end of Vaslui's winter training camp, Wesley was his team's top scorer, netting five goals in seven games. On 27 February, Wesley capped his Liga I debut with a goal, scoring Vaslui's only goal from

Nemanja Milisavljević Nemanja Milisavljević (; born 1 November 1984) is a Serbian retired footballer who played as a winger. Club career Born in Brus, Milisavljević made his first senior appearances with Radnički Niš in 2002. He spent three seasons at the clu ...

's cross in a 1–1 away draw against Steaua București. On 14 March, he scored Vaslui's first goal, from the penalty spot in a 3–0 away win against

Gloria Bistriţa Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...

. One week later, he scored his third goal for

, in a 4–2 home league win against Farul Constanţa, counting his first goal on Municipal. On 14 April, Wesley scored Vaslui's first goal from a scissor-kick following Nemanja Milisavljević's cross, in a cup match against Unirea Urziceni, helping his team to advance in the semi-finals for the first time. Four days later, during a two-minute stretch in the first half against Politehnica Timișoara, Vaslui came back from a two-goal deficit to win the match with 4–3, with Wesley scoring one of the goals. On 11 June, he scored Vaslui's winning goal against Universitatea Craiova, helping his team finishing fifth in Liga I and securing its spot for UEFA Europa League, for the second year in a row. He ended his first season in Romania, netting eight goals and providing one assist for SC Vaslui in all competitions.

2009–2010 season

On 30 July 2009, Wesley capped his first appearance in European club competition, playing 90 full minutes, in the 2–0 home win against Omonia Nicosia. On 6 August, he scored in the second leg against Omonia Nicosia from an 18-yard free kick, qualifying Vaslui in UEFA Europa League's play-off round. On 16 August, he scored Vaslui's equalizer in the home league draw against FC Braşov. Four days later, he scored two goals in the first leg from the play-off round against AEK Athens. Vaslui went on winning with 2–1. However, Vaslui failed to qualify in the group stages, following a 3–0 away loss in the second leg. On 30 August, Wesley scored the winning goal against arch rivals Politehnica Iaşi, eight minutes before the final whistle. On 3 October, Wesley scored his team's first goal in Marius Lăcătuş's first competitive match as manager, in Vaslui's 3–1 home win over Astra Ploieşti. On 16 October, he scored Vaslui's winning goal against former champions Unirea Urziceni, following Roberto Delgado's cross. It was also Vaslui's first win against Unirea Urziceni, from its history. On 23 November, he scored Vaslui's second goal against CFR Cluj, helping his team winning its eighth match in a row, in all competitions. On 13 December, Wesley scored Vaslui's last goal from 2009, in a 1–1 away draw against Dinamo București, taking his tally of goals in all competitions to 11. He also wore the captain's armband for the first time, due to the absence of regular club captain Bogdan Buhuş. On 18 March 2010, he scored two goals in a 3–1 away league win against Politehnica Iaşi, helping his team winning the first away game since November. On 3 April, Wesley scored his first Liga I hat-trick, against Unirea Alba Iulia, in a 3–0 victory. On 15 April, he helped his team to qualify in the Romanian Cup final for the first time, scoring Vaslui's second, in the 4–0 victory against FC Braşov. On 22 May, he scored his last goal of the season from the penalty spot, in the 2–0 home league victory against Dinamo București, taking his tally of goals to 12 in Liga I, and 17 in all competitions. On 26 May, he captained his side in the Romanian Cup final, eventually lost by Vaslui at the penalty shootout. He was named in the Liga I Team of the Year for the 2009–10 season by '' TOP Gazeta''.

2010–2011 season

Wesley scored his first goal from the 2010–11 campaign on 6 August, in a 1–1 away league draw against Universitatea Cluj, coming off the bench in the seventy-sixth minute to score from the penalty spot. On 13 September, he scored Vaslui's second goal in an emphatic 4–0 home league victory over Otelul Galaţi. Six days later, he scored against Dinamo București, in a 2–1 away victory. Later, one of these goals was taken away from Wesley and considered an own-goal. On 22 September, he missed his spot kick in the penalty shoot-out, leading to a premature sent off to his team from the Romanian Cup. On 26 November, he scored his fifth league goal in a 3–1 home win over Pandurii Târgu Jiu. On 6 December, Wesley shared with Eric de Oliveira, the Foreign Player of The Year award from FRF at the Romanian Football Ceremony from Bucharest. On 7 December, Wesley expressed his intention to leave Vaslui. Adrian Porumboiu confirmed one day later, that the player can leave to any club, for a substantial amount of cash. Later that month, both Steaua and CFR Cluj expressed their interest for the Brazilian player. However, on 18 January, Wesley signed a new three-year deal with Vaslui. On 28 February, Wesley came off the bench at the half-time and scored two goals against FCM Târgu Mureş, maintaining his team in the title chase. On 9 April, he scored Vaslui's first, in a 2–0 home league win against Dinamo București. On 27 April, he scored Vaslui's winning goal against Universitatea Craiova, from an 18-yard free-kick eight minutes before the final whistle. On 15 May, he scored his last goal of the season, against Sportul Studenţesc, taking his tally of goals to 13 in Liga I, a personal record since he started playing for Vaslui. He ended third in Liga I with his team, for the second year in a row.

