Tomás Händel

For the German politician, see Thomas Händel.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Pereira Santos and the second or paternal family name is Händel.

Tomás Romano Pereira Santos Händel (born 27 November 2000) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club Vitória de Guimarães.

Tomás Händel

Personal information
Full name	Tomás Romano Pereira Santos Händel[1]
Date of birth	(2000-11-27) 27 November 2000 (age 24)[1]
Place of birth	Guimarães, Portugal
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Vitória Guimarães
Number	8
Youth career
2009–2010	Moreirense
2010–2019	Vitória Guimarães
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2023	Vitória Guimarães B	34	(5)
2021–	Vitória Guimarães	88	(5)
International career
2021	Portugal U21	3	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 30 May 2025

Club career

Born in Guimarães of Austrian descent through his grandmother, Händel was a youth player at local clubs Moreirense F.C. and Vitória de Guimarães. He signed his first professional contract with the latter on 27 March 2019, lasting until 2023 and with a buyout clause of €15 million;^[2][3] on 24 June 2021, having started his senior career with the reserve team in the third division he extended the link to 2026 and increased the clause to €50 million.^[4] He made his competitive debut with the main squad on 26 July, in a 4–1 home win against Leixões S.C. in the first round of the Taça da Liga where he played the full 90 minutes.^[5] His first Primeira Liga appearance took place on 22 August, the entirety of a 4–0 victory over F.C. Vizela also at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques.^[6]

Händel suffered a left thigh injury in February 2022, ruling him out of the rest of the season and the start of the next.^[7] After two games back in the reserves,^[8] he made his comeback on 18 March 2023 as a substitute in a 5–1 loss at S.L. Benfica.^[9] On 14 May he scored his first goal for the first team as the only at Rio Ave F.C. to guarantee a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League with two fixtures remaining.^[10]

International career

Händel was called up to the Portugal under-19 team in February 2019,^[11] but was not capped until playing three games for the under-21s in late 2021, starting in a 1–0 win over Belarus for the 2023 UEFA European Championship qualifiers in Amadora on 6 September.^[12]