Meet the New Guys - Guilherme
(image via Houston Dynamo FC)
Previous Club: Santos FC
Acquired by: Signed on full transfer, contract through the 2027-28 season with club option for 2028-29
Position: Attacker
Who is Guilherme?
Guilherme comes to Houston as a player who’s lived with pressure his entire career. The 30-year-old Brazilian attacker grew up in the game with historic clubs like Grêmio, Santos, Botafogo, Fortaleza, and Chapecoense, and has spent most of his professional life in Brazil’s top two divisions. He’s played in Libertadores nights, Sudamericana runs, Copa do Brasil finals, promotion races, and relegation dogfights. He’s won trophies, including the Copa do Brasil and the Saudi King’s Cup, and more importantly, he’s been trusted in moments when clubs needed leaders, not just talent.
Most recently, he captained Santos, the famous Brazilian club of legends like Pelé and Neymar, through a brutal season, helping them reach the Campeonato Paulista semifinals and then fight their way out of relegation trouble in Série A. He finished the year with 14 goals and nine assists, and in the final stretch when everything was on the line, he was the one creating, scoring, and dragging the team forward. This is a player who doesn’t hide. He wants the ball, wants the moment, and wants responsibility. Now he brings that same edge to Houston.
What Does Guilherme Bring to Houston?
For the Dynamo, the need is obvious. The last two seasons have shown a team that can defend, can build, can control stretches of games, but too often lacks that killer instinct in the final third. As we’ve talked about plenty at Bayou City Soccer, Houston hasn’t consistently had enough players who live for the box, who attack space, who turn half-chances into real danger. There’s been a lot of good soccer, but not always enough goals to match it.
That’s where Guilherme fits. He’s aggressive. He runs at defenders. He crashes the box. He plays like someone who expects to score and expects to create. That mindset alone can change the feel of an attack. His movement and willingness to take risks should take some of the weight off Ezequiel Ponce and could finally help unlock him, giving the Argentine a partner who stretches lines and pulls defenders out of shape. It also sets the table for natural finishers like Nicholas Markanich, and for creative threats like rumored record signing Mateusz Bogusz, whose quality in and around the box could shine with more chaos and movement ahead of him.
Guilherme isn’t just another winger or depth piece. He’s a leader who’s been through promotion races, relegation battles, and finals. He brings experience, personality, and, most of all, an attacking hunger that Houston has been missing. If the Dynamo are going to take the next step, they need players who believe they can decide games. Guilherme looks like exactly that kind of player.
