What became of former wonderkid Ryan Gauld?

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ryan gauld
Vancouver Whitecaps FC

There are so many stories of young footballers being hyped up. Many of these players end up as wonderkids on Football Manager. As we all know, these players don’t always live up to their potential.

One player who fits into that category of player is Scottish international winger Ryan Gauld, who was once labelled ‘The Scottish Messi’.

Who is Ryan Gauld?

The Scotland international first appeared on FM14 as a 17-year-old playing for Dundee United, and in his first few years in the game he was a wonderkid, including having a particularly high potential in FM15.

In fact, he would start as a wonderkid and then go on to become a world-class in a few editions of the game. As he grew in age, he still remained a player with big potential until he reached his mid-20s. His FM potential was a good reflection of his immense real-life potential and ability.

A big move to Portuguese giants doesn’t really work out

His ability and potential were enough to convince Portuguese giants Sporting CP to pay Dundee United £3m for the diminutive winger. Despite the fact that Gauld was so young, he had already made 50 appearances for his first club, scoring a creditable eight goals for United.

The attacking midfielder didn’t play much for Sporting CP’s first team. He spent the majority of his early days in Portugal in the Sporting B team, playing for them for two and half seasons while making just two appearances in the first team.

From 2016 until 2019, Gauld was farmed out on loan to Vitoria Setubal, Aves, Farense and Hibs. Unfortunately for the Scottish star, it didn’t quite work out during any of the temporary spells away from the Portuguese capital.

He struggled for first-team football, with the most games he played in a season 2017/18 season with Aves when he made 23 appearances in all competitions.

It was in 2019, only when he re-joined Portuguese second-tier team, Farense, for an undisclosed fee, that he started to fulfil his early career potential.

Gauld suddenly hit a purple patch in front of goal, scoring nine goals in 24 appearances in all competitions and helping his team to secure promotion back to the Primeira Liga. The following season, his decent form continued in the Portuguese top flight. This time, he scored nine goals in 34 competitive appearances for Farense.

Thriving in the MLS

In 2021, Gauld was again on the move, this time joining the MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £300,000.

Gauld was one of Vancouver’s Designated Players, so big things were expected of the Scot. In his first season with Vancouver, he scored six times and produced five assists in all competitions.

In 2022, Gauld scored eight times and produced nine assists as he helped the Whitecaps win the Canadian Championship. However, Vancouver missed out on the MLS play-offs.

A year later, Gauld scored the winning penalty kick against Vancouver to help his team retain the Canadian Championship. It was the best season of his professional career at the time, as Gauld scored 11 goals and also produced 13 assists in all competitions.

In November 2023, the winger won the club’s Player of the Year award for the second straight season. Gauld’s excellent run in the USA top flight continued in 2024, as he once again bettered his tally goal and assist tallies, scoring 17 goals and producing 16 assists.

It is fair to say his time in Vancouver has been highly successful. In his whole Whitecaps career, Gauld has scored 43 goals and produced 45 assists in all competitions. He has also won the Canadian Championship on three occasions while being named in the MLS All-Star team in 2024.

Ryan Gauld may not have quite reached the heights predicted of him by Football Manager or many early observers, but he has enjoyed a highly respectable career in MLS. It seems he has found a place where he can do his best work, which is a good result by anybody’s standards.

Did you ever use Ryan Gauld as a wonderkid on Football Manager?