Ricardo Oliveira facts for kids
Oliveira celebrating a goal with Santos in 2015
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 May 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | São Paulo, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.83 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1999 | Corinthians | ||
| 1999–2000 | Portuguesa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2002 | Portuguesa | 56 | (28) |
| 2003 | Santos | 20 | (11) |
| 2003–2004 | Valencia | 21 | (8) |
| 2004–2006 | Betis | 46 | (26) |
| 2006 | → São Paulo (loan) | 8 | (5) |
| 2006–2008 | AC Milan | 26 | (3) |
| 2007–2008 | → Zaragoza (loan) | 37 | (18) |
| 2008–2009 | Zaragoza | 18 | (9) |
| 2009 | Betis | 16 | (6) |
| 2009–2014 | Al Jazira | 78 | (54) |
| 2010 | → São Paulo (loan) | 15 | (7) |
| 2014 | Al Wasl | 11 | (4) |
| 2015–2017 | Santos | 114 | (58) |
| 2018–2020 | Atlético Mineiro | 83 | (28) |
| 2020–2021 | Coritiba | 18 | (2) |
| 2022 | Athletic-MG | 9 | (1) |
| 2023 | Brasília | 7 | (2) |
| Total | 579 | (269) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2016 | Brazil | 16 | (5) |
|
|||
Ricardo José Dognella Lima de Oliveira, known as Ricardo Oliveira, is a retired Brazilian football player. He was born on May 6, 1980. He played as a striker, which means he was a main goal-scorer for his team.
Oliveira played for famous Brazilian clubs like São Paulo and Santos. He also spent time playing in Spain. There, he scored 58 goals in 120 games for three different teams in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league.
From 2004 to 2016, Ricardo Oliveira also played for the Brazilian national team. He helped Brazil win important tournaments like the Copa América and the Confederations Cup.
Contents
Ricardo Oliveira's Club Journey
Ricardo Oliveira started his football journey in Brazil, then moved to Europe, and later played in the United Arab Emirates before returning to Brazil.
Starting in Brazil: Portuguesa
Ricardo Oliveira was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He joined the youth team of Corinthians in 1997. In 1999, he left Corinthians and moved to Portuguesa. He became a professional player for Portuguesa in 2000.
He played his first professional game on September 24, 2000. He came on as a substitute and scored the only goal in a home win. Over three seasons, he scored 23 goals in the top Brazilian league, Série A. In March 2001, he scored in seven games in a row, which was a club record.
Playing for Santos
In early 2003, Oliveira joined Santos. He scored goals in the group and knockout stages of the 2003 Copa Libertadores, a big South American club tournament. Santos reached the final, but they lost to Boca Juniors.
Moving to Spain: Valencia
On July 31, 2003, Ricardo Oliveira moved to Spain to play for Valencia CF. He signed a five-year contract. Under coach Rafael Benítez, he scored eight goals in 21 games in La Liga. One of his most famous goals was a long-range shot against FC Barcelona in a 1–0 win. He also scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against RCD Mallorca.
That season, Valencia won the Spanish league title (La Liga) and also the UEFA Cup.
Time at Betis
After one season, Oliveira joined Real Betis for about €4 million. He had his best league season, scoring 22 goals in 37 games. Betis finished fourth in the league, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time. He also helped Betis win the Copa del Rey in 2005, scoring the first goal in their 2–1 win.
Oliveira scored his first Champions League goal on September 28, 2005. He scored twice against AS Monaco in the qualifying rounds. Later, he got a knee injury, which meant he played fewer games in the 2005–06 season.
He went on loan to São Paulo in Brazil in 2006 to try and get a spot in Brazil's 2006 FIFA World Cup team. However, his injury recovery took too long, and he did not make the squad.
Playing for AC Milan
On August 31, 2006, Ricardo Oliveira moved to Italy to play for AC Milan, a big club in Serie A. He signed a five-year deal. He made his debut for Milan in the first game of the 2006–07 season, scoring a goal in a 2–1 win. He scored two more league goals and two goals in the Italian Cup that season.
