Ricardo (footballer, born 1971) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ricardo

Ricardo playing for Osasuna in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Ricardo López Felipe
Date of birth	(1971-12-30) 30 December 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth	Madrid, Spain
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Los Yébenes San Bruno (manager)
Youth career
	Atlético Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1990–1998	Atlético Madrid B	146	(0)
1991–1992	→ Ávila (loan)	15	(0)
1994–1997	Atlético Madrid	1	(0)
1998–2002	Valladolid	53	(0)
2002–2005	Manchester United	1	(0)
2003–2004	→ Racing Santander (loan)	34	(0)
2005–2012	Osasuna	189	(0)
2012-2013	Mutilvera
2013	Osasuna	1	(0)
Total		440	(0)
International career
1989	Spain U18	2	(0)
2001–2002	Spain	2	(0)
Managerial career
2018	Racing Ferrol
2021–2022	Ejea
2023–	Los Yébenes San Bruno
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ricardo López Felipe, known as Ricardo, is a Spanish former professional footballer. He was a goalkeeper and is now a manager for club Los Yébenes San Bruno.

He played in 279 La Liga matches over 15 seasons. Ricardo started his career at Atlético Madrid. He then played mostly for Valladolid for four seasons and Osasuna for eight seasons. He also spent two years playing for Manchester United in the Premier League in England.

Ricardo played twice for the Spanish national team. He was also part of the team for the 2002 World Cup.

Ricardo's Club Career

Starting at Atlético Madrid and Valladolid

Ricardo was born in Madrid, Spain, on December 30, 1971. He began his professional football journey at Atlético Madrid. He worked his way up through their reserve teams, known as Atlético Madrid B.

He played for the main Atlético Madrid team until 1998. It was hard for him to get a spot because another great goalkeeper, José Francisco Molina, was usually playing. Ricardo only played one game for the first team. This happened during the 1996–97 season on June 2, 1997. His team won 3–2 against Real Zaragoza.

After leaving Atlético Madrid, Ricardo moved to Real Valladolid, another team in La Liga. He played there for four years. In the 2001–02 season, he became the main goalkeeper and played in all 38 matches. During this time, he was also chosen to be part of the Spanish team for the 2002 World Cup. Even though he was on the team, he did not play in any of the World Cup games.

Playing for Manchester United

On August 30, 2002, Ricardo joined the English club Manchester United. This was a three-year deal worth about £1.5 million. He was brought in to help out because their main goalkeeper, Fabien Barthez, was injured. Another goalkeeper, Roy Carroll, was also quite new to the team.

Ricardo did not get many chances to play for the first team. He played in four UEFA Champions League matches. He only played once in the Premier League. This single Premier League game was against Blackburn Rovers on April 19, 2003. In that game, he gave away a penalty right after he came on, but he saved the shot! Manchester United ended up winning 3–1.

On August 23, 2003, Ricardo went on loan to Racing de Santander for the 2003–04 season. This meant he would play for Racing for a year. When he returned to Spain, Ricardo told a Spanish sports newspaper, AS, that he was happy to be back. He said he missed the Spanish league and was thankful to Manchester United for the experience.

Ricardo helped Racing avoid being moved down to a lower league. After that, he went back to Manchester United. He hoped to become the main goalkeeper, but new players like Tim Howard arrived. Ricardo was not chosen to play for the first team again.

Time at Osasuna

Ricardo left Manchester United for free at the end of the 2004–05 season. He then signed a two-year deal with CA Osasuna. He quickly became their main goalkeeper. In his first three seasons, he played over 100 league games.

He also helped Osasuna reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in his second year. He played in 12 matches during that competition. However, in the middle of the 2008–09 season, he lost his starting spot to a new goalkeeper named Roberto.

Ricardo became the main goalkeeper again in the next few seasons. He played almost every game for Osasuna, even as he got close to 40 years old. But in the 2011–12 season, his manager, José Luis Mendilibar, made him the third-choice goalkeeper.

In January 2013, Ricardo came out of retirement to rejoin Osasuna. This happened because their backup goalkeeper, Asier Riesgo, got a foot injury. At 41 years old, Ricardo was the second-oldest player ever in Spain's top football league. Only Harry Lowe, who was 48 in 1935, was older. Ricardo played one game during this time. It was a 15-minute appearance in the final match of the season, a 4–2 loss against Real Madrid. He let in the last goal of that game.

Ricardo stopped playing football for good at the end of the 2012–13 season. He said, "I don't quit football, football quits me."

Ricardo as a Coach

In June 2013, Ricardo became a goalkeeping coach for Club Brugge KV in Belgium. This was suggested by their head coach, Juan Carlos Garrido. Later, in October, he almost had to play again because two of their goalkeepers were injured.

From July 2014, for over three years, he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the Japan national team. He also coached at Arsenal's football academy in Japan.

On January 2, 2018, Ricardo was named the head coach of Racing de Ferrol, a team in Segunda División B. On June 13, 2019, he became the manager for his former club Valladolid's under-19 team.

Ricardo became the manager of SD Ejea on October 21, 2021. This team was in the new Segunda División RFEF league. After ten matches and only one win, he was no longer the manager. He is currently the manager of Los Yébenes San Bruno.

Playing for Spain

Ricardo played two games for the Spanish national team. His first game was on November 14, 2001. It was a friendly match against Mexico.

His second and final game for Spain was a special match for Ferenc Puskás. This game was a 1–1 draw against Hungary in Budapest. In both games, Ricardo came on as a substitute for Iker Casillas.

Ricardo was chosen to be part of the Spanish team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

Awards and Trophies

Atlético Madrid

• Copa del Rey: 1995–96 (This is a major Spanish football cup competition.)

See also

In Spanish: Ricardo López Felipe para niños