If you’re a fan of Ricardo Pereira, then the untold stories of his life are worth discovering. The tenacious right-back has deep family roots in Cape Verde, the homeland of his parents. This island nation, known as the ancestral home of Cristiano Ronaldo, is celebrated for its tropical climate, volcanic landscapes, and rich cuisine.
Ricardo spent most of his early years with his mother, who had a significant influence on his upbringing. His first taste of sporting success came from competitive games, where he often tried to imitate the moves of his idol, Robinho.
At 17, just as he was on the verge of breaking into senior football with high hopes, Ricardo faced a major setback—he was released by Sporting CP. This article delves into his challenging beginnings and how he overcame them to rise to stardom.
Understanding Ricardo Pereira from Childhood: A Hidden Chapter
In short, we’re here to share the story of a Portuguese footballer best known by the nickname “Peri.” We’ll take you through his journey, from his early days to his rise to fame with Leicester City. To give you a glimpse of Ricardo Pereira’s fascinating life, here’s a visual summary of his story.
Ricardo Pereira Biography – The Early Life and Rise of the Portuguese Footballer.
Sure, everyone knows that Ricardo Pereira, like Pedro Porro, is an aggressive and versatile full-back with a knack for making attacking runs into the box. But what many might not realize is that his full biography is just as fascinating as his playing style. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
Ricardo Pereira Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
To kick off his biography, Ricardo Pereira’s full name is Ricardo Domingos Barbosa. He was born on October 6th, 1993, to his parents in Lisbon, Portugal.
Ricardo’s family roots trace back to Cape Verde, where both his mother and father come from. While not much is known about his father, it’s clear that Ricardo spent most of his early years with his mother, who had a significant influence on his upbringing.
Meet Ricardo Pereira’s mother, who had a great influence on his upbringing.
Ricardo Pereira Family Origin:
Did you know?… The country where Ricardo’s parents came from, Cape Verde, is famous for its tropical climate, volcanic islands, and delicious cuisine.
The country was discovered between 1460 and 1462 by Portuguese sailors, a fact which explains why the majority of its citizens abroad prefer to live in Portugal. Cape Verde to Portugal is just an easy drive via the North Atlantic.
From Cape Verde’s sunny shores to Portugal’s embrace, Ricardo’s roots tell tales of islands, flavours, and a sailor’s trace.
Around early 1990, when Ricardo Pereira was born, there was an estimated number of 50,000 persons of Cape Verdean national origin living in Portugal.
Although you might not know! Ricardo Pereira is NOT the only footballer of Cape Verde family origins.
Did you know?… Former Manchester United Legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Nani also have their family origin in the northwest African country (Cape Verde).
What Growing up in Lisbon looked like:
Ricardo Pereira was raised primarily by his mother in Lisbon, Portugal. Lisbon is a city full of both challenges and opportunities.
While some kids gave in to peer pressure in their troubled neighbourhood, others like Ricardo took advantage of the sporting opportunities that the city presented.
The Lisbon native never neglected the sporting side of the city, as he was greatly in love with football as a child.
Ricardo Pereira Childhood Story – Education and Career Buildup:
Ricardo had been interested in playing football professionally right from the moment he watched his first soccer match on TV.
Early on, he began learning his football trade in the local field of Lisbon. Participating in football was his own way of educating himself. His early hard work paid off after he got recognized by a football scout.
At the age of 10, a Sporting scout (from Futebol Benfica, AKA Fofó) monitored Ricardo’s progress and approached him.
The scout spoke with his parents about the need to take their son to Futebol Benfica Academy in the quest for a better football education.
Ricardo Pereira’s parents agreed, and at the age of 11, their son got inducted into the multi-award-winning academy located in the Benfica neighbourhood of Lisbon.
Ricardo Pereira Early Football Education and Career Buildup Story.
Giving football this early start was what Ricardo’s parents wanted for him. While at the club, little Ricardo was looked after by Manuel Fernandes (pictured above), the man who has led the club’s destiny for over 30 years.
Ricardo Pereira Childhood Story – Early Career Life:
Early on with the academy, Ricardo Pereira would think of no other thing than to work, focus, and never give up is possible.
