Joaquim Claude Gonçalves Araújo

Every senior move Claude Gonçalves has made has cost his new club nothing. Ajaccio, Tondela, Troyes, Gil Vicente, Ludogorets, Legia — six clubs, six free transfers, no fee paid at any point.

The midfielder came up through the youth ranks at AC Ajaccio, played for the B team from 2012, and made his senior debut in 2013. In 2014 he won five caps for the Portugal Under-20s, among them appearances at the Toulon Tournament. He has not been capped by the senior side of either Portugal or France, though he holds citizenship of both.

Portugal took him next: CD Tondela from 2016 to 2018, then a season back in France with ESTAC Troyes, then Gil Vicente FC from 2019.

The trophies came in Bulgaria. Gonçalves joined PFC Ludogorets Razgrad in 2021 and left three years later having won the First Professional Football League three seasons running — 2021–22, 2022–23 and 2023–24 — along with the Bulgarian Cup in 2022–23 and the Supercup in 2021 and 2022. He also turned out three times for Ludogorets II in 2022.

Legia Warszawa signed him in July 2024 on a contract running to June 2027. In his first season in Poland he added the Polish Cup for 2024–25.

Born in Propriano, on Corsica, he plays in the centre of midfield or just in front of the defence.