Born Ricardo Andrade Quaresma Bernardo on the 26th of September 1983 in Lisbon, Portugal, from a very young age, it was clear that Andrade was a ridiculously talented winger who was capable of pulling off skills some could only dream of and was once regarded as the next big thing to come out of Portugal. He came out of the famous Sporting Lisbon academy at the same time as one Cristiano Ronaldo, and was largely seen as the slightly more naturally gifted player. His talent was so remarkable that the then Sporting Lisbon manager Laszio Boloni promoted him to the first-team squad at the young age of 17. The following year he showed flashes of brilliance throughout the whole season and it was those flashes that landed him a big move to Spanish giants Barcelona. However the bulk of his game-time came as a substitute as he appeared to struggle to settle at the club. Towards the end of his disappointing campaign with Barcelona he picked up a foot injury that would keep him out of the 2004 UEFA Euros competition. On his return to Barcelona, he refused to play for the club again as long as Frank Rijkaard was still the manager and his relationship with Rijkaard plummeted, and after only one season he was sent back to Portugal, with FC Porto deciding to bring the gifted winger back to Liga NOS. Here in his four year stint he played some of the best football of his career over his four-year stint and his ridiculous trademark 'trivela' move had jaws dropping throughout the world of football. His time in Portugal, from 2004 to 2008, is widely regarded as his peak as a player. It is where he became known to most football fans and his combination of tricks, skills and goal contributions made him one of the most entertaining players to watch out there. He had always had natural talent but, without the freedom and love, he struggled to display it in Barcelona, but at Porto, they gave him the perfect platform to express himself and further develop his skillset. His final season at Porto would be one to remember, but many, including his agent Jorge Mendes, thought he had conquered Liga NOS and it was time for him to leave Portugal to reach the very top of his potential. Strongly linked with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester Utd, after a lot of transfer speculation, it was Italian giants Inter Milan who won the race to sign the young Portuguese star. Unfortunately he found game time hard to come by, with the Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho indicating that he didn't work hard enough for the team. It was no surprise that when the January transfer window opened both Quaresma and Inter decided it was best for both parties if he went out on loan and Chelsea ended up beating off the competition to secure his services until the end of the season. Sadly the move did not yield the results he was looking for, as he barely featured in Chelsea’s first team, and on the few occasions he did, he failed to make any real impact. After another underwhelming season at Inter, when he was given the unwanted accolade of winning the Bidone d’ore award for the worst footballer in Serie A, Besiktas decided to bring the Portuguese international to the Turkish Super Lig to end his torrid spell at Inter Milan. In his first season here his performances were reminiscent of his time at Porto and people were starting to believe in the talented Portuguese winger again. However problems with management started to occur again and after a sensational outburst he was told he would never play for the club again, was suspended indefinitely, and released six months before his contract expired. Another transfer, and one season in Dubai was enough for him and he then made returns to Porto and then Besiktas where it was quite possibly the best of his career as not only did he score 6 goals and claim 17 assists, but he was also an important part of Portugal’s 2016 Euros championship-winning team. He then joined Turkish team Kasimpaşa for a season but decided to return to Portugal to play for Vitória de Guimarães where he spent two seasons playing decent football, but decided to leave in the summer of 2022.
Although he won many trophies, he struggled to reach the world-class level he was labelled with as a kid. He was considered a top prospect from the age of 17 and branded the future of Portuguese football but although he did not live up to that title, he found a good level of success at clubs like Porto and Besiktas. However, his failures to find consistency and stand out at clubs such as Barcelona and Inter Milan suggests that he did not have the formidable mindset needed to succeed at a giant footballing institution.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2024/09/footballs-nearly-men-micah-richards.html
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