Ricardo (footballer, born 1980)

Ricardo

Personal information
Full name	Ricardo Jorge Ferreira Pinto da Silva
Date of birth	(1980-08-19) 19 August 1980
Place of birth	Azurém, Portugal
Height
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Paços Ferreira
Number	19
Youth career
	Famalicão
1996–1999	Vitória Guimarães
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2000	Ronfe
2000–2001	Serzedelo
2001–2002	Famalicão	26	(0)
2002–2004	Freamunde	63	(5)
2004–2008	Beira-Mar	104	(1)
2008–2010	Paços Ferreira	54	(4)
2010–2011	Vitória Guimarães	17	(0)
2011–2012	Shandong Luneng	18	(0)
2012–	Paços Ferreira	87	(2)
International career
2007–2012	Cape Verde	14	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 May 2015

Ricardo Jorge Ferreira Pinto da Silva (born 19 August 1980), simply known as Ricardo, is a Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays for F.C. Paços de Ferreira as a central defender or right back.

Club career

Ricardo was born in Azurém, Guimarães, Portugal, and he started playing football with amateurs Centro de Cultura e Desporto Desportivo de Ronfe and GD Serzedelo. In the following three years he played in the third division, representing F.C. Famalicão (one season) and S.C. Freamunde (two).

In the 2004 summer Ricardo moved straight to the top level, signing with S.C. Beira-Mar. He featured in 29 games in his first season (24 starts), but suffered team relegation; he continued to appear regularly for the Aveiro club during his spell, overall playing two seasons apiece in each of Portugal's major levels.

Ricardo returned to the first division for 2008–09, joining F.C. Paços de Ferreira. In the following campaign's opener he scored with his head to earn his team a point against F.C. Porto in a 1–1 home draw, and was an everpresent defensive figure in his two-year stint.

In June 2010 Ricardo signed with Vitória de Guimarães, also in the top flight – he had been brought up as a youth at the Minho side. In January 2012, after a brief spell in China, he returned to Portugal and Paços on a three 1/2-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.

External links

• Ricardo at footballzz.co.uk
• Ricardo profile at ForaDeJogo
• Ricardo at National-Football-Teams.com
• Ricardo – FIFA competition record
• Ricardo at Soccerway