Ricardo Pereira
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Alexandre Martins Soares Pereira, OIH (ʁiˈkaɾdu; born 11 February 1976), simply Ricardo, is a Portuguese
footballer who plays for Vitória de Setúbal
as a goalkeeper.
He spent most of his career with Boavista and Sporting, helping the former to its only Primeira Liga title, and appearing with the latter in more than 150 official games, winning one Portuguese Cup
; in his 30s he moved abroad, representing mainly Real Betis
.
Ricardo won nearly 80 caps with Portugal
, appearing with the nation at two FIFA World Cup
and two UEFA European Football Championship
s, notably reaching the final
at Euro 2004.
, Setúbal, Ricardo started his career at hometown club Clube Desportivo do Montijo
, signing with Boavista FC in 1994. After battling during several seasons for first-choice status with Cameroon
ian William Andem
, he eventually became first-choice, and appeared in 28 matches in the Chequereds 2000–01 league championship title, the club history's only.
As a goalkeeper, Ricardo was one of the team's most influential players in the opposition side's 2002–03 UEFA Cup campaign, in a run that would only stop in the competition's semi-finals.
He then went on to play for Sporting Clube de Portugal, for a fee of €
7 million and 20% from the value of any future transfer; an undisputed starter from the get-go, he backstopped the team to the final
of the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, a 1–3 home loss against PFC CSKA Moscow (the match was played at the Alvalade XXI Stadium
).
side Real Betis
. On 11 July, he signed a four-year contract with the club. His league debut took place against Recreativo de Huelva
on 26 August, a 1–1 away draw. Having started the league campaign as first-choice, he eventually lost the position to former Betis trainee Casto, but would regain his status for two of the last three matches, as the side from Andalusia
avoided relegation.
In 2008–09, as Betis manager Francisco Chaparro, who arrived midway through the previous season, started on the bench, Ricardo lost the battle for first-choice, having to settle with cup
matches, a situation which would revert midway through the season, with Betis eventually relegated; the following season
, he backed-up Iñaki Goitia
, playing no matches in an eventual fourth place in the league (no promotion).
Ricardo was not given any jersey number for the 2010–11 season
, being limited to training with the Pepe Mel
-led squad, and later released from his contract in January 2011 - it was due to expire in June of that year.
club Leicester City
, and joined the team on the 31st of January 2011, signing until the end of the season
, and citing manager Sven-Göran Eriksson
as his motivation for joining the club. He made his official debut on 12 February, in a 2–0 win over Derby County
at Pride Park Stadium
, altogether making eight league appearances.
On 21 May 2011, Leicester confirmed it would not renew Ricardo's contract, due to expire on 30 June. In mid-August, he signed for Vitória de Setúbal
, returning to his country after four years.
debut in 2001 against the Republic of Ireland
, taking the place of Vítor Baía
, who was recovering from a serious knee injury. However, he would be his backup in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
.
, Ricardo was one of Portugal's heroes in their win on penalties. With a 5–5 tie, he first saved the shot of Darius Vassell
, after taking his gloves off, and then scored the deciding penalty to send Portugal to the semi-finals.
Nevertheless, Ricardo did not manage to help his team avoid the loss to Greece
in the final match. Ricardo misjudged a corner when coming for the ball, only for Angelos Charisteas
to head the only goal of the game, in a huge upset in final defeat.
group stage, Ricardo kept two clean sheets and was only beaten once, by Mexico
's Francisco Fonseca
, as Portugal won all three matches. The national side once again knocked out England in the quarter-finals of a major tournament on penalties, as he saved from Frank Lampard
, Steven Gerrard
and Jamie Carragher
, in a 3–1 shootout win after a 0–0 draw with extra time, becoming the first keeper to save three times in a World Cup shootout. Carragher did beat Ricardo but since his kick was made before the referee blew the whistle, the Englishman had to retry the spot kick which was then saved.
In the third-place match against hosts Germany
, Ricardo allowed three goals, two by Bastian Schweinsteiger
, and an own goal by Portugal's Petit
, which was also off of Schweinsteiger's shot. He was named to the tournament All-Star team, as one of the three best goalkeepers.
3–2 in the quarter-finals, where he misjudged in two box exits, allowing two headers. As he lost his position at Betis, Ricardo would not be called for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers
, with Benfica's Quim
being made the starter (although he would be also later replaced by Eduardo).
|1995–96||rowspan="8"|Boavista||rowspan="12"|Primeira Liga||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996–97||16||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997–98||34||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998–99||5||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999–00||9||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000–01||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02||29||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||33||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="4"|Sporting||34||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004–05||33||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||30||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006–07||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="2"|Betis
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2008–09||20||0||||||||||||||||
279||1||||||||||||||||
48||0||||||||||||||||
327||1||||||||||||||||
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
footballer who plays for Vitória de Setúbal
Vitória F.C.
