Gilson Benchimol Tavares, listed in some sources simply as Gilson Tavares, was born in Praia, Cape Verde, on 29 December 2001. A tall, rangy centre-forward, he was formed at Damaiense in Portugal before joining GD Estoril Praia in 2021, where his first-team opportunities were limited to seventeen appearances.

Benfica took him on loan in January 2023 and renewed the arrangement in July of that year. Wearing the number 90, he spent a season and a half with Benfica B, scoring three goals in 2022/23 and five in 2023/24 for a total of eight goals in 31 Liga Portugal 2 matches. He was not called up by the first team.

He returned to Estoril and in July 2024 signed a long-term contract with the Russian Premier League club Akron Tolyatti for a reported 700,000 euros, becoming a regular scorer there. A Cape Verde international, he scored a hat-trick against Liechtenstein in March 2022 and has featured at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup.