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Date of Birth: Thursday, May 18, 1978
Birth Place: Portugal
Height: 183cm
Position: Defender
Former Clubs/Teams: FC Porto, FC Alverca, Vitória Setúbal

Biography

Ricardo Carvalho is a defender for Portugal and Chelsea in the English Premier League. He is not the quickest, but makes up for that by reading the game exceptionally well. He has formed a fantastic partnership in the centre of defence with John Terry, and is a rock at the heart of the Chelsea team. He has captained Portugal, and helped them to reach the Semi Finals of Euro 2008.

Childhood

Carvalho was born on May 18th 1978, in Amarante, Portugal. He was quickly tipped as a top footballing prospect, with his height coming in handy when taking on other youth football teams. He was signed up to Porto’s academy, making the hour commute a couple of times a week.

Early Career

In spite of signing for Porto as a child, he made his first team debut when he was on loan at Leca in the Portuguese lower leagues. Similar stints for Vitoria Setubal and Alverca proved that he was able to cope with the physical demands of playing at centre-back, and he was finally included in the first-team squad for Porto in 2001, when he was 23 years old.

Having learnt the ropes elsewhere, some commentators were shocked at how accomplished and comfortable on the ball this new youngster was in the heart of the Porto defence. Porto had a number of young players at that time who were starting to make their mark on Europe, with Deco and Paulo Ferreira having significant impacts, under the careful coaching of Jose Mourinho.

Porto won the 2003 and 2004 Portuguese Championships, and also managed the stunning feat of victory in the Champions League – despatching Manchester United and Monaco on the way. This success led to international recognition, and clubs were clambering to sign him.

Current Club

On August 21st 2004 Ricardo Carvalho followed Coach Jose Mourinho and team-mate Paulo Ferreira to Chelsea, costing the Blues £19m. Carvalho was used sparingly in his first few seasons at the club, with Carvalho himself complaining about his lack of games. Carvalho had to make do with a bit-part in Chelsea’s Premier League domination.

Carvalho finally made the centre-back spot his own in 2006, when he started a brilliant partnership with Captain John Terry. His performances were such that fans voted him in as third Best Player of the Year, and his team-mates followed suit by electing him as Player’s Player of the Year.

International

Having impressed for Porto in the Portuguese league and Champions League, Ricardo Carvalho was finally given an international opportunity to impress in October 2003, when he played his part against Albania, and played his way into the Euro 2004 Squad. Strong performances at Euro 2004 and Euro 2008 have made him irreplaceable in the centre for Portugal. His most famous moment perhaps came when he was stamped on by Wayne Rooney in 2006, which caused national outrage in England.