Return to Spain: Zaragoza
On July 14, 2007, Oliveira went back to Spain to play for Real Zaragoza on loan. He formed a strong attacking partnership with Diego Milito. Together, they scored 33 goals for the team. Zaragoza bought him from Milan in May 2008.
Back to Betis
In January 2009, Oliveira returned to Real Betis. He scored in his very first game back, helping Betis win a derby match against Sevilla FC. However, Betis was relegated from La Liga that season.
Playing in the UAE: Al-Jazira
In July 2009, Oliveira moved to Al Jazira Club in the United Arab Emirates. He had a very successful time there. In the 2012 AFC Champions League, he scored many goals, including three goals in one game against FC Nasaf. He also scored all four of his team's goals in a 4–3 win against Al-Rayyan SC.
He was released from Al Jazira in January 2014.
Another Return to Santos
On January 12, 2015, Ricardo Oliveira returned to Santos in Brazil. He quickly became the team's top goalscorer in the 2015 Campeonato Paulista and was named the best player of the competition. He extended his contract until December 2017.
In the Brazilian league that year, he scored 20 goals, making him the top scorer. He scored the winning goal in the 2016 Campeonato Paulista final. He played that game with a knee injury, which kept him out for two months afterward. In July, he scored three goals in a Copa do Brasil match.
After a season with injuries in 2017, he still scored nine goals in the league. He left Santos in December 2017.
Later Career in Brazil
After leaving Santos, 37-year-old Oliveira joined Atlético Mineiro. He played for them until September 2020.
On September 29, 2020, at age 40, Oliveira joined Coritiba. He left the club in May 2021.
In 2022, he briefly joined Athletic-MG and helped them win a state title. He then joined Brasília in January 2023.
Ricardo Oliveira played his last professional game for Brasília in March 2023. He officially announced his retirement from football on July 28, 2023.
Ricardo Oliveira's International Career
Ricardo Oliveira played for the Brazilian national team from 2004 to 2016.
He made his unofficial debut for Brazil in May 2004, scoring in a 5–1 win. His first official game was on July 8, 2004, in the 2004 Copa América. He scored his first international goal in the quarter-final match against Mexico. Brazil went on to win the tournament.
Oliveira was also part of the squad that won the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. He was a backup player for famous strikers like Adriano, Robinho, and Ronaldo. He missed the 2006 FIFA World Cup due to an injury he got while playing for Betis.
After a break from the national team, he was called up again in November 2006. In September 2015, he was called up for the 2018 World Cup qualification games. He started against Venezuela and scored a goal in a 3–1 win.
He scored again on March 29, 2016, in a 2–2 draw against Paraguay. He was named in the squad for the Copa América Centenario in 2016 but had to withdraw due to injury.
Career Achievements
Ricardo Oliveira had a very successful career, winning many titles with different clubs and with the Brazilian national team.
Club Trophies
Valencia
Betis
- Copa del Rey: 2004–05
São Paulo
AC Milan
- UEFA Champions League: 2006–07
Al Jazira
- UAE Pro League: 2010–11
- UAE President's Cup: 2010–11, 2011–12
- UAE League Cup: 2009–10
Santos
- Campeonato Paulista: 2015, 2016
International Trophies
Brazil
- Copa América: 2004
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005
Individual Awards
- Campeonato Paulista Team of the Year: 2015
- Campeonato Paulista Best Player: 2015
- Chuteira de Ouro: 2015 (Award for top scorer in Brazil)
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2015
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Top scorer: 2015
- Best Forward in Brazil (Troféu Mesa Redonda): 2015, 2016
Images for kids
-
Oliveira celebrating a goal with Santos in 2015
-
Oliveira training with AC Milan in 2007
See also
In Spanish: Ricardo Oliveira para niños
- Fastest goals in association football