Vitória Futebol Clube is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Setúbal. Popularly known as Vitória de Setúbal with the motto "A Vitória será nossa" .- Domestic :*Portuguese Liga: Runners-up 1971–72...
as a goalkeeper.
He spent most of his career with Boavista and Sporting, helping the former to its only Primeira Liga title, and appearing with the latter in more than 150 official games, winning one Portuguese Cup
Taça de Portugal
The Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
; in his 30s he moved abroad, representing mainly Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
.
Ricardo won nearly 80 caps with Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
, appearing with the nation at two FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and two UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
s, notably reaching the final
UEFA Euro 2004 Final
The final of UEFA Euro 2004 was a football match played on 4 July 2004 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal to determine the winner of UEFA Euro 2004. The match featured tournament hosts Portugal, who went into the match as favourites, and Greece, playing in only their second European...
at Euro 2004.
Portugal
Born in MontijoMontijo
Montijo is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 348.0 km² and a population of 40,199 inhabitants. The town of Montijo has a population of 25,719....
, Setúbal, Ricardo started his career at hometown club Clube Desportivo do Montijo
C.D. Montijo
Clube Desportivo de Montijo was a football club from Montijo, Setúbal. It was founded in 1948. It played in the Portuguese Liga for three occasions, in 1972–73, 1973–74, 1976–77. It was folded in 2007 and restarted as Clube Olímpico do Montijo. It currently plays in the lower Setúbal leagues. Is...
, signing with Boavista FC in 1994. After battling during several seasons for first-choice status with Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian William Andem
Bassey William Andem
Bassey William Andem is a retired Cameroonian footballer who played as a goalkeeper.In spite of a very large frame, he was known for his above-average reflexes, and spent most of his career professional career in Portuguese-speaking countries, namely at the service of Boavista.-Club career:After...
, he eventually became first-choice, and appeared in 28 matches in the Chequereds 2000–01 league championship title, the club history's only.
As a goalkeeper, Ricardo was one of the team's most influential players in the opposition side's 2002–03 UEFA Cup campaign, in a run that would only stop in the competition's semi-finals.
He then went on to play for Sporting Clube de Portugal, for a fee of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
7 million and 20% from the value of any future transfer; an undisputed starter from the get-go, he backstopped the team to the final
2005 UEFA Cup Final
The 2005 UEFA Cup Final was between Sporting CP of Portugal and CSKA Moscow of Russia. The match took at place at Sporting's home, Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, on 18 May 2005. CSKA Moscow won their first UEFA Cup and became the first Russian club to win a major European championship.-Match details:...
of the 2004–05 UEFA Cup, a 1–3 home loss against PFC CSKA Moscow (the match was played at the Alvalade XXI Stadium
Estádio José Alvalade
Estádio José Alvalade is a football stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, home of Sporting Clube de Portugal, one of the country's biggest clubs. It is the center of a complex called Alvalade XXI , designed by Portuguese architect...
).
Betis
On 9 July 2007, Ricardo was linked with a transfer to La LigaLa Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
side Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
. On 11 July, he signed a four-year contract with the club. His league debut took place against Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
on 26 August, a 1–1 away draw. Having started the league campaign as first-choice, he eventually lost the position to former Betis trainee Casto, but would regain his status for two of the last three matches, as the side from Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
avoided relegation.
In 2008–09, as Betis manager Francisco Chaparro, who arrived midway through the previous season, started on the bench, Ricardo lost the battle for first-choice, having to settle with cup
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
matches, a situation which would revert midway through the season, with Betis eventually relegated; the following season
2009–10 Segunda División
The 2009–10 Segunda División was made up of the following teams:-League table:||rowspan=15 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-2009–10 Results:To read this table, the home team is listed in the left-hand column....
, he backed-up Iñaki Goitia
Iñaki Goitia Peña
Iñaki Goitia Peña is a Spanish footballer who plays for Real Betis as a goalkeeper.-Football career:Goitia was born in Barakaldo, Biscay. After starting with modest outfits in the Basque region, he moved in 2003–04 to Málaga CF, spending his first two seasons with its B side, by then in the second...
, playing no matches in an eventual fourth place in the league (no promotion).
Ricardo was not given any jersey number for the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Segunda División
-Personnel and sponsorship:-Managerial changes:-League table:||style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=11 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-Positions by round:Source: -Results:...
, being limited to training with the Pepe Mel
Pepe Mel
José "Pepe" Mel Pérez is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker, and the current manager of Real Betis.-Playing career:...
-led squad, and later released from his contract in January 2011 - it was due to expire in June of that year.
Leicester City / Later years
Ricardo started training with Football League ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, and joined the team on the 31st of January 2011, signing until the end of the season
2010–11 Football League Championship
The 2010–11 Football League Championship was the seventh season of the league under its current name and nineteenth season under its current league division format...
