Clésio Palmirim David Baúque (born 11 October 1994), known simply as Clésio, is a Mozambican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Emirati side Al Arabi and the Mozambique national team.
Born in Maputo, Clésio started with Ferroviário and after becoming the top scorer of Moçambola with 6 goals, he signed for Benfica in September 2012, joining the Portuguese club in January 2013.[1][2] Before joining Benfica, he claimed to be inspired to follow in the footsteps of Eusébio.[3] He was assigned to the under-19 side, playing nine matches and scoring twice.[4]
On 14 March 2014, Clésio was loaned to American club Harrisburg City Islanders,[5] a team competing in the United Soccer League, the third tier of the United States soccer league system.[6] He made his debut on 6 April, in an away draw against the Wilmington Hammerheads,[7] and scored his first goal on 17 May, bagging a double within five minutes to give the City Islanders the lead over Dayton Dutch Lions.[8] On 12 June, he added another goal and helped his team beat the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, to win their first league game in four match-days.[9] On 24 August, he netted a double in a 2–2 draw with Rochester Rhinos, increasing his goal tally to five.[10] It would be his last match for the City Islanders, having started 9 games in 20 appearances in total throughout their season.[11]
After returning to Benfica, the 20-year old moved to the Benfica B in the Segunda Liga, making his debut on 1 February 2015, replacing Nuno Santos on the 87th minute of a home loss with Leixões.[12] On 24 May 2015, Clésio scored his first goal for Benfica B in a home win against Vitória de Guimarães B. His goal was an individual effort where he dribble past several players and finished in front of Miguel Oliveira.[13] In 2015–16, he remained in the B-team, playing four times in nine match-days.[14] However, after Nélson Semedo injury, Rui Vitória promoted him to the first team and converted him to play right-back against Tondela on 30 October.[15] It would be his sole appearance for the main team, as he was immediately demoted back to the reserves.
On 30 January 2016, Clésio moved to Panetolikos, penning a three-year deal with the Greek-side.[16][17] He made his Greek Superleague debut on 8 February 2016 in an away game against Panionios.
On 10 July 2019, Clésio signed a one-year contract with Azerbaijani club Gabala.[18]
On 18 July 2020, Zira announced the signing of Clésio.[19]
On 28 February 2023, Clésio signed a multi-year contract with Honka in Finland.[20] After the season, Honka was suddenly declared for bankruptcy, and Clésio was released.
On 9 January 2024, Clésio returned to Azerbaijan and re-signed with Gabala on a 2.5-year contract.[21] On 27 May 2024, Gabala announced that Clésio and five others had left the club with their contracts expiring.[22]
At the youth level he played in the 2013 COSAFA U-20 Cup.[23]
Clésio made his senior international debut for Mozambique on 15 November 2011 against Comoros during the first round of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. In the match, he also scored his first international goal, the fourth goal of the 4–1 victory. He was also part of Mozambique's squad during 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.[24]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Benfica B | 2013–14 | LigaPro | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2014–15 | LigaPro | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 4 | 1 | |||||
| 2015–16 | LigaPro | 9 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 9 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 13 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13 | 1 | ||
| Harrisburg City Islanders (loan) | 2014 | USL Pro | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 | ||
| Benfica | 2015–16 | Primeira Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| Panetolikos | 2015–16 | Super League Greece | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Super League Greece | 25 | 1 | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | 30 | 2 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Super League Greece | 24 | 1 | 5 | 2 | – | – | – | 29 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 56 | 2 | 10 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 66 | 5 | ||
| İstanbulspor | 2018–19 | TFF 1. Lig | 25 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 26 | 3 | |||
| Gabala | 2019–20 | Azerbaijan Premier League | 18 | 0 | 2 | 3 | – | 2[b] | 0 | – | 22 | 3 | ||
| Zira | 2020–21 | Azerbaijan Premier League | 28 | 5 | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | 32 | 6 | |||
| Marítimo | 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Primeira Liga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
| Marítimo B | 2021–22 | Campeonato de Portugal | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Honka | 2023 | Veikkausliiga | 25 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | – | 31 | 6 | |
| Gabala | 2023–24 | Azerbaijan Premier League | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 13 | 1 | |||
| Al-Arabi | 2024–25 | UAE First Division | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 223 | 22 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 250 | 30 | ||
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 November 2011 | Estádio do Zimpeto, Maputo, Mozambique |  Comoros |
4–1 | 4–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 29 February 2012 | Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |  Tanzania |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3. | 16 November 2016 | Estádio do Zimpeto, Maputo, Mozambique |  South Africa |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 4. | 25 March 2017 |  Angola |
1–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 5. | 10 September 2019 |  Mauritius |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 6. | 18 June 2023 | Stade Huye, Butare, Rwanda |  Rwanda |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 7. | 9 September 2023 | Estádio do Zimpeto, Maputo, Mozambique |  Benin |
1–1 | 3–2 | |
| 8. | 16 November 2023 | Obed Itani Chilume Stadium, Francistown, Botswana |  Botswana |
1–0 | 3–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9. | 14 January 2024 | Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Egypt |
2–1 | 2–2 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations |
Benfica
