Our Biography of Ricardo Pereira tells you Facts about his Childhood Story, Early Life, Parents, Family, Girlfriend/wife to be, Lifestyle, Net Worth and Personal Life.
In a nutshell, we give you the history of a Portuguese footballer best known with the nickname “Peri“. Lifebogger begins from his early days, to when he became famous with Leicester City.
To give you a taste of the engaging nature of Ricardo Pereira’s Bio, here is a pictorial summary of his life.
Yes, everyone knows he is that aggressive and versatile full-back who loves to bomb into the box, showing his extraordinary attacking abilities.
However, we notice only a few fans have read Ricardo Pereira’s Biography, which is quite interesting. Now without further ado, let’s begin.
Ricardo Pereira Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
For Biography starters, his full names are Ricardo Domingos Barbosa. Ricardo Pereira was born on the 6th of October, 1993 to his parents in the city of Lisbon, Portugal.
The aggressive right-back has his family origin of Cape Verde where his mum and dad comes from.
While little is known about Ricardo Pereira’s dad, he was known to have spent a greater part of his early years with his mum who a greater influence on him as a child.
Ricardo Pereira Family Origin:
Did you know?… The country where Ricardo’s parents came from, Cape Verde is famous for its tropical climate, volcanic islands, and delicious cuisine.
The country was discovered between 1460 and 1462 by Portuguese sailors, a fact which explains why the majority of its citizens abroad prefer to live in Portugal. Cape Verde to Portugal is just an easy drive via the North Atlantic.
Around early 1990 when Ricardo Pereira was born, there was an estimated number of 50,000 persons of Cape Verdean national origin living in Portugal.
Although you might not know! Ricardo Pereira is NOT the only footballer of Cape Verde family origins.
Did you know?… Former Manchester United Legends, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Nani also have their family origin from the northwest African country (Cape Verde).
What Growing up in Lisbon looked like:
Ricardo Pereira grew up mostly around his mum, in Lisbon, the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is a city with its own flaws and opportunities.
While some kids gave in to peer pressure in their troubled neighbourhood, others like Ricardo took sporting opportunities, which the city presented.
The Lisbon native never neglected the sporting side of the city as he was greatly in love with football as a child.
Ricardo Pereira Childhood Story – Education and Career Buildup:
Ricardo had been interested in playing football professionally right from the moment he watched his first soccer match on TV.
Early on, he began learning his football trade in the local field of Lisbon. Participating in football was his own way of educating himself. His early hard work paid off after he got recognized by a football scout.
At the age of 10, a Sporting scout (from Futebol Benfica, AKA Fofó) monitored Ricardo’s progress and approached him.
The scout spoke with his parents about the need to take their son to Futebol Benfica academy in the quest for a better football education.
Ricardo Pereira’s parents agreed, and at the age of 11, their son got inducted into the multi-award-winning academy located in the Benfica neighbourhood of Lisbon.
Giving football this early start was what Ricardo’s parents wanted for him. While at the club, little Ricardo was looked after by Manuel Fernandes (pictured above), the man who has led the club’s destiny for over 30 years.
Ricardo Pereira Childhood Story – Early Career Life:
Early on with the academy, Ricardo Pereira would think of no other thing than to work, focus and never give up is possible.
Back then, the Lisbon native together with his teammates, the likes of renowned players such as; Gelson Martins, Rúben Semedo, all followed in the footsteps of Robinho.
Ricardo’s first sporting success came through competitive games where he would regularity try to mimic the gesture and touches of his idol (Robinho) whom he looked up to.
Having unusual stamina for his tender age, the young prodigy saw himself growing through the academy ranks. Below is a rare photo of Ricardo during his early years with Futebol Benfica in the year 2002.
As his progress when on, Ricardo began receiving a thousand euros, later, he began receiving another 2,000 as he went up.