Back then, the Lisbon native, together with his teammates, the likes of renowned players such as Gelson Martins and Rúben Semedo, all followed in the footsteps of Robinho.
Ricardo’s first sporting success came through competitive games where he would regularity try to mimic the gesture and touches of his idol (Robinho) whom he looked up to.
Having unusual stamina for his tender age, the young prodigy saw himself growing through the academy ranks. Below is a rare photo of Ricardo during his early years with Futebol Benfica in the year 2002.
Ricardo Pereira Early Life with Football- His days at Futebol Benfica.
As his progress went on, Ricardo began receiving a thousand euros; later, he began receiving another 2,000 as he went up. After a three-year spell, Ricardo continued his footballing maturation process with Sporting CP’s academy, where he spent an additional six years.
Road to Fame:
When the Going Got Tough: At age 17, the time he was about to graduate with high hopes of getting into senior football, the unfortunate happened. Poor Ricardo Pereira was released by Sporting CP.
Instead of giving up on his dream, the rejected footballer joined Associação Naval 1º de Maio, commonly known as Naval, a small football club in Figueira da Foz.
A year later, he moved on to Vitória Guimaraes, a club known to be a recruiting ground for top clubs in Portugal. While in the club, Ricardo gained entry into their senior team.
Ricardo Pereira endured a difficult start with the senior team. Due to poor performances, Ricardo was dropped to the Vitória Guimarães B (the reserve team of Vitória Guimarães) for some time.
Instead of giving up on his dream again, the young prodigy decided to fight his way up in order to get back his manager’s respect. At last, there was a smooth progression back into his senior career.
Ricardo Pereira worked his way back into the Guimarães first team after he was earlier dropped into the reserves.
Becoming a Cup Final Hero:
Ricardo knew his side wasn’t good enough to win the Portuguese Primeira Liga. Hence, he devoted his full energy to the 2012–13 edition of the Portuguese Cup, a strategy that paid off.
Did you know?… Ricardo became the FINAL HERO in the 2012-2013 Portuguese Cup showpiece final. He was behind the 2–1 winner in the final against S.L. Benfica.
In the end, he dealt with Benfica goalkeeper Artur Moraes with a long-distance shot to sensationally put his club ahead, claiming his first-ever major silverware.
Ricardo Pereira helped his team win the 2012-2013 Taça de Portugal.
When the Going Gets Tough Again:
Being the star man and winning the Portuguese Cup was a perfect plan for Ricardo to get into a bigger team.
On the 16th of April 2013, before the season got over, Ricardo Pereira joined FC Porto with huge expectations placed on his shoulders.
Again, things didn’t go well as planned, and it was the time his club was undergoing a period of major change.
Poor Ricardo, who was used to playing as a forward, suddenly lost all of the attacking prowess that was so evident with his former club, Guimarães.
When the Going Got Tough for Ricardo Pereira.
At the time he lost his attacking qualities, the Lisbon native did demonstrate improvement in the defensive side of his game.
This made his manager (Paulo Fonseca) convert him from a forward to a full-back, the position he played at the time of writing.
Despite the conversion, Ricardo’s challenges continued. Even as a right-back, there was competition with Danilo as his rival.
When Danilo went to Madrid, Pereira’s starting place wasn’t still guaranteed as Maxi Pereira, signed from Benfica, was selected over him for the position. Choosing the last resort, Ricardo decided to leave the club on loan.
Ricardo Pereira Biography – Rise to Fame:
Ricardo Pereira was loaned for two years to French club OGC Nice, where he maintained his defensive position. Rather than crumble, the defender grew from strength to strength.
Within a matter of weeks, Ricardo Pereira went from a forgotten man at FC Porto to becoming one of Ligue 1’s biggest revelations. At the club, he gained a lot of popularity and fame.
Ricardo Pereira’s remarkable rise at Nice.
After his two loan spells with the club, Ricardo began to feel the need to leave for new surroundings.
Moving to England to join Leicester became a confidence boost as the Lisbon native was happy with the English culture, the club’s training method, and habits.
In his first season at Leicester, Pereira’s defensive ability helped his team concede only 34 league goals in a season, a respectable number for a mid-table side, better than Manchester United and Arsenal.
