Bryan Ruiz facts for kids
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Ruiz with Costa Rica at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 August 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | San José, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.87 m | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2006 | Alajuelense | 86 | (24) |
| 2006–2009 | Gent | 79 | (26) |
| 2009–2011 | Twente | 65 | (35) |
| 2011–2015 | Fulham | 97 | (12) |
| 2014 | → PSV (loan) | 14 | (5) |
| 2015–2018 | Sporting CP | 86 | (12) |
| 2018–2020 | Santos | 12 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Alajuelense | 63 | (7) |
| Total | 502 | (121) | |
| National team | |||
| 2005–2022 | Costa Rica | 147 | (29) |
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Bryan Jafet Ruiz González (born on August 18, 1985) is a famous former Costa Rican football player. He mostly played as an attacking midfielder or a second striker. He was known for being left-footed.
Bryan Ruiz is special because he is the only player from Central America to have played in three major football tournaments: the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, and the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores.
Contents
Bryan Ruiz's Football Journey
Starting with Alajuelense
Bryan Ruiz started his professional football career at 18 years old. His first game was on November 30, 2003, for Liga Deportiva Alajuelense in Costa Rica. He quickly became known for scoring goals and helping his teammates score.
He got his first goals on December 23, 2003, scoring twice in one game. Fans nicknamed him La Comadreja, which means "The Weasel", because of his face. While playing for Alajuelense, he helped his team win important regional titles like the UNCAF Cup and the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
Playing in Belgium with Gent
In 2006, Bryan Ruiz moved to Europe and joined Gent in Belgium. He signed a four-year contract. On December 8, 2007, he scored three goals in one game, which is called a hat-trick. In that season, he was the captain of his team and their top goal scorer in the Belgian League.
Becoming a Champion with Twente
On July 15, 2009, Bryan Ruiz joined the Dutch club FC Twente. He signed a four-year deal. He scored in his very first game for Twente. He also scored in ten games in a row, which is a great achievement!
On March 27, 2010, he scored one of the fastest hat-tricks ever, with three goals in just four minutes! On May 2, 2010, Bryan Ruiz helped FC Twente win the Eredivisie title for the first time in their history. He was their top scorer that season with 24 goals.
Time in England with Fulham
On August 31, 2011, Bryan Ruiz moved to England to play for Fulham. He made his debut on September 11, 2011. He scored his first goal for Fulham on October 23, 2011.
In April 2012, he broke a bone in his foot during a game, which meant he couldn't play for about 10 weeks. He came back strong for the 2012–13 season, playing in 31 games and scoring five goals.
Loan to PSV Eindhoven
In January 2014, Bryan Ruiz went on loan to Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. He played his first game for PSV on January 19, 2014, and scored his first goal for them in February.
Playing in Portugal with Sporting CP
On July 7, 2015, Bryan Ruiz joined Sporting CP in Portugal. He played his first game for them in the Supertaça against their rivals, S.L. Benfica, and Sporting won!
He scored his first goal for Sporting in the UEFA Europa League on October 1, 2015. His first goal in the Portuguese league was against Benfica on October 25.
Short Time in Brazil with Santos
On July 11, 2018, Bryan Ruiz signed with Santos FC in Brazil. He played 12 league matches in his first season. However, he didn't play any games in his second season. He later left the club in July 2020.
Coming Home to Alajuelense
On July 23, 2020, Bryan Ruiz announced he was returning to his first club, Alajuelense. In December 2022, he officially retired from professional football. He celebrated his retirement with a friendly match between Alajuelense and his old club, Twente.
Playing for Costa Rica
Bryan Ruiz first played for the Costa Rica national team on June 19, 2005. He has played in many important tournaments for Costa Rica, including the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2005, 2011, and 2015. He was even the captain in the 2015 tournament.
He scored six goals during the qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he scored three goals, helping Costa Rica reach the finals in Brazil.
At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Bryan Ruiz was the captain. He led Costa Rica to a big 3–1 win against Uruguay. He also scored the only goal in a surprising 1–0 win against four-time champions Italy, which helped Costa Rica move to the next round. In the next game, he scored again against Greece, and Costa Rica won in a penalty shootout. They made it to the quarter-finals, where they lost to the Netherlands in another penalty shootout.
In May 2018, he was chosen for Costa Rica's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He also played in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was his last tournament before he retired from international football.
Achievements and Awards
Bryan Ruiz has won many awards and titles throughout his career:
With Alajuelense
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 2004
- Copa Interclubes UNCAF: 2005
- Primera División: 2005 (Apertura), 2006 (Clausura), 2020 (Apertura)
- CONCACAF League: 2020
With Twente
- Eredivisie: 2010
- KNVB Cup: 2011
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2010, 2011
With Sporting CP
- Taça da Liga: 2018
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2015
With Costa Rica
- Copa Centroamericana: 2014
Individual Awards
- CONCACAF Men's Player of the Year: 2016
- CONCACAF Goal of the Year: 2014
- CONCACAF Best XI: 2015, 2016, 2017
- Player of the season at FC Twente: 2010
- BBC Goal of the Month: October 2011
About Bryan's Life
Bryan Ruiz has two brothers, and one of them, Yendrick, is also a football player! Bryan and Yendrick even played together for Alajuelense for a short time. They also played together for the Costa Rica national team in a friendly match in 2013.
Bryan Ruiz also used to write columns for a Costa Rican sports newspaper called Al Día from 2011 to 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Bryan Ruiz para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
