Ricardo Goulart facts for kids
Goulart with Guangzhou in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo Goulart Pereira | ||
| Date of birth | 5 June 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | São José dos Campos, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2005 | Moreira's Sport | ||
| 2006–2009 | Santo André | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009–2011 | Santo André | 34 | (6) |
| 2010–2011 | → Internacional (loan) | 17 | (5) |
| 2012 | Goiás | 55 | (21) |
| 2013–2014 | Cruzeiro | 79 | (29) |
| 2015–2021 | Guangzhou FC | 117 | (78) |
| 2019 | → Palmeiras (loan) | 9 | (3) |
| 2020 | → Hebei China Fortune (loan) | 18 | (4) |
| 2022 | Santos | 20 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | Bahia | 22 | (5) |
| Total | 371 | (154) | |
| National team | |||
| 2014 | Brazil | 1 | (0) |
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Ricardo Goulart Pereira (born on June 5, 1991), known as Ricardo Goulart, is a former Brazilian footballer. He was a talented player who mostly played as an attacking midfielder.
Ricardo Goulart began his football journey with Santo André in 2009. He stayed there until 2011, which included a time playing on loan for Internacional. In 2012, he played for Goiás in Brazil's second football division. The next year, he joined Cruzeiro.
At Cruzeiro, Goulart became a very important player for the team. Over two years, he played 99 games and scored 34 goals. He helped the club win the Brazilian League title in 2014. He also won personal awards like the 2014 Bola de Ouro, which means "Golden Ball". In 2015, he moved to China to play for Guangzhou Evergrande. In his first season there, he helped them win the Chinese Super League and the AFC Champions League.
Goulart played his first international game for the Brazil national football team in 2014. This was against the Colombian national team.
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Ricardo Goulart's Club Career
Starting at Santo André
Ricardo Goulart was born in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil. He joined Santo André's youth team in 2006. Before that, he had tried out for other clubs but didn't make it.
In 2009, he was the top scorer for the under-20 team in a big youth tournament. Because of this, he was moved up to the main team. Goulart played his first game for Santo André on February 25, 2009. He came into the game as a substitute and scored a goal. His team won 2–1 against Ituano. He scored four goals in 12 games in that competition.
He made his debut in Brazil's top league, Série A, on May 24, 2009. He scored his first goal in this league on July 25. However, his team was relegated (moved down to a lower division) that year.
Loan to Internacional
On May 19, 2010, Goulart was loaned to Internacional for one year. He first played for their B-team.
After winning a cup with the B-team, Goulart joined the main squad in 2011. He started the season as a regular player. But when a new coach, Dorival Júnior, arrived, Goulart played less. His loan ended in December 2011, and he went back to Santo André. However, Santo André also decided not to keep him, so he left the club.
Playing for Goiás
On December 28, 2011, Goulart signed a contract with Goiás. This team played in the Série B, Brazil's second division. He played his first game for Goiás on January 22, 2012, in a big 5–0 win. He scored his first goal three days later.
Goulart quickly became a key player for Goiás. He helped them win the 2012 Campeonato Goiano (a state championship) and the 2012 Série B. He scored 25 goals and made 14 assists that year. This helped the club move back up to the top league.
Time at Cruzeiro
On January 5, 2013, Goulart joined Cruzeiro, a team in Brazil's top division. He played his first game for them on February 3, winning against rivals Atlético Mineiro. He scored his first goal for Cruzeiro on March 24.
In his first season, Goulart was one of Cruzeiro's top scorers with 10 goals. He helped the club win the league title. In August 2014, after winning another state championship, he received an offer from a French club, Monaco. But Cruzeiro decided not to sell him.
In the 2014 Copa Libertadores, a big South American tournament, Goulart was again a top scorer for his team. He scored four goals, including three goals in one game against Universidad de Chile. His team reached the quarterfinals. In the 2014 league season, he scored 15 goals, making him the club's top scorer. Cruzeiro won their second league title in a row. He was also named to the league's team of the season and won the Bola de Ouro and Bola de Prata awards.
Moving to Guangzhou Evergrande
First Seasons in China
In January 2015, Ricardo Goulart moved to China. He signed with Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande for about €15 million. This was a very high transfer fee for a Chinese club at the time. He got the number 11 jersey.