After a three-year spell, Ricardo continued his footballing maturation process, with Sporting CP’s academy where he spent an additional 6 years.
Ricardo Pereira Biography – Road to Fame:
When the Going Got Tough: At age 17, the time he was about to graduate with high hopes of getting into senior football, the unfortunate happened. Poor Ricardo Pereira was released by Sporting CP.
Instead of giving up on his dream, the rejected footballer joined Associação Naval 1º de Maio, commonly known as Naval, a small football club in Figueira da Foz.
A year later, he moved on to Vitória Guimaraes, a club known to be a recruiting ground for top clubs in Portugal. While in the club, Ricardo gained entry into their senior team.
Ricardo Pereira endured a difficult start with the senior team. Due to poor performances, Ricardo was dropped to the Vitória Guimarães B (the reserve team of Vitória Guimarães) for some time.
Instead of giving up on his dream again, the young prodigy decided to fight his way up in order to get back the respect of his manager. At last, there was a smooth progression back into his senior career.
Becoming a Cup Final Hero:
Ricardo knew his side wasn’t good enough to win the Portuguese Primeira Liga. Hence, he devoted his full energies in the 2012–13 edition of the Portuguese Cup, a strategy that paid off.
Did you know?… Ricardo became the FINAL HERO in the 2012-2013 Portuguese Cup showpiece final. He was behind the 2–1 winner in the final against S.L. Benfica.
In the final, he dealt with Benfica goalkeeper Artur Moraes with a long-distance shot to sensationally put his club ahead, claiming his first-ever major silverware.
When the Going Gets Though Again:
Being the star man and winning the Portuguese cup was a perfect plan for Ricardo to get into a bigger team.
On the 16th of April 2013, before the season got over, Ricardo Pereira joined FC Porto with huge expectations placed on his shoulders.
Again, things didn’t go well as planned, and it was the time his club was undergoing a period of major change.
Poor Ricardo who was used to playing as a forward suddenly lost all of the attacking prowess that was so evident with his former club Guimarães.
At the time he lost his attacking qualities, the Lisbon native did demonstrate improvement in the defensive side of his game.
This made his Manager (Paulo Fonseca) convert him from a forward to a full-back, the position he plays at the time of writing.
Despite the conversion, Ricardo’s challenges continued. Even as a right-back, there was competition with Danilo as his rival.
When Danilo went to Madrid, Pereira’s starting place wasn’t still guaranteed as Maxi Pereira, signed from Benfica was selected over him for the position. Choosing the last resort, Ricardo decided to leave the club on loan.
Ricardo Pereira Biography – Rise to Fame:
Ricardo Pereira was loaned for two years to French club OGC Nice where he maintained his defensive position. Rather than crumble, the defender grew from strength to strength.
Within a matter of weeks, Ricardo Pereira went from a forgotten man at FC Porto to become one of Ligue 1’s biggest revelations. At the club, he gained a lot of popularity and fame.
After his two loan spells with the club, Ricardo began to feel the need to leave for new surroundings.
Moving to England to join Leicester became a confidence boost as the Lisbon native was happy with the English culture, club’s training method, and habit.
In his first season at Leicester, Pereira’s defensive ability helped his team concede only 34 league goals in a season, a respectable number for a mid-table side, better than Manchester United and Arsenal.
At the end of his first season, Ricardo was voted the 2018/2019 Leicester Player of the Season and also the award for Leicester Player’s Player of the Season 2018/2019.
Winning these awards was a confidence boost for Ricardo Pereira as his meteoric rise to prominence continued in the 2019/2020 season. The coming of James Justin and Timothy Castagne gave that competition, which resulted in Ricardo’s greater push to impress his Brendan Rodgers.
Even in his right-back position, Pereira’s aggressiveness and versatility have helped push his team back into the Champions League places.
In the minds of football fans in Portugal and the world at large, Ricardo Pereira is indeed among the best in the endless production line of amazing right-backs who have made a name in football. The rest, as they say, is history.
