Ricardinho (footballer, born May 1976)

For other people named Ricardinho, see Ricardinho (disambiguation).

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Pozziand the second or paternal family name is Rodrigues.

Ricardinho

Ricardinho playing for Brazil in 2006
Personal information
Full name	Ricardo Luis Pozzi Rodrigues [1]
Date of birth	(1976-05-23) 23 May 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth	São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Winger, attacking midfielder, striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1997	Paraná	30	(1)
1997–1998	Bordeaux	18	(1)
1998–2002	Corinthians	142	(29)
2002–2004	São Paulo	47	(4)
2004	Middlesbrough	0	(0)
2004–2005	Santos	86	(28)
2006	Corinthians	19	(2)
2006–2008	Beşiktaş	56	(10)
2008–2009	Al Rayyan	24	(9)
2009–2011	Atlético Mineiro	66	(9)
2011	Bahia	21	(0)
Total		485	(84)
International career
2000–2006	Brazil	23	(1)
Managerial career
2012	Paraná
2013	Ceará
2013	Avaí
2014	Paraná
2015	Santa Cruz
2016	Portuguesa
2016	Tupi
2018	Londrina
Medal record Men's Football Representing   Brazil FIFA World Cup Winner 2002 Korea & Japan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ricardo Luis Pozzi Rodrigues (born 23 May 1976), better known as Ricardinho, is a Brazilian football manager and retired footballer.

In his career as a midfielder, he represented teams such as Corinthians, São Paulo and Santos in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, winning the league title twice with the former and once with the latter. He also had spells in Europe with Bordeaux, Middlesbrough and Beşiktaş.

A full international with 23 caps for Brazil between 2000 and 2006, Ricardinho was part of the team that won the FIFA World Cup in 2002, also being chosen at the 2006 edition and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. As a manager in the 2010s, he led several clubs in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B and won the Campeonato Pernambucano with Santa Cruz in 2015.

Club career

Early career

Born in São Paulo, Ricardinho began his career at Paraná Clube and had one season at FC Girondins de Bordeaux in the French Ligue 1 in 1997–98. ^[2] He returned to his hometown and joined Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, winning two national titles and the first FIFA Club World Cup in 2000. After the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he transferred to city rivals São Paulo FC, where he partnered Kaká. ^[3]

Middlesbrough

After cancelling his deal at the start of the year, Ricardinho returned to Europe on 2 February 2004 when he signed for Middlesbrough for the rest of the Premier League season. He reunited with international teammates Juninho Paulista and Doriva at the club. ^[4] He played one reserve team game against Wolverhampton Wanderers and manager Steve McClaren suggested he would make the first team for the game against Newcastle United, but he only ever made the substitutes' bench once, against Chelsea. ^[5] He was released on 22 April after he complained about his lack of playing time; McClaren said that he was signed to cover injuries and suspensions that had since passed. ^[6]

Santos

In May 2004, Ricardinho returned to football in the state of São Paulo, signing for Santos FC on a deal until the end of 2005. He was unable to register for the Copa Libertadores due to a documentation deadline. ^[7] His first goal on 10 July was a last-minute winner in a 2–1 home victory against São Paulo, as his team went on to win the national title. ^[8] He and teammates Léo (left-back) and Robinho (forward) made the Bola da Prata Team of the Year. ^[9]

Ricardinho totalled 97 games and 28 goal for the Peixe. ^[8] On 7 September 2005, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–3 draw at Club Athletico Paranaense. ^[10]

Later career

In January 2006, Ricardinho returned to Corinthians on a two-year deal. He was one of Media Sport Investment's signings for the club and was given a monthly salary of 250,000 Brazilian reais, compared to the 430,000 of their fellow signing Carlos Tevez. ^[11]

Ricardinho went for a third spell in European football in August 2006, signing a contract of two years at Beşiktaş J.K. in the Turkish Süper Lig. He reunited with three compatriots, including fellow 2002 World Cup-winning midfielder José Kléberson as well as Márcio Nobre and Bobô. ^[12] The team won the Turkish Cup in his first season, with a 1–0 extra-time win over Kayseri Erciyesspor. ^[13] He terminated his deal in March 2008, alleging four months of unpaid wages. ^[14]

In May 2008, Ricardinho signed another two-year deal, with Al-Rayyan SC of the Qatar Stars League under compatriot manager Paulo Autuori. ^[15] He returned to Brazil in September 2009, at Clube Atlético Mineiro. ^[16] In May 2011, he was released by chairman Alexandra Kalil who had alleged that three managers requested his exit; he signed for Esporte Clube Bahia. ^[17]

International career

Ricardinho earned 23 caps for the Brazil national team. His first on 28 March 2000, as a half-time substitute in a goalless draw away to Colombia in 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification. ^[18]

Ricardinho was called up by Luiz Felipe Scolari for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan as a late replacement for the injured Emerson; he made the team at the expense of Alex. ^[19] He was not expecting to be called up as he had scarcely featured in qualification after Scolari had replaced Vanderlei Luxemburgo; he went to his second home in Curitiba without his passport and attended mass without his mobile phone when he was called up. ^[20] He appeared in three matches as a substitute during the tournament as Brazil won the World Cup for the record fifth time. ^[3]

At the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup in France, Ricardinho was a starter in a Brazil team that failed to advance from a four-team group for the first time since the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Pundit Tim Vickery commented that he struggled with pace, power and defending. ^[3]

On 17 August 2005, Ricardinho scored his only international goal, equalising with a free kick in a 1–1 friendly draw with Croatia in Split. ^[21] Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira chose him for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He appeared in two matches as a substitute, against Japan and Ghana. In the latter, a minute after coming on for Kaká, he assisted the last goal of a 3–0 win by Zé Roberto. ^[22]

Managerial career

In January 2012, Ricardinho retired at the age of 35 and became the manager of Paraná, where he had begun playing 17 years earlier. ^[23] He restored the team to the top flight of the Campeonato Paranaense but resigned in September after a draw against Grêmio Barueri Futebol in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. ^[24]

He resigned as manager of Avaí FC in June 2013 after three successive defeats in the national second divisiom. ^[25] In September 2014, he returned to Paraná in the same league. ^[24]

Ricardinho became manager of Santa Cruz Futebol Clube in 2015, winning the Campeonato Pernambucano. He was dismissed in June with the team in the Série B relegation zone. ^{[26] [27]}

In February 2016, Ricardinho was appointed at Associação Portuguesa de Desportos. He was fired on 28 March after any possibility of reaching the top division of state football was extinguished. ^[28] On 21 September, he was tasked with saving Tupi Futebol Clube from relegation from Série B. ^[29] He resigned with three games to go on 9 November, with the team still in the drop zone. ^[30]

With two wins and four draws from ten games in the Paraná state league, Ricardinho was dismissed by Londrina Esporte Clube on 8 March 2018. ^[31]

Managerial statistics

As of 12 June 2013

Team	From	To	Record 1
			G	W	D	L	Win %
Paraná	18 January 2012	14 September 2012	18	9	6	3	050.00
Avaí	19 March 2013	12 June 2013	19	9	3	7	047.37
Total			37	18	9	10	048.65

• 1. ^ Includes league, cup, state championships and CONMEBOL competitions.

Honours

Player

Corinthians

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1998, 1999
• FIFA Club World Championship: 2000
• Copa do Brasil: 2002
• Rio-São Paulo Tournament: 2002

Santos

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2004 ^[8]

Beşiktaş

• Turkish Cup: 2006–07 ^[13]

Atlético Mineiro

• Campeonato Mineiro: 2010

Brazil

• FIFA World Cup: 2002 ^[20]

Individual

• Bola da Prata: 2004 ^[9]

Manager

Paraná

• Campeonato Paranaense Série B: 2012

Santa Cruz

• Campeonato Pernambucano: 2015 ^[27]

Notes

1. "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Brazil" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
2. "Ricardinho : "J'ai appris beaucoup à Bordeaux"" [Ricardinho: "I learned a lot at Bordeaux"] (in French). Girondins 33. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
3. Vickery, Tim (3 February 2004). "Boro's lightweight Brazilian". BBC Sport . Retrieved 19 November 2023.
4. "Ricardinho arrives at Boro". BBC Sport. 3 February 2004. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
5. Vickers, Anthony (15 May 2020). "The strange case of World Cup winner Ricardinho and his time at Middlesbrough". TeessideLive . Retrieved 19 November 2023.
6. "Boro release Ricardinho". BBC Sport. 22 April 2004. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
7. "Ricardinho se apresenta na Vila Belmiro". Folha de Londrina. 20 May 2004. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
8. "Há 16 anos, Ricardinho garantia vitória do Santos contra o São Paulo nos acréscimos" [16 years ago, Ricardinho guaranteed victory for Santos against São Paulo in added time]. Gazeta Esportiva (in Portuguese). 20 July 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
9. "Bola de Prata Placar 2004". Placar (in Portuguese). 7 August 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
10. "Ricardinho dá show e Santos empata com Atlético-PR" [Ricardinho puts on a show and Santos draw with Atlético-PR]. Gazeta News (in Portuguese). 8 September 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
11. Valentini, Danilo (18 January 2006). "Corinthians recontrata Ricardinho para os próximos dois anos" [Corinthians re-sign Ricardinho for the next two years] (in Portuguese). Universo Online . Retrieved 19 November 2023.
12. "Ricardinho boosts Beşiktaş ranks". UEFA. 22 August 2006. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
13. "2007'nin ilk kupası Beşiktaş'ın" [First cup of 2007 goes to Beşiktaş] (in Turkish). Haber 7. 9 May 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
14. "Ricardinho rompe com o Besiktas" [Ricardinho breaks with Beşiktaş] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 23 March 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
15. Andrade, Ramon (13 May 2008). "Ricardinho no Al Rayyan" [Ricardinho to Al Rayyan] (in Portuguese). Universo Online. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
16. "Atlético-MG contrata o pentacampeão Ricardinho" [Atlético-MG sign 2002 World Cup champion Ricardinho]. Correio Braziliense (in Portuguese). 10 September 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
17. "Bahia acerta a contratação do pentacampeão Ricardinho" [Bahia confirm signing of 2002 World Cup winner Ricardinho]. Gazeta do Povo (in Portuguese). 24 May 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
18. "Ricardinho". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
19. "Alex: "Vi borracho el Mundial de Corea y Japón de 2002"" [Alex: "I watched the 2002 South Korea and Japan World Cup drunk"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 10 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
20. De Laurentiis, Francisco; Bianchini, Vladimir (26 June 2022). "20 anos do Penta: Ricardinho, o último convocado da Copa, revela o que disse a Emerson: 'Era difícil, mas precisava falar alguma coisa'" [20 years since the fifth World Cup win: Ricardinho, the last one called up for the Cup, reveals what he said to Emerson: 'It was difficult, but I needed to say something'] (in Portuguese). ESPN Brasil . Retrieved 20 November 2023.
21. "Zidane Scores On Return; England Shamed". Arab News . 19 August 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
22. "Brazil 3-0 Ghana". BBC Sport. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
23. "Meia Ricardinho se aposenta e vira técnico do Paraná Clube" [Midfielder Ricardinho retires and becomes manager of Paraná Clube] (in Portuguese). Veja. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
24. "Dois anos após se demitir, Ricardinho volta a assumir o Paraná" [Two years after resigning, Ricardinho takes over again at Paraná] (in Portuguese). ESPN Brasil. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
25. "Após 3ª derrota seguida, Ricardinho pede demissão como técnico do Avaí" [After 3rd successive defeat, Ricardinho resigns as manager of Avaí] (in Portuguese). ESPN Brasil. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
26. "President official the hiring Ricardinho to command the Santa" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
27. Gomes, Daniel (13 June 2015). "Após empate contra o Boa Esporte, Ricardinho é demitido no Santa Cruz" [After draw with Boa Esporte, Ricardinho is dismissed at Santa Cruz] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
28. "Após derrota e sem chances de acesso, Ricardinho deixa Lusa" [After defeat and with no chance for promotion, Ricardinho leaves Lusa]. Lance! (in Portuguese). 28 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
29. "Pentacampeão em 2002, Ricardinho é o novo técnico do Tupi" [World Cup champion in 2002, Ricardinho is the new manager of Tupi]. Lance! (in Portuguese). 21 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
30. "Ricardinho pede demissão do Tupi menos de dois meses após assumir clube" [Ricardinho resigns from Tupi less than two months after taking over at the club] (in Portuguese). Universo Online. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
31. "Ricardinho é demitido do comando técnico do Londrina" [Ricardinho is dismissed from the helm of Londrina] (in Portuguese). Terra. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2023.

External links

• Ricardinho Profile from his official site