Goulart played his first game for Guangzhou on February 14, 2015. He scored his first goal for the club on February 25 in an AFC Champions League match. He then scored three goals in one game against Western Sydney Wanderers on March 4. His coach, Fabio Cannavaro, praised him, saying Goulart was a "great player" who helped the team a lot.
Goulart continued to score many goals. He scored two goals against Kashima Antlers on March 18, 2015. In the league, he scored 19 goals, helping the club win their fifth title in a row.
On February 22, 2016, Goulart signed a new contract with Guangzhou Evergrande until 2020. He scored another 19 league goals that year, as the club won their sixth league title in a row. In 2017, he scored his career-best 20 goals, and Guangzhou won yet another title.
Loan to Palmeiras and Return
On January 15, 2019, Goulart went back to Brazil to play for Palmeiras on a one-year loan. However, he had problems with injuries and only played 12 matches. On May 23, his loan ended early, and he returned to Guangzhou.
Goulart continued to struggle with knee injuries for the rest of 2019. He did not play any games that season.
Loan to Hebei China Fortune
On July 19, 2020, Goulart joined Hebei China Fortune on loan for the rest of the year. He played 18 games for them. His team was knocked out of the league by his parent club, Guangzhou.
2021 Season and Departure
Goulart returned to Guangzhou for the 2021 season. He played only a few games before ending his contract in November 2021. Reports said that the club had financial problems and could not pay his salary.
Playing for Santos
On January 11, 2022, Goulart, who was now a free agent, signed a two-year contract with Santos in Brazil. He played his first game for Santos on February 2, winning against rivals Corinthians.
Goulart scored his first goal for Santos on February 13, 2022, in a 2–1 win. However, he found it hard to become a regular starter. He ended his contract with Santos on July 12.
Joining Bahia
On August 2, 2022, Goulart joined Bahia.
Retirement from Football
On April 24, 2023, Ricardo Goulart announced that he was retiring from football. He was 31 years old.
International Career
On August 19, 2014, Goulart was called up to the Brazil national team. This was for two matches against Colombia and Ecuador. He did not play against Colombia, but he made his full international debut on September 9. This was in a 1–0 victory against Ecuador.
After playing only one friendly match for Brazil, Goulart later became a Chinese citizen. He was one of six football players without Chinese family who became Chinese citizens. Another famous player was Elkeson, also from Brazil. However, it was not clear if Goulart could play for the Chinese national team. This was because he did not meet the five-year residency rules, as he left China for a period between 2018 and 2019.
How Ricardo Goulart Played
Ricardo Goulart was a very flexible and strong attacking midfielder. He was good at scoring goals. He could also play as a forward in the middle, or as a winger on either side of the field. He was known for his powerful shots and his ability to run into the penalty area to score.
Ricardo Goulart's Personal Life
In 2009, Goulart married Diane. His brother, Juninho, is also a footballer. Juninho is well-known for playing with the MLS club LA Galaxy.
Goulart officially became a Chinese citizen on July 17, 2019. After leaving Guangzhou in November 2021, some Chinese news reported that he gave up his Chinese nationality. This was because he returned to Brazil. However, for the 2022 season, he was still listed as a foreign player. This means he had not yet completed the paperwork to get his Brazilian nationality back.
Honours and Awards
Club Achievements
Internacional
- Copa FGF: 2010
Cruzeiro
Guangzhou Evergrande
- AFC Champions League: 2015
- Chinese Super League: 2015, 2016, 2017
- Chinese FA Cup: 2016
- Chinese FA Super Cup: 2016, 2017, 2018
Bahia
- Campeonato Baiano: 2023
Individual Awards
- Bola de Ouro: 2014
- Bola de Prata: 2014
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2014
- Troféu Mesa Redonda Best Player: 2014
- Chinese Football Association Footballer of the Year: 2015, 2016
- Chinese Super League Team of the Year: 2015, 2016, 2017
- AFC Champions League Top Scorer: 2015
- AFC Champions League Most Valuable Player: 2015
- AFC Foreign Player of the Year: 2015
- Chinese FA Super Cup Most Valuable player: 2016
- Chinese Super League Golden Boot winner: 2016
See also
- List of Chinese naturalized footballers
