Ricardo Oliveira
Personal information
Date of birth	May 6, 1980 (1980-05-06) (age 29)
Place of birth	São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Al-Jazira
Number	TBA
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2000–2002 2003 2003–2004 2004–2006 2006 2006–2008 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009 2009–	Portuguesa Santos Valencia Betis → São Paulo (loan) AC Milan → Zaragoza (loan) Zaragoza Betis Al-Jazira	46 (23) 14 0(4) 21 0(8) 46 (26) 08 0(5) 26 0(3) 37 (18) 18 (10) 16 0(6) 08 0(8)
National team2
2004–2007	Brazil	11 0(3)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1/12/2009. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 1/12/2009. * Appearances (Goals)

Ricardo Oliveira (born May 6, 1980 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian footballer who is currently playing for Al-Jazira Club, as a striker.

[edit] Club career

[edit] Early career

Oliveira began his career at Associação Portuguesa de Desportos scoring 23 goals in 46 appearances for the club before moving on to Santos Futebol Clube. During his brief stint, he netted four goals in 14 league games, with an overall record of 34 with 22 goals, many of which came in the Libertadores Cup.

[edit] Valencia

Oliveira joined Valencia CF on 31 July, 2003.^[1]Under the guidance of Rafael Benítez, Oliveira scored eight La Liga goals in 21 games, including a fantastic long range effort against FC Barcelona, in a 1-0 away win in October, netting a hat-trick the following month, at RCD Mallorca (5-0).

[edit] Betis

However, after only one season which brought league and UEFA Cup medals, Oliveira joined Real Betis for a reported fee of €4 million.^[2]He scored 22 league goals in 37 appearances as the Andalusians reached the UEFA Champions League after finishing fourth, and also won the 2005 Spanish Cup against CA Osasuna, scoring the first goal in a 2-1 final win.

Oliveira scored his first official Champions League goal against R.S.C. Anderlecht, following two goals, including a solo effort, against AS Monaco in the third qualifying round. Due to knee ligament damage sustained against Chelsea on November 1, 2005, he only played nine times in the league, although he scored four goals.

[edit] São Paulo

Oliveira moved on loan to São Paulo Futebol Clube in early 2006, in a bid to gain a place in Brazil's World Cup 2006 squad. Prolonged recovery time meant Oliveira never made it but he did continue to compete for São Paulo in all the fronts until 10 August 2006.

Following his loan spell, Oliveira returned to Betis on August 21, nine days later than he was requested which caused controversy among the club's faithful and its board. The delay was caused by an unplanned schedule change made by CONMEBOL, which postponed the Libertadores final match in one week, and his contract was due on the day after the previous final match date. Oliveira wanted to play on the decisive match and tried to reach an agreement with Betis, even with a special allowance from FIFA, but the Spanish team would not cooperate and he was not able to play the match.

[edit] AC Milan

Oliveira was fined multiple times by Betis. First, for the breach of his contract. Then, for returning to Betis late (after he played for the Brazil international team), and the last one for having a medical test with A.C. Milan without authorization.

Milan, which had lost Andriy Shevchenko after 2006 Italian football scandal, in search of replacement, signed Oliveira, whom finally missed the 2006 World Cup. He signed a five-year contract on 31 August 2006, with Johann Vogel moving in the opposite position as part of the deal. The two clubs negotiated nearly a week due to dispute between the transfer fee, which reportedly reached €17.5million.^[3]

Oliveira made his debut in the second half of Milan's 2006-07 opening-day match with S.S. Lazio, heading past keeper Angelo Peruzzi from the goalline. However, he netted only twice more after that for the remainder of the season, finishing with a disappointing three goals in 22 Serie A appearances, in addition to two goals during Milan's Italian Cup campaign. He had spent most of the season under the stress of the October 2006 kidnapping of his sister, Maria Lourdes, who was released unharmed on March 12, 2007.

