Ricardinho (futsal player, born 1985)

{{short description|Portuguese futsal player (born 1985)}}

{{other people|Ricardinho}}

{{use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Portuguese name|Silva|Braga}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Ricardinho

| image = Ricardinho on Benfica (cropped).jpg

| upright = 1.1

| caption = Ricardinho playing for Benfica in 2012

| fullname = Ricardo Filipe da Silva Braga

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|9|3|df=y}}

| birth_place = Valbom, Portugal[https://pt.uefa.com/futsaleuro/news/0257-0defcc9a9159-7d9c43ceb146-1000--mundo-do-futsal-rendido-a-ricardinho/ Mundo do futsal rendido a Ricardinho] UEFA.com {{in lang|pt}}

| height = 1.67 mhttps://www.fpf.pt/pt/Jogadores/Jogador/playerId/534342{{in lang|pt}}

| position = Winger

| currentclub = Riga Futsal Club

| clubnumber = 10

| youthyears1 = –2002

| youthclubs1 = Gramidense

| youthclubs2 = Miramar

| years1 = 2003–2010

| clubs1 = Benfica

| caps1 = 98

| goals1 = 195

| years2 = 2010–2013

| clubs2 = Nagoya Oceans

| caps2 = 0

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2011

| clubs3 = → CSKA Moscow (loan)

| caps3 = 0

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 2011–2012

| clubs4 = → Benfica (loan)

| caps4 = 2

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 2013–2020

| clubs5 = Inter Movistar

| caps5 = 210

| goals5 = 152

| years6 = 2020–2022

| clubs6 = ACCS

| caps6 = 8

| goals6 = 5

| years7 = 2022–2023

| clubs7 = Pendekar United

| caps7 = 8

| goals7 = 5

| years8 = 2023–2024

| clubs8 = Riga Futsal Club

| caps8 =

| goals8 =

| years9 = 2024–

| clubs9 = Ecocity Genzano

| caps9 =

| goals9 =

| nationalyears1 = 2003–2021

| nationalteam1 = Portugal

| nationalcaps1 = 188

| nationalgoals1 = 142

| club-update =

| nationalteam-update = 3 April 2019

}}

Ricardo Filipe da Silva Braga {{post-nominals|post-noms=ComIH ComM}} (born 3 September 1985), best known as Ricardinho, is a Portuguese professional futsal player who plays for Latvian club Riga Futsal Club.{{cite web |title=Ricardinho volta à Europa para representar letões do Riga |url=https://desporto.sapo.pt/modalidades/futsal/artigos/ricardinho-vai-representar-letoes-do-riga |website=Desporto Sapo |publisher=Sapo |access-date=2 August 2023}} He is regarded by many as one of the best futsal players of all time, winning numerous titles and accolades for both club and country, such as the UEFA Futsal Champions League, UEFA European Futsal Championship, FIFA Futsal World Cup, the Best Player of the World awards, and many more. He operates mainly as a flank/winger, and commonly wears his iconic number "10".{{cite web |url=https://www.uefa.com/futsalworldcup/news/0257-0def08bb719e-644b1c081214-1000--ricardinho-on-portugal-s-thailand-potential/ |title=Ricardinho on Portugal's Thailand potential |last1=Saffer |first1=Paul |last2=Hunter |first2=Graham |date=24 August 2012 |publisher=UEFA |access-date=16 June 2015}}

Nicknamed O Mágico (The Magician), he was named Best Player of the World a record six times by Futsal Planet, 5 of which he won consecutively from 2014 to 2018 a record as well. {{cite web |url=http://futsalplanet.com/news/news-01.asp?id=14695 |title=UMBRO Futsal Awards 2010 - Best Player of the World |last=Ranocchiari |first=Luca |date=8 June 2011 |publisher=Futsal Planet |access-date=16 June 2015}} He won his first in 2010.{{cite web |url=http://observador.pt/2016/05/20/ricardinho-volta-a-ser-eleito-o-melhor-jogador-de-futsal-do-mundo/ |title=Ricardinho selected again as futsal best player in the world |publisher=Observador |access-date=20 May 2016}} Ricardinho is the only player to have won the award more than four times,[https://www.abola.pt/Nacional/Noticias/Ver/710285 Histórico: Ricardinho eleito melhor do Mundo pela quinta vez] A Bola {{in lang|pt}} being the only Portuguese player to receive it. In 2020 he was awarded a spot in the FutsalFeed's Best Team of the Year Award, the first time this award was conceived.{{cite web |url=https://futsalfeed.com/original-content/winners-futsalfeed-best-team-of-2020-award-winners |title=WINNERS: FutsalFeed Best Team of 2020 Awards powered by Senda Athletics |publisher=FutsalFeed |access-date=19 January 2021}}

At international club level, Ricardinho has won the UEFA Futsal Cup, now known as the UEFA Futsal Champions League, thrice, in 2009–10 with Benfica and in 2016–17 and 2017–18 with Inter FS. As a teenager he had already played and lost a final in 2003–04, for Benfica, against Boomerang Interviú. He also lost another final, while at Inter FS, in 2015–16, against Gazprom-Ugra. In European competitions with his country, he won the UEFA Futsal Euro 2018, in which he finished as top scorer and received the award for Best Player. He had already been named the Best Player in the 2007 edition and been joint-top scorer in the 2016 edition. He is now the all-time top scorer of the competition.[https://web.archive.org/web/20181112212005/https://www.uefa.com/futsaleuro/news/newsid=2535320.html]

In 2021, right after his last FIFA Futsal World Cup match,[https://www.fifa.com/news/ricardinho-pany-interviews-fifa-futsal-world-cup-final Ricardinho: This is the greatest moment of my life] FIFA.com Ricardinho was awarded with the Golden Ball for the best player throughout the tournament,

[https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/futsalworldcup/lithuania2021/news/ricardinho-wins-golden-ball-as-ferrao-finishes-top-scorer Ricardinho wins Golden Ball as Ferrao finishes top scorer] FIFA.com adding another individual achievement to his World Cup Golden Shoe award for top scorer[https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/futsalworldcup/colombia2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016 (Awards section)] FIFA.com that he had been awarded with the previous edition in 2016. This distinction was strongly associated with his contributions to help Portugal win the 2021 World Cup.{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/news/futsal-world-cup-final-day-round-up |title=Pany fires Portugal to World Cup glory |publisher=FIFA |access-date=3 October 2021}} Ricardinho captained his Portuguese national team to the first two of their back-to-back-to-back international trophies during the late 2010s and early 2020s, the country's first major honors: the UEFA Futsal Euro 2018 and the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

Ricardinho is lauded by his defensive quality and workrate, which is very uncommon for a player of such significant offensive prowess, making him very well-rounded. For all his achievements and quality displays, he has been regarded by some experts as the greatest futsal player of all time.{{Cite web |title=Un remake de Barça-Paris au futsal |url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Article/Un-remake-de-barca-paris-au-futsal/1224820 |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=L'Équipe |language=fr}}{{Cite web |date=2021-10-03 |title=Ricardinho, MVP del Mundial, completa su palmarés: ¿Es ya el mejor de la historia? |url=https://www.marca.com/futbol/futbol-sala/mundial/2021/10/03/615a043246163f7a8e8b4575.html |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=MARCA |language=es}}{{Cite web |date=2021-10-01 |title=Ricardinho y el Mundial... ¿para ser el mejor de siempre? |url=https://as.com/masdeporte/2021/10/01/polideportivo/1633110558_802480.html |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=AS.com |language=es}}{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/news/ricardinho-interview-portugal-fifa-futsal-world-cup|title = Ricardinho: Winning the World Cup would bring the curtain down beautifully}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jul/25/ricardinho-futsal-king-qualities-ronaldo-messi|title = Ricardinho: Futsal king who combines the qualities of Ronaldo and Messi|website = TheGuardian.com|date = 25 July 2019}}