Ricardo Sá Pinto
Portuguese football manager and former player (born 1972)
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Key Takeaways
- Ricardo Manuel Andrade da Silva Sá Pinto (born 10 October 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a forward, currently a manager.
- In a career cut short by injury and suspension, he appeared in 230 Primeira Liga games (scoring 51 goals), also playing for Real Sociedad in Spain for two years.
- He started working as a manager with Sporting in 2012, and also worked in ten foreign countries.
- He first appeared in the Primeira Liga with the former on 30 August 1992, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 away loss against Farense.
- After some solid performances he attracted the attention of La Liga's Real Sociedad, signing a four-year contract in July 1997 for a fee of 400 million pesetas, but was issued with a year-long worldwide suspension before making his debut.
Ricardo Manuel Andrade da Silva Sá Pinto (born 10 October 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a forward, currently a manager.
He was known for his fighting spirit, best displayed in his stints at Sporting CP, where he was dubbed "Ricardo Lionheart" by the club's fans. In a career cut short by injury and suspension, he appeared in 230 Primeira Liga games (scoring 51 goals), also playing for Real Sociedad in Spain for two years.
Sá Pinto represented the Portugal national team in two European Championships, reaching the semi-finals at Euro 2000. He started working as a manager with Sporting in 2012, and also worked in ten foreign countries.
Club career
Born in Porto, Sá Pinto made his professional debut with local Salgueiros and soon represented the Portuguese under-21s, helping the side reach the 1994 UEFA European Championship final. He first appeared in the Primeira Liga with the former on 30 August 1992, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 away loss against Farense.
In the 1994–95 season, Sá Pinto joined Sporting CP. After some solid performances he attracted the attention of La Liga's Real Sociedad, signing a four-year contract in July 1997 for a fee of 400 million pesetas, but was issued with a year-long worldwide suspension before making his debut. He scored in his first official game for his new club, a 3–3 home draw with Real Oviedo on 30 August 1998.
After 70 matches and six goals in Spain, Sá Pinto returned to Sporting where he played six further years, troubled by many injuries, although he eventually gained team captaincy. In the 2006–07 campaign he joined fellow Portuguese international Sérgio Conceição at Standard Liège – with Jorge Costa having retired at the club in the summer – in the Belgian Pro League, and retired aged 34.
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