Aguiar on the bright side of life

"I am definitely happy not to be in Edinburgh at the moment," he laughs. "It is January, it is sunny and 20 degrees. Unbelievable."

He is aware of reports suggesting a return to Hearts this summer but, strolling around in the Mediterranean sunshine, seems distinctly unperturbed.

His former manager Csaba Laszlo is said to be keen to lure him back to Tynecastle on a reduced salary but the player's contentment with his new lifestyle is a recurring theme during conversation.

"Nobody spoke with me. I don't know anything about this," said the 28-year-old.

"I signed for three years here and my target is to win the championship. In the future, you never know but my aim is to win the title. I have a contract with this team and I am very happy here."

The advantages of the Portuguese midfielder's move to Omonia Nicosia outweigh the disadvantages.

Perhaps because there don't appear to be any.

He occasionally pines for Hearts, the club he departed in June after three-and-a-half years to follow team-mate Christos Karipidis to the opulent Cypriot league, where both signed contracts with Omonia worth around 10,000 a week. While his former Tynecastle colleagues train indoors due to inclement weather, Aguiar is soaking up the rays and contributing to a title challenge at a club which has not won its domestic league for seven years.

Omonia are three points off the top of the Cypriot First Division and in pursuit of their table- topping city rivals, APOEL.

The pressure is mounting from supporters craving league success. It's precisely what Aguiar came for.

"It's the same as Hearts and Hibs," he said of the rivalry with APOEL.

"It is difficult for Omonia just now because APOEL were champions last season and Omonia have not won the championship for seven years.

"The fans are starving for titles and we feel the people here are anxious. Sometimes this is not good for the team but we must live with this.

"We are just off the top of the league and we must do our best to keep this position, but it brings a lot of pressure on the players."

He grew accustomed to soaring levels of expectation in Edinburgh, particularly last season when he was something of a talisman for Hearts.

His seven goals from midfield helped facilitate a place in the Europa League qualifying rounds but neither continental competition nor the adulation from the supporters could persuade him to stay. He departed on freedom of contract, bemoaning what he felt was a poor contract offer from the club hierarchy.

Aguiar would consider returning to Scotland if it proved financially worthwhile, although he has received no official offers to date.

"In football you play for your team, you try to do well and earn a good contract," he said.

"This is life in football. When I received the offer from Omonia, I listened to what they said about the targets for the team. I wanted to come here to help make them champions. Of course, they offered me a good contract. I have a family now (his son is four months old] and football is a short career.

"You must take care of the future. If I have the chance to play in a championship with more prestige then okay, but this club gave me an opportunity with a very good contract and very good targets. I am happy here.

"The football is different from Scotland. The atmosphere and the people are both very different. The weather is also completely different so I like the life here. The people here understand that the championship is not as good as others in Europe but I don't agree with this. What makes a championship is the players and, at the moment, a lot of very good players are coming to Cyprus. That makes the football very competitive.

"We have no easy games, every game is difficult to win. I like this. I came here because Omonia have not won the championship for seven years. Our target is to be champions this year, it's a good challenge for me."

Title success would allow Aguiar to reacquaint himself with the Champions League qualifying rounds, where he appeared with Hearts in 2006.

"If we win the league it is two qualifying rounds for the Champions League. Second place goes into the Europa League. I don't want to think about second because I want to make the Champions League. The first point here is to take the championship."

Having Karipidis, a native Greek, by his side smoothed the initiation process in Cyprus. "It's very important that we are still playing together because if you change club and you don't know anybody it's difficult," said Aguiar.

"Christos and I have known each other for a long time so it's easier for both of us. He is near his home so he is very happy with his decision to join Omonia."

He maintains contact with several former Hearts colleagues and is willing one in particular to infiltrate Portugal's international squad for this summer's World Cup finals in South Africa. "I speak with Jose Goncalves, Michael Stewart and Christian Nade. I know everything that is happening at Hearts," said Aguiar.

"Jose has all the attributes to play in the national team. He is still very young and, when I speak to him, I always say this. He is only 24 years old, he still has another ten or 11 years to play for Portugal. Of course, it is better if he is in the squad now but, if he is not selected, he must keep working. His chance will come, definitely.

"If he wants to play in the World Cup it's important for him to keep playing, whether it's at Hearts or another club. It's easier to stay at Hearts because he knows the team and the club, but if he has the chance to move to a better team it's important that he keeps playing. To make the national team you must play all the time for your club."

Aguiar himself has been a regular fixture for Omonia this season and seems to have adapted quickly to life in Nicosia. The winter sunshine might have helped a tad.