2011–2012 season

On 4 August 2011, Wesley has been appointed captain, following Gabriel Cânu's long-term injury. On 15 August, Wesley scored Vaslui's first goal against Concordia Chiajna in a 3–0 victory, which ended a four-game goalless streak for his team. However, he was substituted in the forty-second minute, due to an injury that forced him to miss the first leg of UEFA Europa League play-off match against Sparta Prague. He made his come-back in the second leg, leading his team to a historical qualification in the group stages of UEFA Europa League. It was also Wesley's 100th match played for Vaslui in all competitions. On 11 September, he scored Vaslui's first goal against Dinamo București, in a 3–1 home league victory. It was also Wesley's fifth personal goal against Dinamo, in the last five games. Four days later, Wesley scored two goals in the first match from the group stages of UEFA Europa League, in a 2–2 away draw against Lazio. On 22 September, Wesley scored two goals against Voinţa Livezile in a Romanian Cup match, which ultimately handed Vaslui an 8–0 victory, while at the same time he managed to eclipse Valentin Badea as Vaslui's all-time leading goalscorer. Three days later, he managed to equalize Demollari's record 36-goal tally in Liga I, scoring twice against Voinţa Sibiu. On 3 October, he scored his second Liga I hat-trick against

CS Mioveni Clubul Sportiv Mioveni (), commonly known as CS Mioveni or simply Mioveni, was a Romanian professional football club based in Mioveni, Argeș County, that competed in the Liga II. The team was founded in 2000 as ''AS Mioveni'' and began playin ...

, becoming Liga I's top foreign player goalscorer. Wesley was sent off in a Europa League match against

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

on 20 October, for hitting João Pereira with his forehead. He was punished with a four-match ban by

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

, decision contested by

officials. On 30 October, Wesley scored his season's second hat-trick in the 4–0 home league win against

FCM Târgu Mureş The word FCM may refer to: Science and technology * FCM (chemotherapy), a chemotherapy regimen * Flow cytometry * Food contact materials * Fuel-containing material * Flight control module, a computer that assists in the control of an aircraft ...

. On 8 December, he lifted the Foreign Player of the Year Award at the Fanatik Awards Ceremony. On 19 December, Wesley also received the Liga I Foreign of The Year award from LPF and FRF at the Romanian Football Ceremony for the second year in a row. On 22 December, Wesley also won ''

Gazeta Sporturilor Gazeta Sporturilor () is a Romanian sports website, originally founded in 1924 as a daily newspaper. It was the third-oldest daily newspaper in Europe, with 99 years of uninterrupted publication, before issuing its last edition on 31 October 2023. ...

's'' Liga I Foreign Footballer of the Year Award, beating his teammate Adaílton. On 3 January 2012, Wesley won ProSport's Foreign Player of the Year, counting his fourth award at this section in only one year. On 15 March 2012, he helped his team to qualify in the Romanian Cup semi-finals, for the third time in the last four years, scoring twice against Oțelul Galați. Four days later, he scored his season's third hat-trick against Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț, taking his tally of goals up to 26 in all competitions. He ended the season as the top goal scorer of

with 27 goals. He was awarded the Liga I Golden Boot for his 27 goals.

Career statistics

Honours

Vaslui *

runner-up: 2011–12 *

Cupa României The Cupa României () is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. It is the Romania ...

runner-up:

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Al-Hilal *

Individual *''

'' Foreign Player of the Year in Romania: 2011, 2012 *

Player of the Season: 2010, 2012 *

top goalscorer: 2011–12 *

Saudi Professional League The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...

top goalscorer: Runner-up

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Records *Vaslui top goalscorer: 77 goals

References

External links

* * * *
Wesley at Goal.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wesley 1980 births Living people Footballers from Vila Velha Men's association football forwards Brazilian men's footballers Brazilian expatriate men's footballers Associação Atlética Ponte Preta players Fortaleza Esporte Clube players F.C. Penafiel players Deportivo Alavés players Vitória S.C. players Grasshopper Club Zurich players F.C. Paços de Ferreira players Leixões S.C. players FC Vaslui players Al-Hilal Saudi FC players Millonarios F.C. players FC Politehnica Iași (2010) players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Primeira Liga players Liga Portugal 2 players La Liga players Segunda División players Liga I players Saudi Pro League players Swiss Super League players Categoría Primera A players Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Colombia Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Romania Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen