| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | João Ricardo Pereira Batalha S. Ferreira | ||
| Date of birth | January 7, 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Luanda, Angola | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1985–1993 | Leiria Marrazes | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1988–1993 | Leiria Marrazes | ||
| 1993–1998 | Académico Viseu | 107 | (0) |
| 1998–2001 | Salgueiros | 1 | (0) |
| 2001–2005 | Moreirense | 97 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Petro Atlético | 21 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1996–2006 | Angola | 30 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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João Ricardo Pereira Batalha dos Santos Ferreira (born 7 January 1970 in Luanda), known as João Ricardo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈɐ̃w̃ ʁiˈkaɾðu]), is a retired Portuguese-Angolan footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
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The son of Portuguese settlers in Angola, João Ricardo returned to his parents' homeland in 1974, aged four, with the family moving to Leiria, where he started playing youth football, making his senior debuts with the same team, amateurs Sport Clube Leiria e Marrazes.
In 1993, Ricardo joined Académico de Viseu FC, playing four seasons in the second division and one in the third with the club. His first top level experience arrived with S.C. Salgueiros, but he could only appear once in the league in his three seasons combined.
Ricardo returned to level two in 2001 with Moreirense FC, playing in all the matches in his first year as the Moreira de Cónegos side, led by Manuel Machado, promoted to the top flight for the first time ever. He maintained his first-choice status in two of the following three years, with the club suffering relegation in 2005.
After more than one year without a club, 37-year old Ricardo returned to his nation of birth and signed for Atlético Petróleos Luanda, being included in the squad that competed in the 2007 CAF Champions League. He retired from the game in the following year.
João Ricardo opted to represent Angola internationally, his first cap coming in 1996, at the age of 26. Ten years later, he appeared with the national team in the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, in an eventual group stage exit.
Ricardo was also selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, being a free agent at the time, with no competitive football played in one year. He started in all three group stage matches for the Africans in their first FIFA World Cup presence, conceding only twice,[1] and performing most notably in the 0–0 draw against Mexico.[2]
After the tournament, Ricardo was offered a contract by Iran outfit Zob Ahan Isfahan FC (the Iranian national team also faced Angola in the World Cup), but the deal eventually fell through due to undisclosed circumstances.[3]
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