The childhood friends of Hearts star player Cláudio Rafael Soares Braga travelled all the way from Portugal to support him in the club’s pivotal match against Falkirk.
Alex, 25, from Porto, spoke to Edinburgh Live outside Tynecastle Park shortly before Wednesday night’s kickoff at 8pm.
The highly anticipated game could see the Hearts win a Scottish Premiership title for the first time in 66 years if they can fend off Falkirk tonight and if Celtic lose to Motherwell at Fir Park.
Braga, a Portuguese forward for Hearts, became a fan favourite at Heart of Midlothian with 14 goals and three assists in 33 games by April 2026 and was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the 2025–26 season, having played a key role in Hearts’ title challenge.
Alex wore a Braga scarf -Credit:EL
Speaking on behalf of a group of hometown supporters, Alex said: “We came all the way from Portugal to support Braga, Braga is our friend. We’re best friends. We hope he becomes champion today.”
Born in Mafamude, Porto, Braga has played for the Midlothian team since 2025. He grew up “next door” to many of the supporters who flew all the way from Porto in the hopes of seeing their childhood friend propel the club to a once-in-a-lifetime victory.
Alex added: “We don’t know what to expect, we hope Celtic loses and Hearts become champion. We’re looking forward to the party.
“It would mean everything if they won the title. We’re friends so it’s the first time we’ve seen him in person.
“We’ve known him for years, ever since we were young. We’re hometown friends, next-door kind of friends. We even brought the kids to support.”
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