Ricardo Quaresma

At 40 years old, Ricardo Quaresma has this physical status:

Quaresma was born in Lisbon. A trainee at Sporting CP's famed academy, the 17-year-old was promoted to the first team by manager László Bölöni before the start of the 2001–02 season, playing 28 Primeira Liga matches and scoring three goals as the team won the double.

Under the same coach, Quaresma scored five times in the league the following campaign, but the team could only finish in third place.

In 2003, Quaresma was sold to FC Barcelona for a reported €6 million fee and the loan of Fábio Rochemback. In his first year in La Liga he made ten starts and 12 substitute appearances, scoring in the 5–0 home rout of Albacete Balompié.

Quaresma injured his right foot in the final weeks of the season, forcing him to miss both the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and UEFA Euro 2004 tournaments. Shortly after, he announced his refusal to play for the Spanish club as long as manager Frank Rijkaard was in charge.

Quaresma signed for FC Porto in the summer of 2004 as Deco moved in the opposite direction for a fee of €15 million plus Quaresma, valued at €6 million. He started the campaign on a high note by scoring the only goal in a win against S.L. Benfica in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, and also scored in the 2–1 loss to Valencia CF in the UEFA Super Cup.

Quaresma scored five goals in his first year at the Estádio do Dragão, and the club finished as runners-up. In the penalty shootout defeat of Once Caldas in the Intercontinental Cup, he successfully converted his attempt in an 8–7 victory in Yokohama.

On 1 September 2008, Quaresma signed for Italian champions Inter Milan in a cash/player exchange fee of €18.6 million, with youngster Pelé joining Porto. He scored in his first Serie A match against Catania Calcio, with one of his trademark trivelas in a 2–1 home win. However, he found opportunities in the starting XI limited, as coach José Mourinho stated:

At the end of the season, Quaresma was given the Bidone d'oro award for the worst footballer in the Italian top division. On 2 February 2009, transfer deadline day, he signed on loan for Premier League club Chelsea until 30 June, making his first appearance five days later in a 0–0 home draw with Hull City. On 7 March, he provided the cross for Alex to score against Coventry City in the sixth round of the FA Cup. After a disappointing start at the San Siro, he said his move had restored his confidence, and he further stated "When I was at Inter, I wasn't feeling very confident. I wasn't playing well and wasn't happy, I already feel more confident here at Chelsea. It has brought the joy back for me, which I didn't have at Inter."

Having returned to Inter despite attempts made by the club to offload him, Quaresma inherited the number 7 shirt following the retirement of his compatriot Luís Figo. However, after the arrival of Goran Pandev he did not feature much in Mourinho's plans as the team went on to win the treble, making 11 appearances in the league without scoring.

On 13 June 2010, Quaresma joined Beşiktaş J.K. of the Turkish Süper Lig, who paid €7.3 million for his services and signed him to a three-year contract, which entitled him to €3.5 million in the first season and €3.75 million in the next two. He scored his first goal for them against FC Viktoria Plzeň in the UEFA Europa League's third qualifying round, and was also an integral part of their victorious run in the Turkish Cup, opening the scoring in the 33rd minute of the final against İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. and being named player of the match after the 4–3 win on penalties.

On 25 April 2011, Quaresma and teammate Nihat Kahveci had a spat on the pitch – the latter was upset at the former for failing to pass the ball, but the altercation was eventually broken up by teammates. Following the 3–1 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the Europa League's round of 16 the following 8 March, he had an altercation with Carlos Carvalhal in the dressing room at half-time after the manager replaced him with İsmail Köybaşı, reportedly beginning to throw water bottles before saying, "I brought you here, you just think of yourself. If I was not here, [Carvalhal] would not be here. You can not remove me from the match because you're nothing." He was suspended indefinitely by the club following the incident, and released on 20 December six months before his contract was due to expire, being paid the remaining €1.48 million.

On 8 January 2013, Quaresma signed with Al Ahli FC in the UAE Pro League. He scored two league goals from ten games in his only season, adding another in his sole appearance in a victorious campaign in the UAE President's Cup.

In May 2013, the 29-year-old Quaresma was released.

