.JPG) Ricardo playing forOsasuna in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo López Felipe[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1971-12-30)30 December 1971 (age 53)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Madrid, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft1+1⁄2 in)[1] | ||
| 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) |
| 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 (born 30 December 1971), known simply asRicardo, is a Spanish retired professionalfootballer who played as agoalkeeper, currentlymanager ofPreferente de Aficionados clubLos Yébenes San Bruno.
He played 279La Liga matches over 15 seasons, starting his career atAtlético Madrid where he struggled to break through, then representing mostlyValladolid (four seasons) andOsasuna (eight). He also spent two years withManchester United in thePremier League.
Ricardo won two international caps forSpain, and was part of the squad for the2002 World Cup.
Born inMadrid, Ricardo began his professional career atAtlético Madrid, working his way through thereserves and going on to represent the senior squad until 1998. Barred byJosé Francisco Molina, he only managed one first-team appearance which came during the1996–97 season, in a 3–2 away win againstReal Zaragoza on 2 June 1997.[2]
Subsequently, Ricardo was transferred toReal Valladolid, also inLa Liga. He spent four years at the club, becoming first-choice in the2001–02 campaign (all 38 matches played) while also being selected as a member of theSpanish squad for the2002 World Cup, though he did not play in the finals.[3]
On 30 August 2002, Ricardo joined English clubManchester United in a three-year deal worth£1.5 million.[4] Signed to provide cover for the injuredFabien Barthez and the inexperiencedRoy Carroll, he found first-team opportunities rare, appearing in fourUEFA Champions League matches and just once in thePremier League. He marked his only appearance in the latter competition, againstBlackburn Rovers on 19 April 2003, by conceding apenalty with his first touch after he fouledAndy Cole, but savedDavid Dunn's attempt in an eventual 3–1 victory.[5][6]
On 23 August 2003, Ricardo agreed to a loan transfer toRacing de Santander for2003–04 season – the deal included an option to make transfer permanent the following June. On his return to Spain, Ricardo was quoted in the Spanish sports dailyAS as saying:
"It's not a backward step. When I received the offer I was delighted to have the chance to return to Spain. I missed the Spanish league ... All I feel is gratitude toward Manchester. The club treated me very well. It was a lovely experience which was well worth it."[7]
After helping Racing narrowly avoid top-flight relegation, Ricardo returned to Manchester United and proclaimed his ambition to take the number one jersey from Barthez. However, he was never again picked for the first team following the arrival ofTim Howard and Carroll's improvement.[8]
Ricardo was eventually released by the club on afree transfer, at the end of2004–05.[8] Subsequently, he signed forCA Osasuna on a two-year deal,[9] quickly becoming theNavarrese side's first-choice and totalling over 100 league appearances in his first three seasons; he also helped themreach the semi-finals of theUEFA Cup in hissecond year by contributing 12 matches,[10] but lost his job midway through2008–09 to newly signedRoberto.[11]
Ricardo regained his first-choice status in the following top-division campaigns,[12] rarely missing a game for Osasuna even though he was approaching his 40s. In the2011–12 season, however, still under managerJosé Luis Mendilibar, he was demoted to as low as third-string.[13][14]
Ricardo came out of retirement in January 2013 to rejoin Osasuna as an emergency signing, after backup goalkeeperAsier Riesgo suffered a foot injury.[15] At 41, he was the second-oldest player in the history of the Spanish top flight, surpassed only by 48-year-oldHarry Lowe ofReal Sociedad in 1935.[16] His only game of this spell was a 15-minute cameo in the final fixture, a 4–2 loss atReal Madrid in which he conceded the last goal.[17]
Ricardo quit the game for good at the end ofthe campaign, stating "I don't quit football, football quits me".[18]
Recommended by head coachJuan Carlos Garrido, Ricardo joined Belgium'sClub Brugge KV in June 2013 as a goalkeeping coach. Near the end of October, a player licence was sought out for him as both the second and third goalkeeper were unavailable due to injury;[19] over three years and starting in July 2014, he worked in the same capacity with theJapan national team[20] and Arsenal's academy in that Asian country.[21]
On 2 January 2018, Ricardo was appointed head coach ofSegunda División B sideRacing de Ferrol.[22] On 13 June 2019, he was named manager of former club Valladolid's under-19s.[23]
Ricardo became manager ofSD Ejea in the newly formedSegunda División RFEF on 21 October 2021.[24] After ten matches and only one win, he was dismissed.[25]
Ricardo played twice forSpain, his debut coming on 14 November 2001 in afriendly withMexico.[26] In atestimonial match forFerenc Puskás the following summer, during a 1–1 draw againstHungary inBudapest, he received his second and finalcap; in both cases, he came on as asubstitute forIker Casillas.[27]
Ricardo was selected for the2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea.[28]
Atlético Madrid
