Ricardo Pereira, usually referred to simply as Ricardo; full
name Ricardo Alexandre Martins Soares Pereira; born February 11,
1976 in Montijo), is a Portuguese football player.
As a goalkeeper, Ricardo was the hero of Boavista FC's European
campaign in 2003, making a string of saves as his team reached
the semifinals of the UEFA Cup.
He now plays at Sporting Lisbon at club level and is the first-choice
goalkeeper for Portugal, after displacing Vítor Baía, and made
his international debut in 2001 against the Republic of Ireland.
In the quarterfinals of Euro 2004 against England, Ricardo was
one of Portugal's heroes in their win on penalties. With the
penalty shootout tied 5-5, he first saved the shot of Darius
Vassell after taking his gloves off, and then put a penalty past
England keeper David James to send Portugal to the semifinals.
Nevertheless, Ricardo did not manage to help his team avoid the
loss from Greece in the final match of Euro 2004. Ricardo dove
helplessly in an attempt to save the only goal of the game,
however he only made this attempt after the ball had already
gone into the net. |
