Ricardo Gabriel Álvarez
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Gabriel "Ricky" Álvarez (born April 12, 1988), is an Argentine
footballer who plays for Serie A
club Internazionale
. He is a left-footed attacking midfielder.
for Caballito Juniors and Club Parque, and then had a brief stay in Boca Juniors
' youth divisions.
in 2008. Following his debut, he suffered a knee
cruciate ligament
injury that stalled his progression on the first team. He then was part of the 2009 Clausura winning squad, playing only 18 minutes in the 1–0 victory over Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy
.
The midfielder's breakthrough with the team finally came during the 2010 Clausura, in which Vélez, forced by the tight fixture of the Copa Libertadores
, played mostly with substitutes. He scored his first goal in a 1–2 defeat to River Plate
at the Estadio Monumental
and received his first red card from referee Javier Collado in Vélez' 1–3 defeat to Racing
, for complaining about a yellow card. He totalled 11 matches during the tournament (4 as a starter), and 1 goal.
Álvarez then played 15 games (2 starts) during Vélez' runner-up 2010 Apertura campaign. He also scored his second professional goal in his team's 1–0 home victory over Lanús
for the 14th fixture.
During the first semester of 2011, Álvarez got significant fan and media praise for his league and Copa Libertadores
' games. He also showed versatility by playing all the positions of the midfield. During that semester, he helped his team win the 2011 Clausura and reach the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores.
On 5 July 2011, Álvarez joined Italian FC Internazionale for a € 11.75 million fee, for 90% of his transfer rights. He debuted officially for his club in the 2011 Supercoppa Italiana
defeat to AC Milan. Under the coaching of Claudio Ranieri, Alvarez began to establish himself in the team as he show he can play as a trequartista. His first official goal for Inter came against Trabzonspor on November 22 2011 after a neat one-two with International teammate Diego Milito.
.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
footballer who plays for Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
. He is a left-footed attacking midfielder.
Early career
As a kid, Álvarez played papi futPapi fut
Papi fut or Papi futbol is a popular Central American variety of football played on specially constructed outdoor courts also usable for regulation basketball. It is similar to FIFA football, but goals must be scored from within the goal area. There is also frequently a rule that a ball over head...
for Caballito Juniors and Club Parque, and then had a brief stay in Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
' youth divisions.
Professional career
Álvarez played his first professional game with Vélez SársfieldClub Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...
in 2008. Following his debut, he suffered a knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee...
injury that stalled his progression on the first team. He then was part of the 2009 Clausura winning squad, playing only 18 minutes in the 1–0 victory over Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy
Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy
Club Atlético Gimnasia y Esgrima is an Argentine sports club based in San Salvador, Jujuy Province...
.
The midfielder's breakthrough with the team finally came during the 2010 Clausura, in which Vélez, forced by the tight fixture of the Copa Libertadores
2010 Copa Libertadores
The 2010 Copa Libertadores de América was the 51st edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's premier international club tournament. The tournament began on January 26 and ended on August 18...
, played mostly with substitutes. He scored his first goal in a 1–2 defeat to River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
at the Estadio Monumental
Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti
Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, is a stadium in the Belgrano district of Buenos Aires, Argentina at the intersection of Figueroa Alcorta and Udaondo. It is the home venue of Club Atlético River Plate and is named after former club president Antonio Vespucio Liberti...
and received his first red card from referee Javier Collado in Vélez' 1–3 defeat to Racing
Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club is an Argentine professional football club from Avellaneda, a suburb of Greater Buenos Aires. Founded in 1903, Racing has been historically considered one of the "big five" clubs of Argentine football...
, for complaining about a yellow card. He totalled 11 matches during the tournament (4 as a starter), and 1 goal.
Álvarez then played 15 games (2 starts) during Vélez' runner-up 2010 Apertura campaign. He also scored his second professional goal in his team's 1–0 home victory over Lanús
Club Atlético Lanús
Club Atlético Lanús is a sports club from Lanús, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Founded on 3 January 1915, the club's main sports are football and basketball. In both sports, Lanús plays in Argentina's top divisions: Primera División and Liga Nacional de Básquet...
for the 14th fixture.
During the first semester of 2011, Álvarez got significant fan and media praise for his league and Copa Libertadores
2011 Copa Libertadores
The 2011 Copa Libertadores de América was the 52nd edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's premier international club tournament. It was held from January 25 to June 22 of the same year...
' games. He also showed versatility by playing all the positions of the midfield. During that semester, he helped his team win the 2011 Clausura and reach the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores.
On 5 July 2011, Álvarez joined Italian FC Internazionale for a € 11.75 million fee, for 90% of his transfer rights. He debuted officially for his club in the 2011 Supercoppa Italiana
2011 Supercoppa Italiana
- References :...
defeat to AC Milan. Under the coaching of Claudio Ranieri, Alvarez began to establish himself in the team as he show he can play as a trequartista. His first official goal for Inter came against Trabzonspor on November 22 2011 after a neat one-two with International teammate Diego Milito.
International career
On August 18, 2011, Álvarez was called for the first time to the Argentina national football teamArgentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
.
International appearances and goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Final Score | Goal | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | September 2, 2011 | Kolkata Kolkata Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India... , India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... |
1–0 | 0 | Win | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 2. | September 6, 2011 | Dhaka, Bangladesh | 3–1 | 0 | win | Friendly | |
| 3. | November 11, 2011 | Mendoza, Argentina | 1–1 | 0 | Draw | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Vélez Sársfield Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system... |
2007–08 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 2008–09 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 2009–10 | 11 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| 12 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2010–11 2010–11 Argentine Primera División season The 2010–11 Primera División season was the eighty-second season of top-flight professional football in Argentina. A total of 20 teams competed in two championships —the Apertura and Clausura— over the course of the season, which started on August 6, 2010 and ended on June 30, 2011, one... |
29 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |||||||||
| 40 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Inter Milan | 2011-12 2011–12 F.C. Internazionale Milano season Football Club Internazionale Milano will take part in the 2011–12 season in the Italian Serie A. They also will take part in the UEFA Champions League and the Coppa Italia.... |
6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| Career total | 48 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | - | 62 | 7 | 2 | |
Honours
Vélez Sársfield- Argentine Primera División (2): 2009 Clausura, 2011 Clausura
External links
- Profile at Vélez Sársfield's official website
- Argentine Primera statistics at Fútbol XXI
- Statistics at BDFA