Ricardo Pereira Love Life:
Behind every successful man, there is a surprised woman rolling her eyes. For being successful and rising to the huge demands of English football, it is certain that some football fans must have asked if Ricardo Pereira has a Girlfriend or wife.
There is no denying the fact that his cute looks coupled with his style of play wouldn’t make him a darling to ladies.
As far as we know, Ricardo Pereira has left his family behind to take his shot at the Premier League. The Portuguese moved to England on his own, with no wife, girlfriend or children to accompany him.
As at the time of writing, it appears he has preferred to focus on his career. Also, keeping his relationship status very secret is a way of avoiding any spotlight.
Judging by his age and maturity, Ricardo Pereira might have a girlfriend. Although, he might prefer to make his relationship with her very private.
Personal Life:
Knowing his personality off the pitch would help you get a better picture of him.
Starting off, he is someone who believes in the words that say… “Important is not who smiles with you, but who will be with you when you cannot smile“.
Ricardo Pereira uses these emotional words to reflect on his early career struggles. We talk of a life that was filled with rejection and a lot of slowdowns. At the time of writing, it is the status write-up displayed on his Instagram page.
Also on his personal life, Ricardo is a determined and decisive person, one who will research until he finds out the truth that would led to success.
As an individual, he possesses an inner state of independence which enables significant progress both in his personal and professional life.
Likeness for Dog: Footballer players, the likes of Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, and Neymar, love their dogs and Ricardo Pereira isn’t an exception.
Even though there is a saying that there is no loyalty left in the modern game, it surely doesn’t take into account the relationships shared between the Portuguese star and his dog.
Ricardo Pereira Family Life:
For Ricardo Pereira, the key to living a happy life is to have a fine balance. Meaning he will not commit to football commitments without doing the most important this. That is, setting apart enough time for his beloved mother.
Ricardo’s Pereira’s mum at the time of writing happens to be the only family member in his public domain. Below is a photo of both mother and son as they both took a tour to Buckingham Palace.
Unlike Pereira’s mum, his dad, brother and sister have all made a conscious choice not to seek public recognition.
Ricardo Pereira Lifestyle:
When it comes to lifestyle, Ricardo Pereira has the talent to maintain a balance. A balance between spending and saving monies.
As I write his Bio, he makes a whooping £3.6 million in annual wages. Even with these monies, he is disciplined enough to stick to his budget.
Going through his social media, there are no signs of having a glamorous lifestyle. Especially one that is easily noticeable by a handful of exotic cars, mansions, etc.
As observed below, Ricardo Pereira mostly spends his monies on aquatic entertainment.
Ricardo Pereira Untold Facts:
A Race Driver:
While most footballers tend to play golf or FIFA, there are some who are different. As you can see, Ricardo is more inventive in terms of what he does outside football.
Ricardo Pereira is one of those who has another hobby you wouldn’t necessarily expect. Did you know?… He is an expert in Kart racing from Daytona Tamworth.
Brand Ambassador & Student of a UK University:
According to a report, he was once an online student. Also, a brand ambassador of De Montfort University, a public university in the city of Leicester, England.
Ricardo Pereira took his inspiration from Wilfred Ndidi, a fellow brand ambassador who at the time of writing, is studying to gain a degree in business and management from the university.
Honours in Summary:
Most football fans, including you reading this Biography, might have gotten something. The fact that he achieved quite a lot before joining Leicester. Here is a breakdown of his honours before joining Leicester.
Appreciation Note:
Thanks for reading our Ricardo Pereira Childhood Story plus Untold Biography Facts.
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Hale Hendrix
Hi there! I am Hale Hendrix, a passionate football enthusiast and writer dedicated to uncovering the untold stories of footballers' childhood and biography. With a deep love for the beautiful game, I have spent countless hours researching and interviewing players to bring to light the lesser-known details of their lives.