, and citing manager Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
as his motivation for joining the club. He made his official debut on 12 February, in a 2–0 win over Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
at Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium located on the Pride Park business park on the outskirts of Derby, England. It is the current home of Football League Championship club Derby County, who moved to the stadium from the Baseball Ground upon its opening in 1997...
, altogether making eight league appearances.
On 21 May 2011, Leicester confirmed it would not renew Ricardo's contract, due to expire on 30 June. In mid-August, he signed for Vitória de Setúbal
Vitória F.C.
Vitória Futebol Clube is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Setúbal. Popularly known as Vitória de Setúbal with the motto "A Vitória será nossa" .- Domestic :*Portuguese Liga: Runners-up 1971–72...
, returning to his country after four years.
International career
Ricardo made his internationalPortugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
debut in 2001 against the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
, taking the place of Vítor Baía
Vítor Baía
Vítor Manuel Martins Baía, OIH , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a goalkeeper.His career was intimately connected with F.C...
, who was recovering from a serious knee injury. However, he would be his backup in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
.
Euro 2004
In the quarterfinals of UEFA Euro 2004 against EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, Ricardo was one of Portugal's heroes in their win on penalties. With a 5–5 tie, he first saved the shot of Darius Vassell
Darius Vassell
Darius Vassell is an English footballer who plays for Championship side Leicester City, having previously played for Aston Villa, Manchester City and Ankaragücü, as well as the England national team....
, after taking his gloves off, and then scored the deciding penalty to send Portugal to the semi-finals.
Nevertheless, Ricardo did not manage to help his team avoid the loss to Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
in the final match. Ricardo misjudged a corner when coming for the ball, only for Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas
Angelos Charisteas was born on 9 February 1980 in Strymoniko, Serres, but originates from Mani. He is a Greek football player who currently plays as a striker for Panetolikos F.C....
to head the only goal of the game, in a huge upset in final defeat.
2006 World Cup
In the 2006 FIFA World Cup2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
group stage, Ricardo kept two clean sheets and was only beaten once, by Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
's Francisco Fonseca
Francisco Fonseca
José Francisco "Kikin" Fonseca Guzmán is a Mexican football striker. He currently plays for Atlante F.C..-Career:...
, as Portugal won all three matches. The national side once again knocked out England in the quarter-finals of a major tournament on penalties, as he saved from Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
, Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
and Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher
James Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...
, in a 3–1 shootout win after a 0–0 draw with extra time, becoming the first keeper to save three times in a World Cup shootout. Carragher did beat Ricardo but since his kick was made before the referee blew the whistle, the Englishman had to retry the spot kick which was then saved.
In the third-place match against hosts Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Ricardo allowed three goals, two by Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bayern Munich and the German national team. A right-footed player, he is capable of playing out wide or in a more central role....
, and an own goal by Portugal's Petit
Petit (Portuguese footballer)
Armando Gonçalves Teixeira , commonly known as Petit, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for 1. FC Köln in the German first division, as a defensive midfielder....
, which was also off of Schweinsteiger's shot. He was named to the tournament All-Star team, as one of the three best goalkeepers.
Euro 2008
Despite some criticism, Ricardo remained the main goalkeeper for Portugal in Euro 2008. Portugal struggled initially but did qualify for the quarter-finals, and he played all of the side's matches, as Portugal was eliminated by GermanyGermany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
3–2 in the quarter-finals, where he misjudged in two box exits, allowing two headers. As he lost his position at Betis, Ricardo would not be called for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...
, with Benfica's Quim
Quim
Joaquim Manuel Sampaio da Silva, OIH, , aka Quim , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Sporting de Braga as a goalkeeper....
being made the starter (although he would be also later replaced by Eduardo).
Club statistics
|-|1995–96||rowspan="8"|Boavista||rowspan="12"|Primeira Liga||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1996–97||16||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1997–98||34||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1998–99||5||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1999–00||9||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2000–01||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2001–02||29||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2002–03||33||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="4"|Sporting||34||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2004–05||33||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2005–06||30||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2006–07||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="2"|Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||28||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|2008–09||20||0||||||||||||||||
279||1||||||||||||||||
48||0||||||||||||||||
327||1||||||||||||||||
Club
- Boavista:
- Portuguese League: 2000–01
- Portuguese CupTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
: 1996–97 - Portuguese Supercup: 1997
- Sporting:
- Portuguese CupTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
: 2006–07 - UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2004–05
- Portuguese Cup
Orders
- Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila ViçosaOrder of the Immaculate Conception of Vila ViçosaThe Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa is an dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Braganza, the former Portuguese Royal Family...
(House of BraganzaDuke of BraganzaThe title Duke of Braganza in the House of Braganza is one of the most important titles in the peerage of Portugal. Since the House of Braganza acceded to the throne of Portugal in 1640, the male heir of the Portuguese Crown was known as the Duke of Braganza and Prince of Brazil until 1822, or...
)