Angola Player Profile: Joao Ricardo Ferreira

I am going to venture to say that Angola keeper Joao Ricardo Ferreira – known simply as Ricardo – is the only player at this summer’s World Cup who does not play for a club team. Ricardo was born in Angola but has lived in Portugal since he was four. He has spent most of his professional career playing in lower division Portugal football, most recently with club team Moreirense.

The 36-year-old is not currently linked with a club and he spends his time working out on his own and with third division club Portomosense near where he lives. Despite this unusual setup, he performed reasonably well during the recent African Cup of Nations in Egypt and he was stellar during the Palancas Negras qualifying run.

The fact that Ricardo even plays for Angola is a bit of a surprise. He turned down an offer to represent the country during the 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso. Despite rejecting his birth country, he was asked to join the team again and he has been a mainstay in net ever since.

Ricardo is not one of the best keepers in the world, but he is experienced. I am going to predict that he plays out of his mind in Germany and that he finishes with two shut outs, including one against his country of residence, Portugal.