[edit] Zaragoza

On July 14, 2007, Oliveira moved back to Spain and joined Real Zaragoza on loan, forming an impressive striker partnership with Argentine Diego Milito, as the two scored 33 of the side's 50 goals during the season, which ended in relegation. Zaragoza would have an option to purchase him for an agreed price when the loan period finished.

On May 25, 2008, Zaragoza bought Oliveira from AC Milan for €10 million.^[4]

[edit] Betis return

However, in late January 2009, he re-joined Betis on a fee of €8.9 million with commission, signing a deal until June 2013.^[5]Oliveira scored in the 83rd minute of his Betis comeback, netting the second goal in the derby against Sevilla FC, on February 7.

Betis would be eventually relegated, as both Oliveira (who struck in the last match, a 1-1 home draw against Real Valladolid) and former Zaragoza teammate Sergio García met the same fate for the second consecutive year.

[edit] Al-Jazira

In mid-July 2009, Oliveira, already immerse in pre-season with Betis, left for Al-Jazira Club, in a lucrative deal of about €14 million.^[6][7]

Career statistics

¹Continental competitions include the AFC Champions League
²Other tournaments include the UAE President Cup and Etisalat Emirates Cup,

[edit] National team

Oliveira made his debut for the Brazil national team against the Catalan XI on 25 May 2004, scoring in the match as Brazil won 5-1. However, that match was not considered an official friendly match by FIFA.

He was subsequently included in Brazil's squad for Copa América 2004 and won his first cap on July 8, 2004, against Paraguay. During the event, he also scored his first goal for Brazil, in the quarterfinal match against Mexico on the 18th, as Brazil went on to win the cup.

Oliveira scored his second and third goals for his country in a match that Brazil won against Hong Kong, shortly after. Since then, Oliveira became a regular in the Brazil team as a cover for Ronaldo, Adriano and Robinho. He was also included in the squad for the 2005 Confederations Cup. He was expected to be a part of Brazil's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad until he suffered the knee ligament damage with Betis. He recovered earlier than expected, but failed to win a place on the squad.

After a one-year absence from the national team, Brazil's new coach Dunga recalled him for a friendly match against Switzerland, on November 15, 2006.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Club

• Valencia CF:
  • Spanish League: 2003-04
  • UEFA Cup: 2003-04

• Real Betis:
  • Spanish Cup: 2004-05

• A.C. Milan:
  • UEFA Champions League: 2006-07

[edit] International

• Copa America: 2004
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005

[edit] Individual

• Libertadores Cup: Top goalscorer in 2003

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• BDFutbol profile
• NationalFootballTeams data
• FootballDatabase profile and stats
• Chat with Betis star Oliveira; UEFA.com, 15 September 2006

v • d • e Brazil squad – Copa América 2004 Winners (7th title) 1 Júlio César • 2 Mancini • 3 Luisão • 4 Juan • 5 Renato • 6 Gustavo Nery • 7 Adriano • 8 Kléberson • 9 Luís Fabiano • 10 Alex • 11 Edu • 12 Fábio • 13 Maicon • 14 Bordon • 15 Cris • 16 Dudu Cearense • 17 Adriano C. • 18 Júlio Baptista • 19 Diego • 20 Felipe • 21 Oliveira • 22 Vágner Love • Coach: Parreira

v • d • e Brazil squad – 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup Winners (2nd Title) 1 Dida • 2 Maicon • 3 Lúcio • 4 Roque Júnior • 5 Emerson • 6 Gilberto • 7 Robinho • 8 Kaká • 9 Adriano • 10 Ronaldinho • 11 Zé Roberto • 12 Marcos • 13 Cicinho • 14 Juan • 15 Luisão • 16 Léo • 17 Gilberto Silva • 18 Juninho • 19 Renato • 20 Júlio Baptista • 21 Oliveira • 22 Edu • 23 Gomes • Coach: Parreira