| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mário Ricardo da Silva Velho[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-08-20)20 August 1998 (age 27)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Famalicão, Portugal[1] | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Gençlerbirliği (on loan fromFarense) | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Vitória Guimarães | ||
| 2007–2009 | Porto | ||
| 2009–2010 | Salgueiros | ||
| 2010–2012 | Trofense | ||
| 2012–2013 | Braga | ||
| 2013–2014 | Palmeiras Braga | ||
| 2014–2017 | Braga | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2020 | Braga B | 11 | (0) |
| 2020– | Farense | 97 | (0) |
| 2025– | →Gençlerbirliği (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10:17, 11 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Mário Ricardo da Silva Velho (born 20 August 1998) is a Portuguese professionalfootballer who plays as agoalkeeper forSüper Lig clubGençlerbirliği, on loan fromFarense.
Born inVila Nova de Famalicão,Braga District, Velho joinedBraga's academy when he was 14.[2] On 23 August 2017, he made his professional debut with thereserve team in a 2–1 away loss againstPenafiel in theLigaPro.[3]
During his spell, Velho played second-fiddle toTiago Sá (who later appeared in several matches for the main squad) and Rogério Santos.[4][5]
On 31 July 2020, Velho signed a two-year contract withPrimeira Liga clubFarense.[6] In the2022–23 season, he contributed 22 games as his side finished runners-up and returned to the main division after a two-year absence, while they conceded a league-best 34 goals; subsequently, he agreed to an extension until June 2026.[7][8]
Velho's maiden appearance in the top flight took place on 12 August 2023, in a 0–3 home defeat toCasa Pia.[9] Due to his performances, which included a league-best 143 saves and sevenclean sheets with Farense finishing tenth, he was votedthe campaign's Goalkeeper of the Year.[10][11][12]
In summer 2024, Velho was linked with a move toBenfica, but they rejected a transfer due to Farense asking Benfica to pay his €10 million release clause. This led to him agreeing to extend his contract until 2028.[13]
Velho missed the final month of2024–25, due to a knee ligament injury that required surgery.[14] His team would be ultimately relegated as second-bottom.[15]
Shortly after the start of thefollowing season, Velho was loaned toGençlerbirliği with an option to buy.[16] He only made hisSüper Lig debut on 7 November, in a 2–1 home win overİstanbul Başakşehir; managerVolkan Demirel later disclosed that he was fielded because the Turkish club would have to pay €200.000 in compensation if he did not take part in the required number of matches in the first half of the campaign.[17][18]
Velho was notcapped by Portugal at anyyouth level. On 4 October 2024, he was called by thesenior team for matches againstPoland andScotland in theUEFA Nations League.[19]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Braga B | 2017–18 | LigaPro | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | LigaPro | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | Campeonato de Portugal | 9 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 11 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| Farense | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Liga Portugal 2 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Liga Portugal 2 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| Total | 66 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 73 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 77 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 84 | 0 | ||
Individual