Djaniny Tavares isn't your average Liga MX player.
The striker has spent time studying renewable energies in Portugal, has played with the Cape Verdean national team and also speaks multiple languages.
Oh and, by the way, he is also the current top scorer in Liga MX this season. In fact, it's not a stretch to say that he is already running away with the goal-scoring title in the 2018 Clausura.
After 10 league matches for Santos Laguna, Djaniny has scored a total of 12 times for Los Guerreros. Looking down at the next name on the 2018 goal-scoring list, Tigres superstar Andre-Pierre Gignac would need to score five times this weekend to equal what Djaniny has already done.
Simply put, the Santos player has so far been the standout player of the Clausura.
In a recent conversation, we caught up with the soon to be 27-year-old about his atypical path to a professional soccer career, Santos' first-place position in the table and the squad improvements that have been seen at his club this season.
At 18 years of age, Djaniny found himself heading to Portugal after winning the title of a local Cape Verdean tournament. Following a chat with two Portuguese coaches who were present at the competition, the striker was convinced to make a move abroad.
"I went [to Portugal] because I was young and wanted the opportunity" said Djaniny to ESPN FC. "My parents said I should do it so I went, thank God everything went well and so here I am."
With an opportunity to study renewable energies and also play soccer, the budding talent had plenty of reasons to take a chance with his life-changing move. Schooling was set to be the priority, but as he would soon find out, his true talents would prove to be on the pitch.
"The goal was obviously to finish school. I went to school all day and would train later in the afternoon, until 9pm most days," stated Djaniny. "Eventually a team [Velense] over there contacted me to play and I went, I was champion again, and later I went on trial with a team called Santa Clara where [then Uniao de Leiria manager] Pedro Caixinha saw me."
Following his short but successful spell in obscurity with Velense in the Azores archipelago, one that reportedly included 50 goals in two seasons, Djaniny suddenly became a target from major Portuguese clubs. Caixinha persuaded the player to join his roster and in August of 2011, the striker was able to make his first division debut with Uniao de Leiria.
Of course, all of these changes meant that he also had to drop his studies as well. "I didn't finish because I had this chance to play professionally, so I wanted to pursue that and unfortunately I wouldn't have had the time to do both," said Djaniny about his uncompleted studies. "I want to finish school, I like to learn. I speak Spanish, Creole, Portuguese and a little English."
Although a national team call-up followed for Cape Verde in 2012, the player's club career remained fairly uneventful as he bounced around from team to team in the following two years in Portugal. After stints with Benfica's reserve side, Olhanense and Nacional, Djaniny made another life-changing decision in the summer of 2014.
Once again following Caixinha, the striker made the trip across the Atlantic to sign with Santos Laguna in Liga MX.
"I like the lifestyle in Torreon," said Djaniny. "It's very tranquil and the club made everything easy from the beginning. They have people in place to make sure my family is comfortable and know how to get what they need, they helped us adjust quickly and comfortably. It's a unique trait among clubs in Mexico, so that helped me get acclimated quickly so that I could focus on giving 100 percent of myself on the field."
Nearly four years have passed since Djaniny's arrival, and despite the fact that Caixinha parted ways with Los Guerreros in 2015, the Cape Verdean continues to feel comfortable with his current surroundings. "The city [Torreon] is great, I feel at peace and safe. I especially enjoy the warmth of the people, it's one of my favorite aspects," mentioned the striker.
Looking back at his past few years with Santos, it's easy to spot his ups and downs. Inconsistency in front of net has proven to be an issue, and although Los Guerreros have collected a Copa MX and Liga MX title since his arrival, there has always been a feeling that he is capable of much more on the individual level.
Luckily, Mexican soccer fans are finally catching a glimpse of what he can do at the peak of his abilities this season. Djaniny is tearing defenses apart with his 12-goal tally that is continuing to rise at a blistering pace. As for Santos, his noteworthy finishing has also helped push his side to the top spot in the league.
"We play with confidence and cohesion," said Djaniny about his club. "We're a competitive team inside and out, we leave everything on the field in training and during the game. We acquired some very good new players at the beginning of the tournament and they have all helped the squad in different ways."
"Head coach [Robert] Siboldi has given us a lot of confidence as a team, we play as a unit and always try to put the team before individual needs, even though we recognize that our individual efforts are what make the success of the team. For me, it's important to have a connection with my teammates on the field at all times so we can connect and finish," later added the striker.
Blessed with a perfect mixture of Djaniny's finishing, a solid defense and the aforementioned confidence, Santos are currently sitting at the very top of the Liga MX table. With six wins and 20 points in hand, Los Guerreros appear to be much more than just a flash in the pan.
Given that they grab a couple more wins in their seven remaining matches, Santos should have no problem clinching a spot in this season's Liguilla. Once there, who knows what Los Guerreros will be able to accomplish with a motivated and in-form player like Djaniny.
When asked about how many more goals he thinks he could knock-in this season, Djaniny made it clear that his focus was working toward what is best for his squad.
"I would like to score as many goals as I can to reach our objective, and that's first to make the Liguilla and to win the [Liga MX] title. However many goals I need to score to help my team achieve that, I will work my hardest every day to achieve it."
Not bad for a former renewable energies student.