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Exclusive interview
With six goals and five assists in 20 games across all competitions, Ryan Gauld has been an impact player for the Vancouver Whitecaps since he arrived from the Portuguese side Farense in July. In an exclusive interview with Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old speaks about his exceptional career path from Scotland to Portugal and then Major League Soccer, his impact on the season, and his national team ambitions.
“My plan was always to be playing in Europe, even when I was just 13-14 years old,” Gauld said when asked about leaving Dundee United as a 19-year-old to join Lisbon-based Sporting. The Portuguese giants paid $3 million for the teenager, who at the time was described as the Scottish Messi, a term that comes with expectations that to this day makes Gauld uncomfortable.
Perhaps it was the overly high expectations in his talent, but Gauld failed to break into Sporting’s first team. Instead, the technically gifted playmaker was sent out on loan, first to Vitória Setúbal, then Desportivo Aves, then Farense, back to Scotland at Hibernian and then finally Sporting sold Gauld to Farense in 2019.
Gauld: “I came to the conclusion that the MLS was what was best”
That sort of career path is not uncommon for young players heading to Portugal. The three big Portuguese sides Sporting, Benfica, and Porto, are very much under pressure to develop talent quickly and move those players on with a profit; it is a pressure cooker that can produce stars but can also see players fall through the crack.
In Gauld’s case, the escape from Sporting and consistent playing time at Farense finally unearthed his talent. First, he led Farense to the Portuguese first division by scoring nine goals and three assists in LigaPro in 2019/20 and then was the best player while the club struggled in Liga NOS throughout the 2020/21 season scoring nine goals and seven assists in 33 games.
I sat back and took a look at what could be the right next step for my career. So, I came to the conclusion that the MLS was what was best.
It was not enough to keep Farense in the league, however, and for Gauld, it was time to move on. “I spent seven years in Portugal,” Gauld said. “I sat back and took a look at what could be the right next step for my career. So, I came to the conclusion that the MLS was what was best.”
With Farense relegated, Gauld was a free agent, at least on paper. But the Portuguese club argued differently, triggering a clause in Gauld’s contract. A looming legal battle was quickly settled when the Whitecaps paid a small fee to make Farense go away.
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Gauld on Whitecaps transfer: “Was always confident a deal would get done”
“I was always confident that a deal would get done,” Gauld said when asked about the situation. Not that Gauld was impressed: “From the day the season ended, I knew I was going to be a free agent. But then Farense didn’t make things easy, which didn’t feel that good, especially after everything I gave them.”
The transfer was completed while the Whitecaps were still playing abroad, in exile in Utah because of the COVID-19 situation. The club played their last game at the Rio Tinto as a host on Jul. 31 against Minnesota United and then had three road games while getting ready to finally return to BC Place.
It was, therefore, not until Aug. 21 that Gauld finally got to play a home game, and fittingly he would score his first goal for the club, it turned out to be the winner against Los Angeles FC (2-1). Then five days later, Gauld scored twice in the Canadian Championship defeat to Pacific FC (3-4), the game that would ultimately lead to the dismissal of head coach Marc Dos Santos.
Ryan Gauld celebrates one of his six goals scored for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2021
Not exactly an easy situation to walk into, but Gauld dealt with it very well. “I think I have had a bit of experience with that because there was a lot of noise made when I left Scotland at 18,” Gauld said. “I didn’t handle that so well, but it meant I had more experience this time around. I just focused on football and nothing else. Put the noise behind me and focus on the team.”
Gauld: MLS “quite challenging” and a “very even competition”
Gauld certainly did, and together with forward Brian White, the Scotsman became a cornerstone for a Whitecaps team that under interims—now permanent—head coach Vanni Sartini would go on an unbelievable run to make the MLS Cup Playoffs. “Considering I came in the middle of the season after a couple of months without training, it has gone really well,” Gauld said.
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But what about his experience in MLS this season? “I’ve found it quite challenging,” Gauld said. “People in Europe don’t tend to think of it as a great league, but I think that is just a bit of arrogance and the fact that they don’t watch it because of the time zones, so they just jump to conclusions. You have seen some brilliant players come over here and struggle. Just look at [Gonzalo] Higuaín at Miami; he admitted thinking that it would be easy and has found it really hard.”
“In Portugal, there is a huge difference between the top teams and the bottom teams,” Gauld said. “The salary cap makes the league very even, and someone can have a great year one season and a bad year the next season. It makes for a very exciting competition.”
Gauld has been one of the biggest attractions in MLS, instantly improving a team that could emerge as one of the clubs to watch ahead of the 2022 season and improving his market value to $7.15 million, which makes him one of the 25 most valuable players in the league. As one of the best players in the league, the question arises: could he be a candidate for a Scottish national team that is still looking to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?
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“I don’t know if I am being watched,” Gauld said when asked whether he has been in contact with Steve Clarke. “I know as much as you guys. All I can do really is to keep my head down and work hard, focus on the Whitecaps. I hope at some point Steve Clarke, and his staff thinks I deserve a chance, but you know I am not going to put too much expectations on it.”
There is certainly a stereotype that British-based national teams often overlook non-British-based players. But the way Gauld has been playing for Vancouver, the 25-year-old has made a good case for himself and a call up to Scotland’s national team.
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