He started his career with Sporting CP, being loaned several times over the duration of his contract and winning the 2013 Portuguese Cup with Vitória de Guimarães. In 2013 he signed with Celtic, who also loaned him twice before he left for Metz two years later. After playing for Benfica Luanda in Angola, he returned to Portugal in the summer of 2016, when he joined Marítimo. In subsequent years he had a nomadic career, having brief spells at clubs in Albania, Libya, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Internationally, Baldé represented Portugal at youth level, helping the under-20 team finish second at the 2011 World Cup. In 2014, he decided to switch to playing for the country of his birth, Guinea-Bissau.
Club career
Sporting CP
Born in Bissau, Baldé started his career with Sporting CP's farm team in Guinea-Bissau, Sporting de Bissau. In 2008 he, alongside teammate Zezinho, moved to the Lisbon club to continue his development, helping it to back-to-back junior championships – of three in total in a row – scoring 13 goals in 29 games in 2008–09.[3]
Baldé was released by Sporting in summer 2012. On 28 August he signed with fellow Primeira Liga side Vitória de Guimarães for two years.[7] He made his debut on 21 September, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 away win against Moreirense.[8] After a series of appearances from the bench,[9][10][11][12][13] he scored in only his second game as a starter on 23 November, netting an injury time equaliser in a 2–2 draw at Beira-Mar.[14]
Baldé scored his first competitive goal on 28 September 2013, coming in as a late substitute and netting the last goal in a 5–2 win at Kilmarnock.[24] On 27 October, at Partick Thistle, he took the field in the 67th minute and scored the 2–1 winner eight minutes later.[25] He failed to establish himself as a regular in the team,[26] and although he made 20 league appearances over the season, most were as a substitute;[27] his only other goal came in a 4–0 league victory over Kilmarnock, on 29 January 2014.[28]
On 1 September 2014, Baldé joined Waasland-Beveren in the Belgian Pro League on a season-long loan.[26] He made his debut twelve days later against Zulte Waregem, scoring his team's second goal in an eventual 4–1 away win, a spectacular half-volley from 40 yards out.[29][30] It was to be his only competitive goal for the club, and in January 2015 he moved on loan again, this time to Hapoel Tel Aviv.[31] He made 11 competitive appearances for the Israelis, failing to score in any of them.[32][33]
In June 2015, Celtic agreed to terminate Baldé's contract despite there still being two years left to run.[34]
Metz
On 16 July 2015, Baldé signed a two-year deal with Metz of the French Ligue 2.[35] He made his debut on 1 August, in a 0–0 draw against Lens.[36]
Baldé failed to find the net during his spell at the Stade Saint-Symphorien, in nine official games.[37]
Benfica Luanda
After terminating his contract with Metz,[38] Baldé moved teams and countries again on 14 January 2016 as he joined Benfica de Luanda in Angola for one and a half years.[39] In his only season he scored a squad-best six goals to help them to a sixth-place finish in the Girabola, and left at the end of August 2016.[40][41]
Marítimo
In August 2016, Baldé returned to European football and Portugal when he signed for Marítimo.[42] On 26 March 2017, whilst on loan to fellow top division side Tondela, he was admitted to hospital due to a pulmonary embolism.[43] Marítimo stopped paying his wages, claiming they did not have to pay him as he was unable to play, and he had to rely on assistance from the players' union to support himself and his family; by the end of the year, he was still not at full health.[44]
Baldé travelled to South Africa in January 2018 for a trial with ABSA Premiership club Free State Stars, although doubts remained about his fitness.[45]
Kukësi
On 1 February 2018, Baldé signed a six-month contract with Albanian Superliga side Kukësi.[46] He made his debut 13 days later, coming on as a second-half substitute during a 1–0 defeat of KF Tirana in the quarter-finals of the Albanian Cup,[47] his first competitive game of football in 11 months.[48] His first league appearance took place on 19 February against Partizani when he took the field in injury time of a 3–1 win, Kukësi's first-ever at the opposition's ground.[49]
Later career
Following a short spell in Libya with Al-Nasr, in February 2019 Baldé moved to Indonesia after agreeing to a deal at Persebaya.[50][51] He scored five times in nine Liga 1 matches in the first half of the season,[52] including a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory over Persib on 5 July 2019.[53] He also finished joint-top scorer in the country's cup tournament, the Piala Indonesia, with ten goals along with PSM's Zulham Zamrun;[54] however, the return of David da Silva to the team during the mid-season transfer window saw Baldé become surplus to requirements and on 31 August he signed for another Indonesian club, precisely PSM,[55] scoring on his debut the following day to help the hosts beat Persela 2–1.[56]
Baldé had scored six goals in 14 games in all competitions for Ho Chi Minh City by August 2020. The club then looked to loan him out to other sides in Vietnam, but the player refused. As such, his contract was terminated by mutual agreement.[62]
International career
Baldé chose to represent Portugal internationally. He was part of the under-20 squad that finished as runners-up at the 2011 FIFA World Cup in Colombia, but only saw seven minutes of action.[63][64][65]
Baldé scored his first goal for Guinea-Bissau on 8 October 2015 in a 2018 FIFA World Cupqualifier against Liberia, netting the equaliser in a 1–1 away draw.[69]
^Figueiredo, João Tiago (21 October 2012). "TP: V. Guimarães-Vilaverdense, 6–1 (crónica)" [PC: V. Guimarães-Vilaverdense, 6–1 (match report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
