Ricardo Jorge Ferreira Pinto da Silva
Ricardo Jorge Ferreira Pinto da Silva (born 19 August 1980), known simply as Ricardo, is a Cape Verdean former professional footballer who played as a centre back and right back.
Contents
- 1 Club career
- 2 International career
- 3 References
- 4 External links
Club career
Ricardo was born in Azurém, Guimarães, Portugal, and started playing football with amateurs Centro de Cultura e Desporto Desportivo de Ronfe and G.D. Serzedelo. In the following three years he competed in the third division, representing F.C. Famalicão (one season) and S.C. Freamunde (two).
In the summer of 2004, Ricardo moved straight to the Primeira Liga, signing with S.C. Beira-Mar. He featured in 29 games in his first season (24 starts), but suffered relegation; he continued to appear regularly for the Aveiro team during his spell, spending two seasons apiece in each of Portugal's major levels.
Ricardo returned to the top flight for 2008–09, joining F.C. Paços de Ferreira. In the following campaign's first round he scored with his head to earn his side a point against FC Porto in a 1–1 home draw, and was an ever-present defensive figure in his two-year stint.
In June 2010, Ricardo signed with Vitória de Guimarães also of the top tier – he had been brought up as a youth at the Minho club. In January 2012, after a brief spell in China, he returned to Portugal and Paços on a three-and-a-half-year contract.
International career
Although born in Portugal, Ricardo opted to represent Cape Verde through ancestry. He received his first call-up in May 2008, first appearing on 27 May in a friendly with Luxembourg.
In June 2010, Ricardo started in the 0–0 draw that the minnows (ranked 117th) managed against Portugal, as the Europeans were preparing for that year's FIFA World Cup.
References
External links
- Ricardo at ForaDeJogo
- Ricardo at National-Football-Teams.com
- Ricardo – FIFA compe*ion record (archived)
- Ricardo at Soccerway