Ricardo Carvalho

Ricardo Alberto Silveira de Carvalho <small>OIH</small> (; born 18 May 1978 in Amarante, Portugal), is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a centre back for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid, and for the Portuguese national team.

Carvalho was born in Amarante where he played for the local team, Amarante Futebol Clube. By his great performance as a youngster, he was spotted by the Portuguese powerhouse, Porto, and in 1996 he was brought to FC Porto Junior team. Between 1997 and 2001 he had loan spells at Leça, where he made his professional debut, Vitória de Setúbal and FC Alverca, but it was in Mourinho’s reign that he really started to make big strides forward. It was in the 2002–03 season that Carvalho made his name known all around Europe, winning his first domestic league title under Mourinho’s commands, the Portuguese Cup, and the UEFA Cup. His good form led to an international call-up in 2003. In the next season, Carvalho won his second league title in a row, and his first UEFA Champions League title, in which tournament he was named best defender of the tournament. In July 2004, Carvalho transferred to Chelsea for a fee of just under €30 million. With "The Blues", he won two Premier League titles in a row and one League Cup in his first two seasons. In 2008 he helped the club reach the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in their history, a game that they...
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