At the end of his first season, Ricardo was voted the 2018/2019 Leicester Player of the Season and also the award for Leicester Player’s Player of the Season 2018/2019.
2018-2019 Leicester City Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season Award.
Winning these awards was a confidence boost for Ricardo Pereira as his meteoric rise to prominence continued in the 2019/2020 season. The coming of James Justin and Timothy Castagne gave that competition, which resulted in Ricardo’s greater push to impress his Brendan Rodgers.
Even in his right-back position, Pereira’s aggressiveness and versatility have helped push his team back into the Champions League places.
In the minds of football fans in Portugal and the world at large, Ricardo Pereira is indeed among the best in the endless production line of amazing right-backs who have made a name in football. The rest, as they say, is history.
Personal Life:
Knowing his personality off the pitch would help you get a better picture of him.
Starting off, he is someone who believes in the words that say… “Important is not who smiles with you, but who will be with you when you cannot smile“.
Getting to know Ricardo Pereira’s Personal Life away from Football.
Ricardo Pereira uses these emotional words to reflect on his early career struggles. We talk of a life that was filled with rejection and a lot of slowdowns. At the time of writing, it is the status write-up displayed on his Instagram page.
Also on his personal life, Ricardo is a determined and decisive person, one who will research until he finds out the truth that would led to success.
As an individual, he possesses an inner state of independence, which enables significant progress both in his personal and professional life.
Likeness for Dog: Football players, the likes of Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, and Neymar, love their dogs, and Ricardo Pereira isn’t an exception.
Even though there is a saying that there is no loyalty left in the modern game, it surely doesn’t take into account the relationships shared between the Portuguese star and his dog.
Meet Ricardo Pereira’s Dog.
Ricardo Pereira Family Life:
For Ricardo Pereira, the key to living a happy life is to have a fine balance. Meaning he will not commit to football commitments without doing the most important this. That is, setting apart enough time for his beloved mother.
Ricardo’s Pereira’s mum at the time of writing happens to be the only family member in his public domain. Below is a photo of both mother and son as they both took a tour to Buckingham Palace.
Ricardo Pereira pictured alongside his Mother.
Unlike Pereira’s mum, his dad, brother and sister have all made a conscious choice not to seek public recognition.
Lifestyle:
When it comes to lifestyle, Ricardo Pereira has the talent to maintain a balance. A balance between spending and saving money.
As I write his Bio, he makes a whooping £3.6 million in annual wages. Even with this monies, he is disciplined enough to stick to his budget.
Going through his social media, there are no signs of having a glamorous lifestyle. Especially one that is easily noticeable by a handful of exotic cars, mansions, etc.
As observed below, Ricardo Pereira mostly spends his money on aquatic entertainment.
Ricardo Pereira spends his monies on aquatic entertainment and workouts.
Untold Facts:
A Race Driver:
While most footballers tend to play golf or FIFA, there are some who are different. As you can see, Ricardo is more inventive in terms of what he does outside football.
Ricardo Pereira is one of those who has another hobby you wouldn’t necessarily expect. Did you know?… He is an expert in Kart racing from Daytona Tamworth.
Ricardo Pereira is a motorsport fan who has featured for the death motorsport event.
Brand Ambassador & Student of a UK University:
Ricardo Pereira Love for computers and studies.
According to a report, he was once an online student. Also, a brand ambassador of De Montfort University, a public university in the city of Leicester, England.
The Leicester City happy Baller took his inspiration from Wilfred Ndidi, a fellow brand ambassador who at the time of writing, is studying to gain a degree in business and management from the university.
Honours in Summary:
Most football fans, including you reading this Biography, might have gotten something. The fact that he achieved quite a lot before joining Leicester. Here is a breakdown of his honours before joining Leicester.
Ricardo Pereira Untold Number of Honours.
Appreciation Note:
Thanks for reading our Ricardo Pereira Childhood Story and his Untold Biography. We strive for accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver you Portuguese Football Stories. Please stay tuned, as the Life History of Goncalo Ramos and Diogo Costa will excite you. If you find something that doesn’t look right, please share it with us by commenting below. We’ll always value and respect your ideas.