Quaresma returned to Porto on 1 January 2014, where over 10,000 fans greeted him in training. He scored in his first European match of his second spell against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League's round of 32 on 20 February (2–2 home draw), and then set up a goal and scored in a 2–2 draw with S.S.C. Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo. In the quarter-finals of the same competition, he scored a consolation goal in the 4–1 away loss to Sevilla FC.

On 15 April 2015, Quaresma scored twice in the first ten minutes, starting with a penalty, as Porto defeated FC Bayern Munich 3–1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League's quarter-final tie.

Quaresma returned to Beşiktaş in July 2015, being greeted by a crowd of thousands at Istanbul Atatürk Airport. He stated his aim was to win the league with the team, which was eventually achieved and retained the following season.

On 26 February 2018, Quaresma scored a trademark trivela goal against Fenerbahçe S.K. in the Istanbul derby when he bent the ball around Mauricio Isla into the top corner of the net with the outside of his right foot, the first of his two goals in a 3–1 win.

The 35-year-old Quaresma continued to ply his trade in the Turkish top division on 29 August 2019, when the free agent signed with Kasımpaşa S.K. for one season. In July 2020, he left.

On 7 September 2020, Quaresma agreed to a two-year deal with Vitória de Guimarães. He scored four times in his first year, adding six assists in a seventh-place finish.

Quaresma was less played by new manager Pepa in the 2021–22 campaign. In May, he confirmed he was leaving the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques.

International career

A UEFA European Under-16 Championship winner with Portugal in 2000, Quaresma made his debut for the full side on 10 June 2003, in a friendly against Bolivia. Poor form during his time with Barcelona and an injury prevented him from taking part in the Under-21 Championships, Euro 2004 and the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, and he featured in the vital 2–0 victory over Slovakia, but was omitted by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari from the final squad.

In February 2007, Quaresma appeared in a friendly against Brazil at the Emirates Stadium, providing an assist in the 2–0 win and being named man of the match. On 24 March, he scored his first goal for the national team in their 4–0 defeat of Belgium in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers, held in his home town. Picked for the finals in Austria and Switzerland, he replaced Simão Sabrosa for the last ten minutes of the second group match against the Czech Republic, scoring in stoppage time to contribute to a 3–1 win. He started the next match, a 0–2 loss to hosts Switzerland, when nine of the 11 regular starters were rested.

In August 2010, after nearly two years of absence, Quaresma was called up for two Euro 2012 qualifiers against Cyprus and Norway to be held the next month, replacing the injured Cristiano Ronaldo. He played the full 90 minutes in the first match, a 4–4 home draw.

After failing to receive any playing time at the Euro 2012 tournament, and being involved in a training incident with teammate Miguel Lopes, Quaresma was named in Portugal's provisional 30-man squad for the 2014 World Cup, but did not make the final cut. Coach Paulo Bento said regarding the matter, "I have to accept that people will question my decisions. Nani has difference [sic] characteristics to Quaresma."

Quaresma scored a penalty, his first international goal in over six years, in a friendly with France on 11 October 2014, but in a 2–1 loss. He was then picked for Euro 2016, where he scored the match's only goal – in the 117th minute – in a last-16 win over Croatia. Five days later, in the quarter-final against Poland, he scored the winning spot-kick in a penalty shootout following a 1–1 draw after extra time. In the final against hosts France on 10 July, he came off the bench for Ronaldo, who was forced off in the opening 25 minutes due to injury; the match ended in a 1–0 extra-time victory to Portugal, which saw the country win its first ever international title.

Quaresma was chosen for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored the opening goal of Portugal's 2–2 draw with Mexico in the group stage, and helped his team to an eventual third-place finish.

Fifteen years after his first cap, Quaresma was selected for a World Cup squad for the first time, the 2018 tournament which also took place in Russia. In Portugal's third group match, against Iran, he scored a goal-of-the-tournament contender, playing a one-two with Adrien Silva on the right side of the field before striking the ball with the outside of his right foot—a trademark trivela—into the top left corner of the goal in a 1–1 draw that took his team into the last 16.

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