Exclusive: Hearts striker Claudio Braga and the Cristiano Ronaldo inspiration: ‘I don’t think Ronaldo cares’.
The ‘Siuuu’ celebration, which has previously been seen at Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, is now in Edinburgh. When you talk to Claudio Braga, you quickly realise that he is unabashedly critical of himself.
Hearts’ new Portuguese forward demands high individual standards on the pitch, and failure to meet them results in unwavering frustration. When he does produce, he looks like a kid in a candy shop, with an infectious smile and a rather iconic celebration.
Braga draws inspiration from his more prominent compatriot, Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo’s signature ‘Siuuu’ jump, which he performed at Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and now Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, has become something of a trademark.
Braga isn’t afraid to borrow it, having used it twice while scoring for Hearts. Granted, Hamilton Academical and Stirling Albion are not on the same level, but Braga is content in Scotland after joining from Norwegian club Aalesunds.
After struggling with his debut against Dunfermline Athletic, he quickly formed a bond with Hearts fans.
The 25-year-old’s sorcery has illuminated the Premier Sports Cup group phase on several occasions. Celebrating like Ronaldo is simply an expression of patriotism.
“Since I left Portugal for Norway [in 2022], it was like the first thing that I imagined to represent my country,” says Braga, speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News.
“I wanted to represent Portugal because everyone is aware that Ronaldo is from Portugal. “We started there, and when I did it for the first time, everyone screamed, and I thought, ‘Damn, this is actually cool.'” It wasn’t even a big crowd, but if everyone screams it and knows I’m going to do it, it’s kind of cool.
So I just continued doing it. I did it every day for three and a half years while in Norway. So every time I score, there will be a celebration like this. I’ll keep doing it if Ronaldo allows me.”
Has the legendary man from Madeira been questioned? “Not yet, I think he doesn’t care that much,” Braga said, smiling. To be fair, he probably doesn’t.
If Hearts’ new forward gets his way, fans can expect to hear that distinctive noise around Tynecastle several times this season. “Hopefully, yes,” Braga replies. “I understand that I will have to put in a lot of effort because this is a highly competitive group.
It’s a high-quality group, and I’ll have to work hard to earn minutes, play time, and goals whether I’m at Tynecastle or away from home. What I expect from myself is to do this frequently. The atmosphere among the fans is very positive.
Tynecastle atmosphere set for the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership
“The first time we played at Tynecastle [against Dunfermline], it was a crazy atmosphere. My individual performance, however, was not as good.
Of course, when you perform well, the fans enjoy it, and the atmosphere was electrifying against Hamilton and Stirling. I hope it stays like this. I hope we continue to be positive with each other both inside and outside of the team, and that the fans support us. It’s been great.
They help us a lot when they create a positive environment. Hopefully, this will continue, with good results from us, of course.” Braga scored his second Hearts goal in three games during Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Stirling.
With a victory over Dumbarton in the final Group E game on Wednesday, they will secure their Premier Sports Cup seeding.
Braga believes that performances can still improve, both individually and collectively, ahead of the Scottish Premiership opener against Aberdeen. “Individually, I know I can always improve, and so should the team.
Even though we won, we received that message and must recognise that we need to improve, despite the fact that we had a clean sheet and four goals. We’ve had good results, but we can keep going. I believe we dominated the game at times, particularly in the first half.
We started the second half a little slower, so I believe we took our foot off the accelerator. “We just have to keep going every time.” The player understands that he is nit-picking after his new team scored 12 goals in their first three competitive games while conceding only one.
“You can’t argue,” he admits. “But we also need to recognise that we are probably the favourite in all of the groups.
So we need to perform, and here’s what we should do. In addition, there is a slight improvement in performance in every detail. We should be ready for Aberdeen when the season begins.”
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