Why Claudio Braga opted for Hearts transfer as insider shares why Jambos are perfect match for 'firework' star

He’s a unique star who’s installed himself as a Hearts hero - and Claudio Braga’s former club stand thrilled to see Tynecastle fall in love with the striker like the way they did.

Braga is a player of the year candidate in Scotland after a terrific maiden season in the Premiership as Derek McInnes’ side push for the title. The Portuguese forward has played a key role up front, contributing 17 goals for Hearts, who sit first by a point heading into five defining post-split matches.

Immortality in Gorgie awaits Braga and his teammates if Hearts win the league for the first time since 1960, but the forward has already endeared himself to everyone in maroon regardless. His friendly nature off the park and enthusiasm for football shine through and it’s no surprise to Aalesunds FK CEO Tarjei Gjendemso Omenas, who worked to bring him to the Norwegian side from another, Moss. Form in Norway caught Hearts’ attention and while the potential was clear, moving him centrally from the flank has been key to moulding Braga into the player he is now.

Why did Hearts sign Claudio Braga?

“Claudio was playing at a club in Norway called Moss,”Omenas told the Evening News. “After just a few months in that club we started scouting him, talked to him, talked to his agents, and tried to bring him to Aalesunds the first window. We succeeded in the second window. He was a firework in Norwegian football after he came to Moss, and with us in Aalesund as well, so he was an easy player to scout.

“We did a job here in Aalesunds with Braga, because his dedication, his hunger to succeed is clear, and he has a special relationship with football. You can see that he's playing with so much passion and everything. But we worked hard with his skills so he was in the box more, more as a striker, being near the goal as often as possible.

“He was drifting a lot out on the wing and wanted to play for himself sometimes. So after we succeeded with bringing him more central in the pitch and more in front of the goal, we see that bigger clubs were more interested, and they tried to get in contact with him. So it was not only Hearts that were in for him during that summer window, it was maybe four or five other clubs as well that were in touch and tried to get him.”

His form brought attention from other sides in Norway, as Aalesunds were still a second-tier side when Braga departed last summer, and others in Scandinavia. Bigger clubs than Hearts had hints of interest but Omenas was keen to see their fan favourite paired with a club that fitted him perfectly. Hearts entered the fold and the rest is history, with more to be written.

Who else wanted to sign Claudio Braga?

“It was roughly the same size of clubs as Hearts but there were bigger clubs that showed interest,” Omenas explained. “The real interest was in the same size, some in Norway, some in Scandinavia. The important thing for us was to make sure that Braga was coming to a club that understood him and we really want Braga to succeed.

“As a club, we are always thinking about the next step for the player, because that's good for Aalesunds as well, if Braga succeeds in Scotland. It was important that the club Braga was going to knew what kind of player they were getting. We had really good conversations and work with Hearts in that period. We could see that they had done a good job scouting him before they contacted us and were hoping to get him.”

For all Omenas was impressed by him on the park, away from it, the 26-year-old made just as big an impression. The pair remain in touch and the Aalesunds leader insists that it’s rare to find someone in football quite like the man who’s turned Queen’s ‘Radio Ga Ga’ into an anthemic chant in his name. Not that Omenas has downloaded it, not yet anyway.

“Braga is a really good football player, but as a human, he's fantastic,” he added. “I think here we saw it after a few days, actually. The way he talks to people, sees people, the way he just loves to play football. It's so clear for people that he loves to play football and he became a real profile for us pretty quickly. It’s not often that you meet a human like Braga, because he's giving everything in all the situations he's in.

“He really gets energy from other people. The passion he has on the pitch, it's not often that you see that in a player. I think that's why he's a profile in all the clubs that he comes to. I see he has a big, beautiful song at Hearts as well now! He's a big profile there, he was a big profile in Moss, and he was a big profile in Aalesunds. It's about his quality but also his passion and his hunger to succeed. The way he treats other people, you don’t often meet people like him.

“I haven't downloaded his song but we play it sometimes when we see Braga score goals! We're really happy for Braga and we really support him from Aalesunds. I still talk to him sometimes, because that's how it is. When I put out some family pictures on social media, he's giving me the hearts, and sending love. That's Braga. We think about him and we support him here in Aalesunds as well.”