Gonçalo Jardim Brandão (born 9 October 1986 in Lisbon) is a Portuguese footballer who currently plays for A.C. Siena in the Italian first division.

Mainly a central defender, he can also appear as a left back, with aggressive defensive skills.

[edit] Club career

A product of hometown C.F. Os Belenenses' youth system, Brandão made is debut in the first division against F.C. Porto, scoring in a 1–4 home loss, on 18 October 2003, aged 17. Ironically, he only managed another seven first team appearances in the next three seasons combined, with a loan to Charlton Athletic in 2005-06 in between (no league matches played).

On 4 February 2007, Brandão played his first league match after his Belenenses return against Vitória de Setúbal.^[1] In June 2008, it was announced he had signed with Serie A's A.C. Siena. After a shaky start (he made his league debut only on December 20, in a 1–2 home defeat against Internazionale), he finished his first season as an undisputed starter.

[edit] International career

After having represented the Portuguese under-21s,^[2] Brandão made his main team debut on 31 March 2009, appearing as a left back in a 2–0 friendly win over South Africa, in Lausanne, Switzerland.^[3]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Stats and profile at Zerozero
• Gonçalo Brandão career stats at Soccerbase
• Official website (Portuguese)