'Hearts fans are not racist' - Isma Goncalves opens up on Tynecastle abuse and returning to Scottish football with Livingston

A player who has plied his trade in 11 countries and represented a 12th at international level, there is something that keeps luring Isma Goncalves back to Scottish football.

A 2013 League Cup winner with St Mirren, he returned four years later for a stint with Hearts and, after spells in Uzbekistan, Iran, Japan, India and Bangladesh over the past four and a bit years, the Guinea Bissau-born player, who was raised in Portugal, has now landed at Livingston, on a two-year deal, with the option of another year if all goes to plan, looking for some permanence.

There was embarrassment when he departed Tynecastle after just 12 months, citing racist abuse from a minority of fans as a factor in his decision, with club officials insisting they had been unaware and offering a heartfelt apology to the striker and his family, who had started to stay away on match days.

“That didn’t make me think ‘I don’t want to come back’ because it is part of football just now. But, even after what happened at Hearts I cannot say that Hearts fans are racist because that is not the case. I am happy for Hearts that they are doing so well.

“There were one or two people who said a lot and it did bother my family at the time because it is difficult to listen to that. But I don’t keep that hate in my heart and neither do my family because life is like this. It is not right but that is how life is.

“We teach it to our kids, even at a young age, that, you know, life is like this and you have to try not to listen. That is difficult because they don’t understand but they have to be prepared. I have been listening to this since I was a kid playing in Portugal.

“It is not nice and it is even more difficult because I think kids now are a little bit softer.